Meditation and Technology

tabula

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, though it does concern meditation.

I was just thinking about current and future technology concerning meditation and thought it would be cool if software could be developed where the user wears something like a head device that can track your neural activity and you have to intently focus on an object to make it move or spin or whatever. It would certainly help concentrate the mind on one thing at a time.

Any thoughts folks?

Tosh

I think that sounds great; we could then experiment to find out what is most effective!

BhanteLucky

How about if they develop a pill, and you take it, and it makes permanent changes in your brain... compassion is boosted, your sense of self disappears and you become a bodhisatva or arahant.

federica

That's against the fifth precept.
Short-cuts don't count, when hard work is more gratifying, rewarding, educational and informative.

Tosh

JamestheGiant said:

How about if they develop a pill, and you take it, and it makes permanent changes in your brain... compassion is boosted, your sense of self disappears and you become a bodhisatva or arahant.

I'm an alkie; alcohol can have that kind of effect on me. When I was drunk I could be overcome by a strong sense of love for a bar room full of people (okay fifteen minutes later I might want to fight 'em all). My sense of self decreased also, sometimes I felt invisible, other times I became intensely interested in other folk. I could also be extremely kind and giving; buying beers for people with money I should've kept for food (well, drink really).

I think there's a good reason why strong alcohol is called 'spirits'; it certainly made me feel 'spiritual'.

Unfortunately there was a price to pay on regaining consciousness!

Jeffrey

The problem would be that you would be reliant on a conditional device. Then if you couldn't afford it anymore or you started having a bad reaction to the device, then you would find out that you had too many hopes pinned on this device.

But yeah I think such a device could help overcome suffering. I think of old folks in a home getting to view such a device and getting a better feeling.

Perhaps such a device could be like 'soma' from Brave New World.

DaltheJigsaw

JamestheGiant said:

How about if they develop a pill, and you take it, and it makes permanent changes in your brain... compassion is boosted, your sense of self disappears and you become a bodhisatva or arahant.

Lol! That's funny!

DaltheJigsaw

federica said:

That's against the fifth precept.
Short-cuts don't count, when hard work is more gratifying, rewarding, educational and informative.

Agreed! I rather work at it, and then just get it, as you will not know how to control it, if you just get it. It is like winning a lottery, when you win, you are happy and you think you will know how to control it, but after 6 months, you most likely would have spent it on something that is inappropriate or on something, that is not a necessity. Lol!

robot

Do you mean something like this?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biofeedback

music

There is the creative process, and there is the mechanical one. When it comes to the latter - consider washing clothes - I'd rather get a machine do that. But when it comes to something creative - painting - I'd rather use my own hands, heart, and soul than depend upon technology. So the question is, is the path to enlightenment a creative process or a purely mechanical one? The answer will help us understand whether hi-tech shortcuts may help.

Jeffrey

@music, I don't think the path to enlightenment removes creativity. Creativity is just natural to our minds. So though it is not a path to become a better artist but we can develop creativity in relation to sharpening up our minds and practicing unconditional awareness. Hmm unconditional awareness might be creativity itself!! Whereas conditioned awareness is like a 'tech'. Like when I worked as a pharmacy tech I just made all of the IV drug admixtures as it said on the label. There was concentration of the mind to do this but not much creativity. In other words conditional awareness/confidence I had from knowing how to execute did not have anything to do with creativity, though perhaps it did have some unconditional awareness when something unexpected happened at work. It's like 'sea-legs'. You are on autopilot until there is some change in the environment and you have to readjust via your creativity.

Did any of that interest?

hermitwin

actually, it would be great .
and it will not be too difficult to invent.
but it can only serve as a stepping stone.

tabula said:

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, though it does concern meditation.

I was just thinking about current and future technology concerning meditation and thought it would be cool if software could be developed where the user wears something like a head device that can track your neural activity and you have to intently focus on an object to make it move or spin or whatever. It would certainly help concentrate the mind on one thing at a time.

