2. The Subtitle of the Journal: Buddhist Psychology: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of Buddhist Theories of Mind
3. Author Affiliation: Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Poland.
關鍵詞
absorption; psychological time; access consciousness; saṅkhāra; self-consciousness; the aggregates; pleasure; dukkha; identity; global availability
摘要
The Nibbānasukha-sutta contains Sāriputta’s statement that the pleasure (sukha) of nibbāna lies in the fact that nothing is experienced (vedayita). This statement may be seen as complementary to the proclamation in the Kaḷāra-sutta that all that is experienced is unpleasant (dukkha). In this paper, I attempt to reconstruct the ideas serving as a philosophical backdrop to these radical and seemingly counterintuitive claims. I use a comparative and interdisciplinary approach, re-examining several key Nikāya passages, as well as drawing on modern cognitive science and philosophy of mind. I suggest that vedayita and the closely related concept of the five khandhas (and in particular viññāṇa) refer to various aspects of the type of consciousness whose content is phenomenal, introspectable, reportable and may be integrated into memory. I suggest that such consciousness is not a constant feature of our being engaged in the world and that its absence does not entail insentience or being incognizant. I hypothesize that a relatively low frequency of occurrences of such consciousness in the states known as absorption or flow contributes to their pleasurable nature and the altered sense of the passage of time and selfhood. I attempt to explain how the presence or absence of such consciousness is related to the states of dukkha or sukha, with particular focus on the role played by saṅkhāra. I also discuss the limits of introspection as a means of understanding what exactly makes experiences pleasurable or painful, and consider the possibility of non-introspectable forms of pleasure. In conclusion, I suggest that psychological transformation in early Buddhism is connected with a radical change of perspective, which involves no longer identifying with one’s own consciousness.
目次
Abstract 1 Keywords 1 1. Introduction 1 2. Aims of This Paper 2 3. On the Meaning of vedayita and sukha 2 4. Vedayita, dukkha and the Aggregates 3 5. Is vedayita the Only Way of Being Sentient, Cognizant and Engaged in the World? 4 6. The Notion of Meditative Cessation of vedayita 6 7. Is Consciousness an Ever-Present Feature of Our Being in the World? 7 8. Is Consciousness Generated at a Constant Rate? Re-Examining the Nature of Absorption 8 9. What Accounts for the Specific Features of Absorbed States? 9 10. What Makes a State Pleasant? Absorption and Pleasure 11 11. Tension and Self-Consciousness 12 12. The Limits of Introspection for Self-Understanding 14 13. Saṅkhāras, Conscious Exertion and dukkha 14 14. The Terror of Having No Consciousness 17 15. Are We Our Consciousness? 18 16. Conclusions: Psychological Transformation as a Radical Change of Perspective 19 Funding 20 Institutional Review Board Statement 20 Informed Consent Statement 20 Data Availability Statement 20 Conflicts of Interest 20 Abbreviations 20 Notes 20 References 23
