This study is a valuable first step in further investigation of non-dual awareness, yet lack of information on the phenomenological aspects of the non-dual MEA experienced by meditators in the study makes it difficult to specifically assess what type of advanced MEA they experienced and to what extent the results may have been impacted by attentional effort. The comparison between focused attention and non-dual state surely also includes differences in attentional focus in the two types of meditation, so the specific findings regarding the pattern for non-dual state are perhaps more pertinent in this regard. Yet, they may still have been impacted by participants’ experiential understanding of MEA and the degrees of meditators’ expertise in this type of meditation. These factors have been previously highlighted in theoretical considerations about research into non-duality using EEG (Josipovic, 2010).
Another study measured brain activity and levels of autonomic nervous system (ANS) arousal while Tibetan Buddhist meditators engaged in the pristine awareness (rigpa) meditation (Amihai and Kozhevnikov, 2014). However, the study focused on attentional and ANS correlates of this type of meditation in comparison to the same practitioners engaging in deity meditation, and also in comparison to Theravada practitioners practicing two other meditation types. The findings suggested that the pristine awareness meditation was associated with similar levels of arousal to deity practice, but somewhat distinct pattern of brain activity measured using EEG. However, the study included very limited information on the actual state participants induced and their proficiency in this type of practice. The primary focus of the research was on differences between the Tibetan Buddhist and Theravada practices. So the findings do not provide clear pointers to what specific brain correlates could be indicative of the pristine awareness state.
The important next step for further research on advanced MEA including pristine awareness will be clear theoretical mapping for possible experiential distinctions which could be applied in research on neural correlates of these states. Collaboration with meditators experienced in advanced MEA will be essential to such work. The ‘map’ of MEA could then be used in guiding instructions for meditators in neuroscientific studies which would measure brain patterns associated with these states. Assessment of proficiency in inducing such states will be an essential aspect of this research given the likely impact of experience and proficiency on recruitment of cognitive resources while inducing and sustaining the MEA. Another aspect of the research should control for differences in basic levels of attention control and emotion regulation in practitioners which can also skew the brain pattern findings (Josipovic, 2010).
No previous research assessed possible neural correlates of the other five types of primordial awareness (the primordial awareness from the perspective of others) we have described. It would be intriguing to assess whether advanced practitioners would be able to distinguish between abiding in pristine awareness and a state which also includes other types of pristine awareness. In addition, no previous studies investigated possible brain correlates of pristine awareness during dream yoga, while meditators are falling asleep. It might be possible for experienced meditators to signal to researchers, for example using eye movements, when they finish abiding in the state of pristine awareness and the time preceding the signalling could be analyzed for patterns which could be linked to abiding in pristine awareness. Signalling after the state might be necessary because the process of monitoring and signalling during pristine awareness would interfere with the state and associated brain correlates.
Whilst further research into advanced MEA including the states of primordial awareness has the potential to provide very interesting new insights into these states, it is important to also keep in mind the limitations of neuroscientific research. Currently, the reports from neuroscience studies are often given higher weight, particularly by non-experts in this type of research, even when the findings may not be stronger than other types of research evidence (Weisberg et al., 2008). All neuroscience methods, despite their advantages, also have limitations in terms of measurement as such, as well as signal processing techniques and interpretation of findings. They may also not be sensitive to some subtle distinctions between meditative states, particularly MEA, due to these being masked by other cognitive activities or unsuitable types of assessment. So despite the excitement about evidence from neuroscientific methods, we also need to keep in mind their drawbacks and use various types of converging assessments in investigating advanced MEA, with feedback from expert meditators being of primary weight.
The state of existential balance, self-regulation and existential well-being
As with all the advanced MEA, refinement of the metacognitive self-regulatory capacity (MSRC) is a necessary pre-requisite enabling existential insight, including the insight into pristine awareness. Importantly, the state of existential balance requires maintaining the glimpses of pristine awareness, which places further demands on the stability of the MSRC. In this process, mindfulness supports the continuity of pristine awareness and meta-awareness monitors for subtle divergence from the state. The need for mindfulness and meta-awareness is no longer there when the pristine awareness is completely stabilized and a state of existential balance, which is irreversible, is achieved.
