1 00:00:00,387 --> 00:00:01,532 Why do some people wake up 2 00:00:01,827 --> 00:00:03,012 while others never do their whole life 3 00:00:03,666 --> 00:00:06,072 A viewer left me a very long comment 4 00:00:06,506 --> 00:00:06,852 He said 5 00:00:07,227 --> 00:00:09,185 awakening is something you cannot force 6 00:00:09,186 --> 00:00:10,432 not everyone gets to wake up 7 00:00:10,707 --> 00:00:12,471 and practice is a matter of chance too 8 00:00:12,547 --> 00:00:15,311 not everyone who suffers ends up on this path 9 00:00:15,627 --> 00:00:17,371 Then he laid out a table of combinations 10 00:00:17,946 --> 00:00:19,871 Some people suffer but never awaken 11 00:00:19,907 --> 00:00:21,832 some awaken but never practice 12 00:00:21,907 --> 00:00:23,211 some practice but cannot make it work 13 00:00:23,547 --> 00:00:25,071 and some have no suffering at all 14 00:00:25,306 --> 00:00:26,571 Then he asked a really good question 15 00:00:27,187 --> 00:00:28,585 What mechanism in the brain 16 00:00:28,586 --> 00:00:30,532 makes people differ this much from each other 17 00:00:31,146 --> 00:00:32,671 I thought about it for a long time 18 00:00:33,387 --> 00:00:35,786 because if you answer this question properly 19 00:00:35,786 --> 00:00:38,731 it ties together everything this channel has covered predictive coding 20 00:00:39,106 --> 00:00:43,671 Yogacara insight meditation and seed theory all in one thread 21 00:00:43,746 --> 00:00:45,903 Today I am going to try to tie it together 22 00:00:45,939 --> 00:00:46,283 Hello 23 00:00:46,458 --> 00:00:46,924 everyone 24 00:00:47,299 --> 00:00:48,223 I am Leo Wang 25 00:00:48,458 --> 00:00:49,624 Let us do one thing first 26 00:00:49,738 --> 00:00:51,984 let us sort out that viewer's table of combinations 27 00:00:52,098 --> 00:00:53,763 What he described are really four variables 28 00:00:54,219 --> 00:00:57,223 suffering seeing awakening and practice 29 00:00:57,539 --> 00:01:00,943 Each variable has two states present or absent 30 00:01:01,098 --> 00:01:03,503 In theory that gives you sixteen combinations 31 00:01:03,658 --> 00:01:06,163 But because these variables build on each other 32 00:01:06,618 --> 00:01:08,544 without seeing it is very hard to awaken 33 00:01:08,579 --> 00:01:10,163 without awakening it is very hard to practice 34 00:01:10,538 --> 00:01:13,143 so in reality only six or seven combinations actually hold 35 00:01:13,339 --> 00:01:15,783 Let me take the most typical ones apart 36 00:01:16,248 --> 00:01:16,873 The first type of person 37 00:01:17,248 --> 00:01:17,673 has suffering 38 00:01:17,888 --> 00:01:19,052 but cannot see the suffering 39 00:01:19,448 --> 00:01:21,293 These people are the vast majority 40 00:01:21,567 --> 00:01:22,632 It is not that they feel no pain 41 00:01:22,968 --> 00:01:24,653 their pain may be heavier than anyone else's 42 00:01:25,007 --> 00:01:26,772 but they do not know they are suffering 43 00:01:27,048 --> 00:01:27,912 More precisely 44 00:01:28,207 --> 00:01:29,852 they do not know that suffering is suffering 45 00:01:29,968 --> 00:01:32,492 They think that is just how life is 46 00:01:32,808 --> 00:01:35,293 Working until three in the morning feels like striving 47 00:01:35,448 --> 00:01:37,813 being chased by anxiety feels like ambition 48 00:01:38,048 --> 00:01:41,132 staying in a relationship that suffocates them feels like love 49 00:01:42,048 --> 00:01:42,673 The second type of person 50 00:01:43,087 --> 00:01:43,893 has suffering 51 00:01:43,967 --> 00:01:44,952 and sees the suffering 52 00:01:45,327 --> 00:01:46,572 