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zen and the brain > test 1 > Flashcards

test 1 Flashcards

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1
Q

the five styles of meditation

A
  1. concentration- strengthen the muscle of attention. To focus on one thing. (candle light, breathing, mantra)
  2. Awareness - simply being with what is, there is no need to do anything, or be anyone
  3. Mindfullness- notice what you notice as you notice it, without elaborating, without judgment, attachement or aversion
  4. Heart-fullness - inclining the mind toward opening the heart and cultivating compassion, love and kindness
  5. Inquiry - using a question as a prompt for discovery (e.g who am I? What is the meaning of death?)
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2
Q

Three families of meditation

A

attentional family :
focused-attention practices(shamatha, mantra) / open monitoring- meta awareness (kundalini yoga, MBSR)

Constructive family :

  • relation orientation (loving-kindness, centering prayer )
  • values orientation (contemplations on morality, kriva yoga)
  • Perception orientation (auto-suggestions, visualizations)

Deconstructive family

  • Object- oriented insights - self to investigate consciousness
  • Subject-oriented insights - inquiring into the nature of thought etc.
  • Non dual-oriented insight- cognitive structure of self/ other and subject/ object are no longer dominant made of experience
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3
Q

Brain areas recruited consistently across multiple meditation techniques

A

insula
anterior cingulate cortex
frontopolar cortex
premotor cortex

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4
Q

focus attention

A

may lead to three type of improvement
- monitoring the locus of attention
- disengaging from distraction
- shifting attention back to its intended target
Associated with activations in premotor cortex (PMC) and Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) & deactivations in Posterior Cingulate Cortex (PCC) and inferior partiel lobule (IPL)

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5
Q

Mantra Recitation

A

a type of attentional practice but with linguistic verbal- motor component

-Associated with activation in PMC, supplementary motor area (SMA), basal ganglia, fusiform gyrus, census and precuneus & deactivations in the insula

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6
Q

Open monitoring

A

bring attention to the present moment and impartially observing all mental content (thoughts, emotions, sensations)

-Associated with activations in SMA, PMC, ACC, Insula, Inferior frontal cortex, deactivations in the thalamus

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7
Q

love- kindness & compassion

A

aims to deepen feelings of sympathetic joy for all living beings, as well as to promote altruistic behaviours

-Associated with activations in the insult, somatosensory cortex & IPL

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8
Q

Focus attention (FA) and Open Monitoring (OM) were related to

A

increases in anterior theta activity
posterior alpha activity
frontal gamma

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9
Q

Concentration (Shamatha) as a base & a super power

A

time dilation- make the most of time by taming the mind
spacious mind- still & quiet mind feels like vast, open space
natural joy- instead of chasing joy, find it where we already are
full presence - enables us to really hear one another

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10
Q

what is mindfulness?

A

a new idea in psychology with its roots in ancient indian culture around 2,500 years ago..
-Often used as an english translation of the Pali word Sati: awareness & remembering or recollecting
we are remembering to bring to mind the present moment
- recollection of the present moment, sustained awareness of what is happening to us and within us on each occasion of experience

  • know a definition
    = mindfulness is attention. It is nonjudgmental, receptive awareness, respectful awareness
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11
Q

Scientific evidence to practice meditation

A
  1. effects on stress: may lower stress- mindfulness is not only associated with feeling less stressed, it decreases levels of cortisol, helps women with breast cancer, helps lower stress and fatigue of people with arthritis
  2. effects on the brain: may increase gray matter volume which are implicated in stress, affect and emotion processing
  3. it may increase cortical thickness. which is associated with cognitive function such as decision making, problem solving, attention, memory
  4. it may affect white matter in a protective way- may be protective against mental health problems
  5. it changes brain function and functional connectivity- brain plasticity. training modulates task-specific cortical recruitment
  6. It may alter brain rhythms mindfulness meditation- enhanced alpha and theta power
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12
Q

Physical health benefits of meditation

A

a) can lower your blood pressure

b) it can protect your telomeres

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13
Q

Buddhism overview the triple gem:
buddha
dhamma
sangha

A

buddha: the self awakened one; orignal nature of the heart
dhamma: the teaching; the nature of reality
sangha: the awakened community, any harmonious assembly, all beings

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14
Q

Buddhist overview; tenants of buddhism, 3 marks of existence

A

dukkha: suffering, pain, frustration, dissatisfaction, anxiety, stress
anicca: impermanence
anatta: non-self

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15
Q

is buddhism a religon?