Since abiding in pristine awareness eliminates the afflictive mind and the afflictive pattern sources in the substrate consciousness, in the state of pristine awareness there is no longer any need for applying emotion regulation strategies of actively cultivating emotional qualities of compassion, loving kindness etc. These are continuously present in their most advanced form as an integral part of the state of pristine awareness. Abiding in this state also most likely results in a radical shift in the functioning of the conceptual systems, since this state is beyond conventional ways of thinking. One way to consider this change in conceptual processing is in terms of a shift from propositional meanings to implicational meanings (Dorjee, 2016). The distinction between these two meaning systems has been postulated by Teasdale (1999) and in his theory propositional meanings are associated with typical ways of language-based reasoning whereas implicational meanings describe more holistic meanings which are not language-driven. There are other features of meaning processing at the most advanced levels of MEA which have not been so far examined in Western research.
The state of existential balance is the ultimate adaptive expression of the existential instinct as the primary drive of our mind motivating our behaviour. In the first chapter we have discussed various ways misplaced existential drive can result in psychopathology. In contrast, well-being arises if the existential drive finds its adaptive expression in thinking patterns, emotional qualities and behaviour which support our progression towards increasingly more advanced MEA. Contemplative practices particularly target adaptive manifestation of the existential drive and aim to support practitioners in stabilizing their mind to enable shifts in MEA. Other adaptive expressions of the existential drive can take on various forms of pro-social behaviour driven by unconditional compassion.
Once the state of existential balance is achieved and the state of pristine awareness fully manifests, the existential drive is extinguished, there is no need for it anymore. The manifestation of the second type of primordial awareness which enables the practitioner to provide unparalleled help to all sentient beings could also be considered as the most advanced expression of the existential drive. The practitioner is now able to help sentient beings without impediment and is most effectively informed by the knowledge of primordial awareness and supported by the highest levels of self-regulation. As such, this is the state of the ultimate existential balance, the most advanced state of well-being.
Interestingly, the state of existential balance is not necessarily linked to physical health. Tibetan Buddhist teachings describe ‘case studies’ of practitioners who despite abiding in pristine awareness showed physical signs of illness. These practitioners, however, were mentally not affected by the physical difficulties. I have per
sonally had an opportunity to witness at least one such case. However, the Dzogchen tradition also describes cases of practitioners who by abiding in pristine awareness and progressing on further states of existential manifestation were able to transform their physical bodies, either at the time of death or during life. These cases are referred to in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition as the achievement of the rainbow body.
There are different levels of the rainbow body, from those manifested by gradual shrinking of the physical body at the time of death with the body not showing signs of decay, through disappearance of the body at the time of death, to manifestation of a light body instead of a physical body. Whilst these descriptions may sound very exotic in the Western culture, such manifestations have been part of the Tibetan culture for the last 12 centuries, with some cases of the initial manifestations of rainbow body documented recently (Dorjee, 2013). Even though Western scientific understanding of such states is virtually absent, there is the possibility that they represent the highest levels of accomplishment in terms of human potential for existential balance and transformation. Any investigation into such states will require close collaboration with advanced meditation practitioners combined with respect for and deep understanding of associated ethical and cultural factors.
The state of existential balance in everyday life
Just as in the case of other advanced types of existential insight, there are two main principles which support the practitioner in introducing the state of existential balance into everyday life. The first principle highlights the importance of brief formal meditation sessions throughout the day in which the practitioner repeatedly connects with the state of pristine awareness. Obviously, the meditator is only able to do this if she has previous experience of abiding in pristine awareness, possibly developed in retreat or longer formal sessions. Then building on the short formal sessions, the practitioner can try to reconnect with the state during brief moments throughout the day. This very advanced way of combining formal and informal practice will require great stability of the mind and excellent command of self-regulatory abilities as its basis, with both grounded in the motivational/intentional foundations of the meditation training.
The experienced practitioner may start the practice during the state of awakening from sleep in the morning, by connecting with the state of pristine awareness and observing the reverse process of consciousness dissolution. This can be followed by returning to the state of pristine awareness while awake and sustaining the state of a brief or longer period of time depending on the practitioner’s level of proficiency in the practice. The practitioner will then aim to sustain the state while engaging in routine activities throughout the day. This is supported by the second type of primordial awareness which, while abiding in the state of pristine awareness, enables the meditator to see the conventional reality from the perspective of others yet without the identification with afflictions associated with it. Advanced meditation masters often describe this state as being able to perceive at the same time two sides of the same coin – while abiding in the pristine awareness also seeing the reality from the perspective of others without this causing cognitive or emotional disturbance to the state of pristine awareness. With further practice, the meditator aims to stabilize this state continuously without interruption throughout the day.