but has not awakened 53 00:01:46,928 --> 00:01:50,413 These people have actually come a long way past the first type 54 00:01:50,648 --> 00:01:52,413 They know something is wrong with them 55 00:01:52,607 --> 00:01:53,152 They will say 56 00:01:53,768 --> 00:01:54,932 I am so tired of living like this 57 00:01:55,008 --> 00:01:56,253 I do not want this anymore 58 00:01:56,288 --> 00:01:58,212 something must have gone wrong somewhere 59 00:01:58,247 --> 00:01:59,872 But what is their solution 60 00:02:00,327 --> 00:02:00,913 Change jobs 61 00:02:01,247 --> 00:02:02,167 change cities 62 00:02:02,167 --> 00:02:02,753 change partners 63 00:02:03,008 --> 00:02:04,173 change lifestyles 64 00:02:04,247 --> 00:02:05,533 They see the suffering 65 00:02:05,648 --> 00:02:07,773 but they think the source of it is out there 66 00:02:07,848 --> 00:02:10,933 so they keep looking for answers in the external world 67 00:02:11,047 --> 00:02:11,832 They swap one thing for another 68 00:02:12,167 --> 00:02:13,973 and find that the suffering follows them 69 00:02:14,205 --> 00:02:14,909 The third type of person 70 00:02:15,245 --> 00:02:15,710 has suffering 71 00:02:16,045 --> 00:02:17,044 sees the suffering 72 00:02:17,045 --> 00:02:18,123 and has awakened 73 00:02:18,124 --> 00:02:19,990 They realize the root of suffering is not outside 74 00:02:20,245 --> 00:02:21,090 it is inside 75 00:02:21,485 --> 00:02:22,689 but they do not practice 76 00:02:22,965 --> 00:02:24,330 There are a lot of these people 77 00:02:24,645 --> 00:02:25,229 They will say 78 00:02:25,564 --> 00:02:26,150 I understand all of it 79 00:02:26,525 --> 00:02:27,890 I just cannot do it 80 00:02:28,325 --> 00:02:29,930 They can explain the theory beautifully 81 00:02:30,124 --> 00:02:34,604 Yogacara predictive coding prior precision the default mode network 82 00:02:34,604 --> 00:02:36,210 maybe more clearly than I can 83 00:02:36,365 --> 00:02:38,009 but their life has not changed at all 84 00:02:38,485 --> 00:02:39,469 These people share one trait 85 00:02:39,844 --> 00:02:41,849 they mistake understanding for practice 86 00:02:42,045 --> 00:02:44,529 They think figuring it out equals doing it 87 00:02:45,220 --> 00:02:45,924 The fourth type of person 88 00:02:46,260 --> 00:02:47,179 has awakened 89 00:02:47,179 --> 00:02:48,604 and has started practicing 90 00:02:48,979 --> 00:02:50,544 but the more they practice the more tangled they get 91 00:02:50,739 --> 00:02:54,945 In the episode on anuttara samyak sambodhi I told the story of a friend 92 00:02:55,139 --> 00:02:57,945 Five years seven retreat centers four different methods 93 00:02:58,100 --> 00:03:00,625 and he ended up carrying more baggage than before he started 94 00:03:00,899 --> 00:03:02,644 He gave himself three new attachments 95 00:03:03,139 --> 00:03:06,484 I should be more diligent other people have experiences why do I not 96 00:03:06,820 --> 00:03:08,304 maybe my spiritual capacity is not good enough 97 00:03:08,620 --> 00:03:11,144 These people chase enlightenment like a trophy 98 00:03:11,299 --> 00:03:14,332 and the act of chasing itself becomes the biggest obstacle 99 00:03:14,568 --> 00:03:15,272 The fifth type of person 100 00:03:15,688 --> 00:03:16,886 has no obvious suffering 101 00:03:16,888 --> 00:03:18,152 and no need to awaken 102 00:03:18,527 --> 00:03:19,772 Life is going pretty well 103 00:03:20,008 --> 00:03:21,567 If you talk to them about the nature of consciousness 104 00:03:21,568 --> 00:03:23,112 they will look at you very sincerely and say 105 00:03:23,527 --> 00:03:25,332 