(
pdf.file
) (spanish) ( german version ) Neuroplasticity
And Pragmatic
Compassion
Dave
Edwards The evidence is now
overwhelming that the human brain continually changes as a
result of experience. In his book, Destructive Emotions,
psychologist Daniel Goleman notes that this
'neuroplasticity' has been observed using magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI), for example, in musicians: "MRI studies find that
in a violinist... the areas of the brain that control finger
movement in the hand that does the fingering grow in size.
Those who start their training earlier in life and practice
longer show bigger changes in the brain." (Goleman,
Disturbing Emotions, Bloomsbury, 2003, p.21) Studies of top
performers in a wide range of skills - from chess masters to
Olympic athletes - have shown pronounced changes in the
relevant muscle fibres and cognitive abilities. But there is
much more. Research conducted by
Richard Davidson at the University of Wisconsin recently
studied brain activity in a European-born Buddhist monk,
Oser, who had spent three decades meditating on compassion
in the Himalayas. Davidson's research
had previously found that people who have high levels of
brain activity in the left prefrontal cortex of the brain
simultaneously report positive, happy states of mind, such
as zeal, enthusiasm, joy, vigour and mental buoyancy. Oser
was asked to meditate intensively on compassion and then to
relax after sixty seconds while being monitored by an fMRI
magnetic imaging machine. Goleman describes the
results: "While Oser was
generating a state of compassion during meditation, he
showed a remarkable leftward shift in this parameter of
prefrontal function... In short, Oser's brain shift during
compassion seemed to reflect an +extremely+ pleasant mood.
The very act of concern for others' well-being, it seems,
creates a greater sense of well-being within oneself."
(Goleman, ibid, p.12) In another experiment,
Davidson monitored the base-line state of left prefrontal
cortex activity indicating normal everyday mood in 175
American individuals. Subsequently, he also monitored the
base-line state of a 'geshe', an abbot, from one of the
leading Buddhist monasteries in India. Davidson
reports: "Something very
interesting and exciting emerged from this. We recorded the
brain activity of the geshe and were able to compare his
brain activity to the other individuals who participated in
experiments in my laboratory over the last couple of
years... The geshe had the most extreme positive value out
of the entire hundred and seventy-five that we had ever
tested at that point." (Goleman, ibid, p.339) Davidson describes the
geshe as "an outlier" on the graph - his reading was "three
standard deviations to the left", far beyond the rest of the
bell curve for positive emotion. These findings support
claims made by meditators over hundreds of years that
compassion and concern for others are in fact the basis of
human happiness. They also support the claim that human
emotions such as compassion, love, anger and jealousy arise
more intensively and more often, the more often we generate
them. It is important to
understand the fundamental nature of the meditation in which
Oser had been engaging. In Buddhist psychology, the word
meditation has a very specific meaning. Here, the Dalai Lama
explains: "Meditation means
creating a continual familiarity with a virtuous object
[idea] in order to transform your mind. Merely
understanding some point does not transform your mind. You
may intellectually see the advantages of an altruistic
awakening mind, but that does not actually affect your
self-centred attitude. Your self-centredness will be
dispelled only through constantly familiarising yourself
with that understanding. That is what is meant by
meditation." (The Dalai Lama, Awakening The Mind, Lightening
The Heart, Thorsons, 1997, p.51) In other words,
repeatedly familiarising the mind with the suffering of
others, and acting to remedy that suffering, has the effect
of increasing the intensity and frequency of compassionate
thoughts. The implications, as Buddhists have long claimed,
and as science is beginning to confirm, are
remarkable: "If everything you do
with your body, speech, and mind is done for the benefit of
others, there is no need to do anything more for your own
benefit because the one is included in the other."
(Gampopa) If it is true that
concern for others is a source of personal happiness, then
the implications for our relationships are also
remarkable. Every time we give
time, energy, money, friendliness; every time we campaign,
march, protest, send emails to journalists out of compassion
for human and animal suffering; every time we do +anything+
out of a kindly motivation, we are strengthening these
positive traits. And we do not need to be, indeed surely
cannot be, faultless in our efforts - it is impossible to
live without harming someone or something through our
actions. The issue is not whether we are hypocrites, but
that we should sincerely aspire to become less self-centred
and destructive. The ultimate rationale
for defending animal and human rights, for working to reduce
suffering and increase happiness, is that this motivation
benefits us even as it benefits those we are seeking to
help. Compassionate
individuals are happier, and a society of compassionate
individuals is a happier, more peaceful, more sane
society.
http://emanzipationhumanum.de/english/human/meditation.html
from
ZNet Commentary Animal Rights - The Case For Kindness
by Dave Edwards
The Tear-Stained Robot http://www.zmag.org/sustainers/content/2004-08/19edwards.cfm
August
21 2004
Emanzipation
Humanum,
version August 2004, translation from german to english by
the author. Criticism, suggestions as to form and content,
dialogue, translation into other languages are all
desired
http://emanzipationhumanum.de/english/human