Obviously, such an advanced MEA which equals to the state of existential balance is currently very rarely achieved in the West and is the final culmination of the path. Most practitioners will work with less advanced MEA as they are progressing towards this ultimate state of existential balance. These practitioners may find it helpful to contemplate on the five kinds of primordial awareness as a way of connecting with approximations of these states first intellectually and then experientially. At the experiential level, the practitioner may for example practice insight meditations in which he or she experientially investigates afflictive states of anger, unhealthy attachment, jealousy and ego-centred pride and particularly focuses on the qualities which arise as these afflictions dissolve back to their ground. In this way, the practitioner might be able to experience glimpses of the five kinds of enlightened wisdom arising as a transformation of the underlying energy of the afflictions. Subsequently, the practitioner can train throughout the day, during brief moments of pausing in addition to formal sessions.
One possible impediment of progress in practice with the more advanced MEA is ‘fossilization’ of insight – a state when practitioners intellectually know that they have experienced advanced MEA, but instead of repeatedly experientially connecting with the state to increase the frequency of the initial glimpses and their continuity, the practitioners slip into intellectual ascertaining. In other words, instead of repeatedly connecting with the non-conceptual experiential MEA, the practitioner may engage in propositional thinking at the level of the ordinary mind, reassuring themselves that they are abiding at the MEA. This way of thinking may be linked to brief experiential glimpses of the state itself which can further solidify the stagnation. Deeper and more extensive inquiry into the MEA combined with a guidance of an experienced teacher can help practitioners to deal with this obstacle in their progress. This further highlights the importance of support from a qualified and experientially realized meditation teacher at these advanced stages of long-term meditation training.
The state of existential balance from a long-term practice perspective
The state of existential balance, which has been described in this chapter in terms of pristine awareness and four other types of primordial awareness, is the culmination of the path of long-term meditation practice. It is a state free from afflictions and existential confusion about the reality of ‘I’ and what is perceived as the external world. This state can be considered as the final point of accomplishing the human potential for well-being at the cognitive, emotional and existential levels. From the perspective of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of Dzogchen, the state of pristine awareness is the ultimate goal of striving for humans and all sentient beings because it is a state free from suffering and a state of unwavering genuine happiness.
In contrast, the goal of secular meditation-based approaches is to alleviate more obvious forms of suffering such as physical illness and stress while developing initial levels of mindfulness and meta-awareness together with non-reactivity which may become a platform for further self-inquiry. This may support the development of decentring as one of the initial MEA which can be possibly deepened and stabilized further with long-term practice. While the secular meditation-based programmes do not foster further levels of insight, the initial experience of settling the ordinary mind together with some pre-dispositions may result for some practitioners in deeper self-inquiry. In the very rare case that this further process of self-inquiry would spontaneously lead to glimpses of dharmadhātu, the practitioner would most likely not be able to contextualize the experience and recognize it as the nature of her mind. It is also possible that the experience might be incorrectly interpreted as vacuity and be a source of existential distress for the practitioner.
Importantly, a secular meditation practitioner would probably not find relevant guidance on how to work with such experience if she shared it with secular meditation teachers. This is why familiarity with the progression of MEA including the more advanced MEA can be relevant to both Buddhist and secular practitioners of meditation. It also highlights the importance of secular meditation teachers working together with experienced meditation teachers in established contemplative traditions in supporting secular practitioners who progress towards more advanced MEA. It is essential that guidance on such advanced states is received from teachers who have a grounded experiential understanding of the advanced MEA. Hence, it seems that support of long-term meditation practitioners of secular meditation-based approaches will at the more advanced stages of MEA necessitate involvement of experienced non-secular meditation teachers.
Summary
Chapter 7 examines the highest level of ex
istential insight, the state of existential balance arising when a practitioner realizes the nature of their mind and reality. In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of Dzogchen, this state is described in terms of abiding in pristine awareness which eliminates afflictive sources of self-construal together with afflictive perceptions of reality. At the same time, the practitioner’s mind manifests five kinds of enlightened wisdom, which arise from transformation of anger, unhealthy attachment, jealousy and ego-centred pride. These enable the practitioner to perceive the reality from the perspective of others without afflictive reactions and cognitive patterns. Detailed explanation of the five kinds of enlightened wisdom is followed by an outline of practices which support the practitioner in accessing the state of existential balance. The chapter then discusses neuroscientific findings of brain activation associated with non-dual awareness whilst acknowledging their limitations and providing recommendation for further research. The next section further elaborates these considerations by discussing possible modulations in the MSRC and MEA associated with the state of existential balance. The implications of this state for our understanding of adaptive expressions of the existential drive and human potential for existential well-being are also considered. The last two sections outline possible ways of incorporating meditation practices targeting the development and maintaining of the state of existential balance into everyday activities. The chapter concludes with considerations about the implications of learning about the state of existential balance for development of long-term meditation practice, particularly in the secular context.
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