Any thoughts folks?

BhanteLucky

federica said:

That's against the fifth precept.

No, intoxicants are against the fifth.
This special pill would clear all illusion from the mind. Like a medicinal pill for correcting the mental imbalance that samsara creates.

buddhajunkie

If the purpose of this technology is to quickly inform you of when you have lost focus/mindfulness, then such a technology could hinder your practice -- developing your own ability to know when your mind was wandered is important.

Having said that, there are some low-tech tricks,within the Dharma, to help you more easily know when your mind has wandered. One is counting your breath. It's pretty obvious when you lose count. Another is noting "left" and "right" when doing walking meditation. You will notice that sometimes you will note "left" when in fact it is your right foot that stepping, and you can thus refocus.

footiam

tabula said:

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, though it does concern meditation.

I was just thinking about current and future technology concerning meditation and thought it would be cool if software could be developed where the user wears something like a head device that can track your neural activity and you have to intently focus on an object to make it move or spin or whatever. It would certainly help concentrate the mind on one thing at a time.

Any thoughts folks?

Probably only the Buddha could have come out with the idea.

lobster

. . . At the moment they are working on helping people with depression but maybe the right magnetic field will be conducive to an enlightened mind state . . .
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=stimulating-the-brain-with-microsco

sukhita

Jeffrey said:

....... ........ Perhaps such a device could be like 'soma' from Brave New World.

Rigveda (8.48.3, tr. Griffith) states:

We have drunk Soma and become immortal; we have attained the light, the Gods discovered.
Now what may foeman's malice do to harm us? What, O Immortal, mortal man's deception?

charirama

federica said:

That's against the fifth precept.
Short-cuts don't count, when hard work is more gratifying, rewarding, educational and informative.

May I use music as an analogy?

Music theory is not music, it is math. When we learn the math, we discover some of the possibilities of music by listening to the results that come from dividing the octave in half, then in thirds etc.

Once we become familiar with these sounds and how to produce them on our instrument we can then use them in the creative process.

In Iyengar Yoga we use props to help us learn how it feels to be in proper alignment even though initially we may not be capable of getting there on our own.

By carefully using certain "short cuts" (I prefer to call them aids) we can actually improve the learning process - which I think is a good thing.

Beej

technology is not simply electronic devices- technology is really any tool used to alter/enhance the environment or conditions that you experience as a human. Fire is a technology. Architecture is another technology. I like to light a candle before i meditate, and during the winter i meditate inside four walks and under a roof. In the summer i meditate outside in the park or forest and i ride my bike to get to those places. technology and humanity are exponentially linked, and i cant imagine meditating without some form of technology being present or actively involved in the process. all phenomena are dependantly arisen anyways. tech is there. and empty.

Nevermind

federica said:

That's against the fifth precept.
Short-cuts don't count, when hard work is more gratifying, rewarding, educational and informative.

How is what Tabula describes any easier? It sounds harder to me.

Invincible_summer

I think this is what you're looking for.

footiam

tabula said:

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, though it does concern meditation.

I was just thinking about current and future technology concerning meditation and thought it would be cool if software could be developed where the user wears something like a head device that can track your neural activity and you have to intently focus on an object to make it move or spin or whatever. It would certainly help concentrate the mind on one thing at a time.

Any thoughts folks?

That sounds like a good idea. If you think about it, Buddha just sits and meditates. Other later people probably use a drum, recitation of sutras etc. The Tibetans has something that they swing round and round and I don't really know what they are for but I suspect it helps the mind to get focus and be ready for meditation. Things are really not permanent. Later, people who break their legs could have crutches that could be driven like cars.

blu3ree

Focusing on breathing in and out with counting up to 1-100. 1 on the in breathe 2 on the out without letting the mind wander and when it does redraft counting. This is an effective method to increase mindfulness.