I do not really follow what you are saying 106 00:03:25,448 --> 00:03:27,172 but it sounds nice 107 00:03:27,207 --> 00:03:29,052 and I am doing just fine as I am 108 00:03:29,448 --> 00:03:30,552 These people are not pretending 109 00:03:30,888 --> 00:03:32,772 they genuinely feel fine 110 00:03:33,408 --> 00:03:35,133 There is one more type that is a bit special 111 00:03:35,367 --> 00:03:37,127 They have not gone through any great pain 112 00:03:37,128 --> 00:03:42,253 but they are born with an intense curiosity about what all of this actually is 113 00:03:42,527 --> 00:03:45,127 They were not forced onto the path by suffering 114 00:03:45,128 --> 00:03:47,372 they were pulled onto it by curiosity 115 00:03:47,608 --> 00:03:50,733 Many great practitioners in history belong to this type 116 00:03:51,408 --> 00:03:53,172 Before Prince Siddhartha left home 117 00:03:53,207 --> 00:03:55,533 his material conditions could not have been better 118 00:03:55,568 --> 00:03:58,013 He did not leave because he could not survive 119 00:03:58,128 --> 00:04:00,253 he left because after seeing old age sickness and death 120 00:04:00,328 --> 00:04:02,573 a question rose in him that he could not avoid 121 00:04:03,561 --> 00:04:04,265 You see it now 122 00:04:04,681 --> 00:04:05,425 Same species same human beings 123 00:04:05,760 --> 00:04:07,885 but facing suffering and awakening 124 00:04:07,961 --> 00:04:10,286 their lives unfold in completely different directions 125 00:04:10,561 --> 00:04:12,246 So here comes the core question 126 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:13,466 What mechanism in the brain 127 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:14,906 produces these differences 128 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:16,306 Let me give you the answer directly 129 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:17,726 and then unpack it slowly 130 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:19,226 What creates these differences 131 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:20,486 is not IQ 132 00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:21,226 not education 133 00:04:21,481 --> 00:04:23,006 not so called spiritual capacity 134 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:27,006 at least not the mystical kind of capacity most people imagine 135 00:04:27,280 --> 00:04:29,325 The core mechanism behind the differences 136 00:04:29,361 --> 00:04:30,666 is a combination of three things 137 00:04:31,241 --> 00:04:35,866 the precision weighting of prior beliefs the activity pattern of the default mode network 138 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:39,126 and the filtering rules of the salience network 139 00:04:39,881 --> 00:04:42,726 You have heard about all three on this channel 140 00:04:42,801 --> 00:04:46,085 but today I want to assemble them into one complete machine 141 00:04:46,121 --> 00:04:48,700 so you can see how it actually runs 142 00:04:48,935 --> 00:04:49,640 Let me start with the first one 143 00:04:50,015 --> 00:04:52,219 the precision weighting of prior beliefs 144 00:04:52,375 --> 00:04:54,340 I covered this in detail in the meditation episode 145 00:04:54,375 --> 00:04:56,979 Your brain is not a passive receiver 146 00:04:57,054 --> 00:04:58,940 it is a prediction generator 147 00:04:59,094 --> 00:05:01,659 It builds a world model out of past experience 148 00:05:01,775 --> 00:05:04,900 and uses that model to predict what happens next 149 00:05:04,935 --> 00:05:06,640 When prediction and reality do