workinghypothesis
--> fixingyourcode <--
Update: this was close but only describes the install process.
The important thing is the code that you line up -> neobuddhism
The cessation is because you are trimming old code. Thoughts are synaptic dominoes so small pieces being cut out are hard to notice but large chunks being erased entail large cessation events.
Don't sweat the details. The scientists will do the heavy lifting. What you need to focus on is the code being good and right and matching with the morality laid out in the neobuddhism page, or the original nikayas from Siddartha.
Nibbana as a Neural Network Optimisation <-- Link
Nibbana can be understood as a large-scale optimisation of the brain’s neural network. It arises through elevated tonic dopamine, which facilitates the rapid integration of intentionally cultivated yet previously isolated neural attractor states, while pruning inefficient pathways.
The process can be understood as a form of trauma therapy. The initial trauma addressed is the perception of a fixed self in a constantly changing world, often experienced as an awakening or path moment. Subsequent encounters are less dramatic and address other traumatic behaviour-loops such as greed and hatred which were founded on the false sense of self-permanence.
Repeated practice gradually reduces cognitive convolution, allowing perception of reality without the suffering generated by dualistic thinking. thetraumaofself sums it up nicely and neobuddhism expands on it.
1 - export / dark night
Focus on seclusion and safety to lower norepinephrine - 1st jhāna
Traumatic thought-feeling loops arise
2 - compile / emerging equanimity
Tonic dopamine increases: 2nd jhāna
Thought-feeling loops begin to decouple
Focus on bodily bliss from elevated dopamine to create feedback loop
3 - install / full equanimity
Dopamine stabilises, serotonin increases: 3rd jhāna
Thought-feeling loops broken
When serotonin also stabilises: 4th jhāna
Potential for A&P consolidation (4a) or cessation event (4b)
4a - review / arising & passing
Feeling of extreme equanimity despite previously distressing thoughts
Gains usually consolidated through phasic dopamine encoding during sleep
Sometimes consolidated through a waking encoding which manifests as A&P / kundalini event
4b - reboot / nibbana & path
Re-observation: rapid replay of entire insight process
Extreme stability in neurotransmitters causes time cell signalling to malfunction
A brief moment of non-time
System reboots with new code
Loops broken en masse; construct of self destroyed
See rightconcentration for the install process and rightmindfulness, righteffort for how to compile your code.
Protocol:
1 = cycling // increases tonic dopamine rapidly (Heijnen et al) and provides strong anchor for difficult emotional processing.
2 = vocalisation or motion // grounding and somatic release; further increases dopaminergic tone and settles phasic dopamine (Tang et al) ; good on-ramp for sitting meditation.
3 = sittingmeditation // can increase tonic dopamine (Kjaer et al) by up to 65%.
4 = everything you have // Maximal multimodal engagement to consolidate new network attractors while ensuring you do not risk injury. I used music and dance, then as it ramped up I sat down and chanted with meteors in each hand while rocking back and forth. See MN39 about flushing the body with rapture.
Note that nibbana is not always necessary or achievable. This only comes after the darkest of nights; the buddha dying of starvation and given a bowl of rice, the trauma of a lifetime being explosively removed. For most instances of reprogramming, an A&P event will be sufficient and the re-encoding will happen during the REM phase of your sleep cycle.
This model tracks well with current research being done into MDMA-assited trauma therapy and aripirazole use for treatment-resistant PTSD.
The buddha was a deeply traumatised individual who managed to heal himself through progressive manipulation of dopaminergic tone.
He often talked about balancing energy and concentration. Too much energy (dopamine) and too little concentration (sustained attentional control) and you will be agitated and restless (manic); too much concentration without enough energy and you will be lifeless and dull (anhedonic). Do not fight your endocrine system; learn to control it. Learn to ride the tiger.
sevenfactorsofawakening explains how the process can potentially be induced with pharmacology and therapeutic guidance.
1 - raise tonic dopamine levels and receptor sensitivity though regular and sustained Z2 exercise and meditative practices. This takes weeks to months, but is not hard so long as you are consistent.
2 - modulate dopaminergic tone through meditations of varying intensities. Increased tonic dopamine will reduce the impact of phasic spikes. Train to be largely unaffected by the phasic spikes; an objective observer.
3 - build the attentional control capacity to retain steadiness regardless of your dopaminergic makeup. When you are cycling and want to go hard, do not. When you have an itch, wait for a second before scratching. This is all training you to break the chains to phasic dopamine bursts.
4 - support dopaminergic tone through diet. Moderate protein consumption over the day (tyrosine = dopamine precursor), lots of veg (iron, B6), omega-3 supplementation (DHA = receptor function), avoid excessive caffine and sugar (ice cream is ok). Zero alcohol or GABAergic drugs (destroy neuroplasticity).
Speculative neurotransmitter changes (this is where the meds held me, though it wasn't intentional)
1st jhāna: calmness, ability to observe and release thoughts = norepinephrine ↓
2nd jhāna: rapture = tonic dopamine ↑
3rd jhāna: equanimity = stable dopamine, serotonin ↑
4th jhāna: deep stillness, neutrality = very stable elevated dopamine and serotonin
Important:
Do not crush down the rapture you feel during exercise or meditation; lean into it while letting it go.
At the same time, do not let the rapture carry you away; you are training yourself to control it.
Vipassana is essential for nibbana: you need to be able to expand your awareness to cover your entire sense-world.
You are training yourself to hold a state of maximal dopaminergic activation yet retain control, so you can achieve zero-phasic for a brief moment.
You will need to be able to intuitively handle incredible phasic bursts if you want to survive and guide the subsequent upgrade.
Even more important:
Whatever you feed into your mind before, during and after the upgrade will shape your entire reality. I am not joking.
You need to ensure that you are trying to become a happier, better person who has a strong moral framework, or your world will get significantly worse.
This is why I am trying to translate the teachings of the buddha on the neobuddhism page. You need an ethical framework.
Traumatised people will experience nibbana explosively, while it will be more subtle for the non-traumatised; the buddha will have been incredibly traumatised after his time as an ascetic, which may account for his perfect enlightenment.
My type of audhd is characterised by both strong attentional capacity and crazy dopaminergic signalling. I have a wild tiger and a tough rider. I need to strengthen both.
My mistake before was trying to contain the tiger. This is not the goal. The tiger is nibbana. You expand the cage to encompass your entire sense-world, then contract it back to a single person.
Reps at the gym.
Cast a net, reel it in.