Reply To: Drugs and Vedana

#50881
pathfinder
Participant

Thank you, I am now clearer on the implications for the arahant. I came up with the following thoughts from the discussion:

In the scientific community it is quite established that the prefrontal cortex is responsible for planning and decision making. Hence it seems like the prefrontal cortex plays an “output, executive function”, eg other parts of the brain receives sights, sounds, then the prefrontal cortex carries out the decision.

dosakkhayo:

  1. The brain sends sensory signals to the manomaya kaya.
  2. The signals reach the hadaya vatthu.
  3. It reads the signals and make responds.

Damage to the brain alters the system in step 1.

Gati should be dealt with in step 3. Because it is a mental quality.

From what you say it seems that even the prefrontal cortex plays a “receiving” function instead of an executive, decision making one! To try to fit in the context of dhamma, Gage could have become “a surly, aggressive heavy drinker who was unable to hold down a job” with damage to the prefrontal cortex because the inputs to his mind has be tweaked, eg the inputs to his mind does not have the long term consequences.

His gati has not changed, just that whatever his mind is receiving changes. Hence it is not that his sanna changed even though he is seeing less long term consequences, it is that the input to the mind itself does not have long term consequences.  Which is why for an arahant, even with damage to the prefrontal cortex, he does not need input of long-term consequences because his mind would inherently know what is the right thing to do. Would this be an accurate explanation? 

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