not match 150 00:05:06,974 --> 00:05:08,299 a prediction error is generated 151 00:05:08,455 --> 00:05:09,479 and the brain has two options 152 00:05:09,815 --> 00:05:10,854 update the model 153 00:05:10,854 --> 00:05:13,659 or suppress the error signal and pretend it did not see it 154 00:05:13,854 --> 00:05:14,400 Which one does it pick 155 00:05:14,695 --> 00:05:17,219 That depends on the precision weight of the prior belief 156 00:05:17,414 --> 00:05:18,080 The higher the weight 157 00:05:18,375 --> 00:05:20,774 the more the brain wants to keep the old model 158 00:05:20,775 --> 00:05:22,536 and the less willing it is to be corrected by reality 159 00:05:23,090 --> 00:05:25,096 Now look back at those types of people 160 00:05:25,491 --> 00:05:26,075 The first type 161 00:05:26,491 --> 00:05:28,056 suffering but unable to see it 162 00:05:28,330 --> 00:05:29,356 They are not blind 163 00:05:29,731 --> 00:05:31,695 their prior precision is simply too high 164 00:05:32,010 --> 00:05:36,450 In their brain there is a whole set of priors about what normal life 165 00:05:36,450 --> 00:05:37,575 is supposed to look like 166 00:05:37,851 --> 00:05:41,015 and the precision weight on that model has been turned way up 167 00:05:41,411 --> 00:05:42,476 Overtime is normal 168 00:05:42,890 --> 00:05:44,575 anxiety means you care 169 00:05:44,690 --> 00:05:46,335 love is about enduring things 170 00:05:46,650 --> 00:05:50,775 These beliefs reinforce their world model like steel and concrete 171 00:05:51,171 --> 00:05:54,215 The prediction error signal from suffering really is knocking at the door 172 00:05:54,291 --> 00:05:55,729 but the door is too thick 173 00:05:55,731 --> 00:05:56,536 and the knocking cannot get through 174 00:05:56,931 --> 00:05:58,056 What makes it worse 175 00:05:58,130 --> 00:06:01,416 is that these high weight priors did not come from nowhere 176 00:06:02,130 --> 00:06:03,315 Evolution handed them to you 177 00:06:03,530 --> 00:06:05,250 your family environment poured them in 178 00:06:05,251 --> 00:06:06,936 your culture shaped them 179 00:06:06,971 --> 00:06:09,856 decades of life experience reinforced them over and over 180 00:06:10,090 --> 00:06:12,575 Every time you chose to endure in the face of pain 181 00:06:12,690 --> 00:06:15,496 every time you comforted yourself with everyone lives like this 182 00:06:15,650 --> 00:06:19,135 you gave that prior belief one more round of positive reinforcement 183 00:06:19,210 --> 00:06:22,296 and turned its precision weight up another notch 184 00:06:22,450 --> 00:06:24,015 In the language of Yogacara 185 00:06:24,051 --> 00:06:27,775 you keep watering the seed that says this is what normal life is 186 00:06:27,811 --> 00:06:29,455 making it grow thicker and stronger 187 00:06:29,530 --> 00:06:31,856 until it blocks out every other source of light 188 00:06:32,409 --> 00:06:32,993 The second type of person 189 00:06:33,368 --> 00:06:35,534 sees the suffering but looks outward for the cause 190 00:06:35,808 --> 00:06:39,774 Their prior precision has already loosened on the level of what suffering is 191 00:06:39,928 --> 00:06:42,173 The error signal broke through the first wall 192 00:06:42,368 --> 00:06:43,793 They have admitted I am suffering 193 00:06:44,248 --> 00:06:45,514 but there is a second wall 194 00:06:46,009 --> 00:06:47,154 the cause of my suffering is external 195 00:06:47,529 --> 00:06:49,733 and the precision weight on that wall is still very high 196 00:06:49,969 --> 00:06:52,974 So they change jobs change cities change partners 197 00:06:53,128 --> 00:06:55,253 because their predictive model tells them 198 00:06:55,289 --> 00:06:56,353 swap out the external conditions 199 00:06:56,608 --> 00:06:57,774 and the suffering will disappear 200 00:06:58,649 --> 00:07:00,293 Each swap that does not work 201 00:07:00,368 --> 00:07:02,414 a new prediction error is generated 202 00:07:02,649 --> 00:07:06,407 but what the brain updates is not the belief that suffering comes from outside 203 00:07:06,409 --> 00:07:08,233 it just picks a new external target 204 00:07:08,808 --> 00:07:09,834 That last job was no good 205 00:07:10,128 --> 00:07:11,613 this one is definitely going to work 206 00:07:12,291 --> 00:07:13,736 In cognitive science 207 00:07:13,770 --> 00:07:16,616 the brain's default strategy is to minimize prediction error 208 00:07:16,890 --> 00:07:18,655 but there are two ways to minimize it 209 00:07:18,850 --> 00:07:21,450 One is to change the world so it matches your prediction 210 00:07:21,450 --> 00:07:22,496 that is called action 211 00:07:22,731 --> 00:07:25,049 The other is to change your prediction so it matches the world 212 00:07:25,051 --> 00:07:26,095 that is called learning 213 00:07:26,371 --> 00:07:28,570 The second type of person keeps using the first strategy 214 00:07:28,571 --> 00:07:30,049 desperately changing the external world 215 00:07:30,051 --> 00:07:31,816 instead of updating the internal model 216 00:07:32,090 --> 00:07:33,215 Not because they are stupid 217 00:07:33,291 --> 00:07:36,504 but because updating the internal model costs too much 218 00:07:36,660 --> 00:07:37,564 Why does it cost so much 219 00:07:38,059 --> 00:07:41,265 Because once the belief that suffering comes from outside collapses 220 00:07:41,379 --> 00:07:44,044 you have to face a far more terrifying possibility 221 00:07:44,460 --> 00:07:46,265 I am the one manufacturing my own suffering 222 00:07:46,700 --> 00:07:48,705 The impact of that realization is enormous 223 00:07:48,780 --> 00:07:51,624 It is not tweaking one parameter of your world model 224 00:07:51,739 --> 00:07:55,025 it asks you to admit the whole architecture underneath is wrong 225 00:07:55,660 --> 00:07:57,265 In the language of predictive coding 226 00:07:57,299 --> 00:07:59,624 the evidence for the entire model has collapsed 227 00:07:59,819 --> 00:08:03,218 Your brain would rather patch things up inside the old framework 228 00:08:03,220 --> 00:08:06,544 than admit the whole framework needs to be torn down 229 00:08:07,375 --> 00:08:07,920 So you see 230 00:08:08,295 --> 00:08:10,820 going from the second type to the third type 231 00:08:10,896 --> 00:08:13,120 from suffering is out there to suffering is in here 232 00:08:13,536 --> 00:08:15,820 that step is nonlinear in difficulty 233 00:08:15,896 --> 00:08:18,261 It is not a gradual parameter adjustment 234 00:08:18,336 --> 00:08:20,661 it is a phase transition at the level of the model 235 00:08:21,016 --> 00:08:24,221 In the episode on insight I used the sandpile model to explain it 236 00:08:24,375 --> 00:08:25,694 You pile up a lot of sand 237 00:08:25,695 --> 00:08:27,581 and every single grain looks useless 238 00:08:27,656 --> 00:08:29,214 until one grain falls 239 00:08:29,216 --> 00:08:31,141 and the whole pile avalanches 240 00:08:31,735 --> 00:08:34,740 That turning point from looking outward to looking inward 241 00:08:34,776 --> 00:08:36,701 is a cognitive avalanche 242 00:08:37,135 --> 00:08:40,620 This is why awakening is so often something you cannot force 243 00:08:41,495 --> 00:08:43,341 You do not actively choose