A

the buddhism path:

1) to lead a moral life
2) to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions
3) to develop wisdom and understanding

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16
Q

the four noble truths

A

dukkha’s (suffering) causes and solution

  1. The noble truth of dukkha- stress, dissatisfaction, suffering
  2. the noble truth of the casual arising of dukkha- grasping, clinging, wanting, craving
  3. the noble truth of nirvana- the ending of dukkha - awakening, enlightenment
  4. the noble truth of the path leading to awakening- the eightfold path
17
Q

the eightfold path

A

set of interconnected factors/ conditions, which lead to the cessation of dukkha

  1. complete or perfect vision- right view or understanding
  2. perfect emotion or aspiration, right thought or attitude
  3. Perfected or whole speech- truthful, uplifting
  4. integral action, right action, non exploitat6ion of oneself
  5. proper livelihood, right livelihood, correct action
  6. complete or full effort, energy or vitality
  7. complete or thorough awareness, right mindfulness of things, oneself, feelings, thought, people
  8. full, integral or holistic, concentration, meditation
18
Q

the four immeasurable

A

love, compassion, joy and equanimity

19
Q

five precepts

A

moral code: abstain from killing human beings, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and intoxication

20
Q

Nirvana/ Nibbana

A

extinction of craving and aversion, with the resultant escape from the cycle of rebirth

21
Q

samsara / Arahant

A

awakening, enlightenment.

one who achieved nirvana, including the buddha

22
Q

bodhi

A

awakening, enlightenment

23
Q

karma

A

the force that drives samsara- the cycle of suffering and rebirth for each being; actions of body, speech or mind that spring from mental intent and bring about a consequence

24
Q

sunyata

A

emptiness; not merely sentient beings are empty of atman, but all phenomena are without any essence

25
Q

life of siddhartha gautama

A

dates - 566 - 486 B.C.E
At 29 he saw the four sights - an old man, a sick man, a corpse and a ascetic holy man
at 35: enlightenment under the bodhi tree in the town of bodh gaya, india

26
Q

taoism

A

emphasize living in harmony with the tao ( the source and the driving force behind everything that exists; ultimately inexpressible)

takes form as a pair of opposites, known as yin and yang

wu-wei- action through non-action, naturalness, simplicity, spontaneity and the three treasures: compassion, moderation, humility

tao te ching- the founding text of taoism
the ideas expressed by way of paradox, analogy, appropriation of ancient sayings, repetition, symmetry, rhyme, and rhythm.

27
Q

zen: two main schools

A

soto school: practices mainly zazen (seated meditation) and mindfulness of daily activities. if one penetrates deeply into the meditative state, one will come to the realization of the true nature of reality

rinzai school: practices meditation- the koan

28
Q

Satori

A

the enlightenment. The breakthrough from this dualistic world to the non-dualistic realm of reality

1) freedom from greed
2) satisfaction with whatever one has
3) quiet and solitary life
4) diligence
5) right mindfulness
6) samadhi: to remain undisturbed
7) wisdom for self-reflection
8) freedom from random discussion and thoughts

29
Q

meditation has been associated with changes in:

A

white matter
gray matter
cortical thickness
neuroplasticity

  • increased insulation and speed of neurotransmission (oligodendrocytes)
  • increased neuropil (dendrites & axons)
  • decreased neuronal loss
  • enhanced neurogenesis ( hippocampus, involved in learning and memory, emotion, stress, depression)
  • neuropharmacological changes (NT synthesis and release, NT uptake, receptor up- or down regulation)
30
Q

occipital lobe

A

decode visual information: form, color and movement are analyzed here. recognize and identify objects

31
Q

temporal lobe

A

let your hear & distinguish the volume and frequency of sound
let you understand speech (wernickes area)
-implicated in forming and recalling memories (hippocampus)

32
Q

parietal lobe

A

handle your sensory perceptions- touch, temperature, pain

provide visuospatial orientation and the sense of self in space and time

33
Q

frontal lobe

A

responsible for reasoning planning, problem solving, imagining (lateral PFC)

  • Modulation of emotions (medial PFC)
  • Speech (brook’s area)
  • voluntary movement (motor and premotor areas)
  • seed of personality
34
Q

limbic system

A 
olfaction, emotions, learning and memory 
corpus callous
amygdala 
hippocampus
parahippocampal gyrus
cingulate gyrus

zen and the brain (1 decks)

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