to awaken 244 00:08:43,495 --> 00:08:46,341 you search everywhere outside and fail at all of it 245 00:08:46,456 --> 00:08:48,000 and the old model finally cannot hold 246 00:08:48,176 --> 00:08:49,461 so it collapses on its own 247 00:08:49,855 --> 00:08:52,341 That moment of collapse is awakening 248 00:08:52,696 --> 00:08:54,660 Pain is not the enemy of awakening 249 00:08:54,775 --> 00:08:56,620 pain is the fuel of awakening 250 00:08:56,895 --> 00:08:59,540 It keeps drilling holes in your prior beliefs 251 00:08:59,735 --> 00:09:00,855 One strike does not do it 252 00:09:00,855 --> 00:09:01,980 two strikes do not do it 253 00:09:02,015 --> 00:09:03,321 and around the ten thousandth strike 254 00:09:03,855 --> 00:09:05,434 the wall comes down 255 00:09:05,669 --> 00:09:05,853 Alright 256 00:09:06,309 --> 00:09:07,834 now the second mechanism 257 00:09:07,949 --> 00:09:09,353 the default mode network 258 00:09:09,868 --> 00:09:12,468 The default mode network is that thing in your brain 259 00:09:12,469 --> 00:09:15,273 the self narration machine that never stops running 260 00:09:15,549 --> 00:09:17,413 It makes up stories nonstop 261 00:09:17,709 --> 00:09:18,513 Who am I 262 00:09:18,589 --> 00:09:19,253 where did I come from 263 00:09:19,589 --> 00:09:20,547 where am I going 264 00:09:20,549 --> 00:09:21,454 what do others think of me 265 00:09:21,788 --> 00:09:23,554 what is the meaning of my life 266 00:09:23,709 --> 00:09:26,753 It is the core engine that maintains the character called me 267 00:09:27,148 --> 00:09:28,493 Why is it that among people who have all awakened 268 00:09:28,788 --> 00:09:29,948 some can practice 269 00:09:29,949 --> 00:09:30,694 and some cannot 270 00:09:31,268 --> 00:09:34,913 The key difference is the activity level of the default mode network 271 00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:36,404 The third type of person 272 00:09:36,520 --> 00:09:39,284 awakened but stuck at the level of understanding 273 00:09:39,439 --> 00:09:42,464 Their default mode network is doing something very sneaky 274 00:09:42,919 --> 00:09:45,924 it writes the awakening itself into the self narrative 275 00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:47,765 I am a person who has awakened 276 00:09:47,839 --> 00:09:49,245 I understand Yogacara 277 00:09:49,279 --> 00:09:51,365 I know how prior precision works 278 00:09:51,799 --> 00:09:52,464 Do you see it 279 00:09:52,919 --> 00:09:56,084 The default mode network takes the truth you worked so hard to see 280 00:09:56,159 --> 00:09:59,385 and repackages it as my knowledge my cognitive achievement 281 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:03,525 Awakening was supposed to loosen the structure called me 282 00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:07,145 and instead the default mode network used it to reinforce the me 283 00:10:08,199 --> 00:10:10,544 This is the mechanism I described in the episode on dedication of merit 284 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:13,838 the default mode network hijacks the fruits of your practice 285 00:10:13,839 --> 00:10:15,564 and turns them into fuel for the self 286 00:10:15,799 --> 00:10:17,164 You think you are tearing down a wall 287 00:10:17,240 --> 00:10:21,060 but you are using the bricks to build a taller one 288 00:10:21,376 --> 00:10:22,320 And the fourth type of person 289 00:10:22,616 --> 00:10:24,741 practicing but getting more tangled the more they practice 290 00:10:24,856 --> 00:10:26,540 is the upgraded version of this mechanism 291 00:10:26,695 --> 00:10:29,415 They not only write awakening into the self narrative 292 00:10:29,415 --> 00:10:32,601 they turn the practice itself into a grand heroic story 293 00:10:33,096 --> 00:10:34,375 I am pursuing enlightenment 294 00:10:34,376 --> 00:10:35,660 this is my path of practice 295 00:10:35,695 --> 00:10:38,101 I am closer to the truth than people who do not practice 296 00:10:38,535 --> 00:10:40,341 In the language of Yogacara 297 00:10:40,376 --> 00:10:42,420 the discriminated self attachment at the level of the sixth consciousness 298 00:10:42,455 --> 00:10:46,040 upgrades from I am an ordinary person to I am a practitioner 299 00:10:46,415 --> 00:10:48,080 and underneath it the constant deliberating 300 00:10:48,376 --> 00:10:51,021 the manas consciousness that clings to a self without pause 301 00:10:51,096 --> 00:10:53,021 not only does its precision weight not drop 302 00:10:53,096 --> 00:10:54,820 it gets fed and grows even stronger 303 00:10:55,455 --> 00:10:58,560 This is what I said in the anuttara samyak sambodhi episode 304 00:10:59,016 --> 00:11:01,381 if you chase enlightenment as if it were a thing 305 00:11:01,575 --> 00:11:04,119 the chasing itself is the opposite of enlightenment 306 00:11:04,395 --> 00:11:06,339 So what kind of person can actually practice their way in 307 00:11:06,915 --> 00:11:10,400 People whose default mode network activity is naturally low 308 00:11:10,515 --> 00:11:13,759 or has been sharply reduced by some kind of shock 309 00:11:13,994 --> 00:11:17,400 In the meditation episode I cited neuroimaging research 310 00:11:17,594 --> 00:11:21,479 long term meditators show markedly lower default mode network activity than average 311 00:11:21,634 --> 00:11:24,560 The volume on their self narration machine has been turned down 312 00:11:24,714 --> 00:11:28,540 These people slide more easily from I am practicing to practice is happening 313 00:11:29,074 --> 00:11:31,479 The subject shifts from me to the process itself 314 00:11:32,655 --> 00:11:34,819 But here is a crucial finding 315 00:11:35,094 --> 00:11:37,099 The baseline activity of the default mode network 316 00:11:37,175 --> 00:11:39,180 is not entirely determined by talent 317 00:11:39,494 --> 00:11:40,814 Genetics influence it 318 00:11:40,815 --> 00:11:44,300 but experience training and environment also modulate it strongly 319 00:11:44,734 --> 00:11:46,819 Long term meditation can change it 320 00:11:46,974 --> 00:11:49,499 a major life shock can change it 321 00:11:49,655 --> 00:11:54,180 even sustained deep thinking and self observation can change it 322 00:11:54,655 --> 00:11:56,339 This is why I keep saying 323 00:11:56,374 --> 00:11:58,300 insight is not a fixed attribute 324 00:11:58,374 --> 00:11:59,739 it is a dynamic state 325 00:12:00,094 --> 00:12:02,814 The activity level of your default mode network today 326 00:12:02,815 --> 00:12:04,427 does not equal tomorrow's 327 00:12:05,023 --> 00:12:06,087 Now the third mechanism 328 00:12:06,383 --> 00:12:07,628 the salience network 329 00:12:07,902 --> 00:12:11,827 The salience network sits mainly in the anterior insula and anterior cingulate cortex 330 00:12:11,983 --> 00:12:12,927 and it is responsible for one thing 331 00:12:13,422 --> 00:12:15,187 deciding what you are able to notice 332 00:12:15,263 --> 00:12:16,907 It is the brain's filter 333 00:12:17,143 --> 00:12:19,988 The amount of information you take in every second is astronomical 334 00:12:20,023 --> 00:12:22,707 but only a tiny fraction reaches awareness 335 00:12:22,942 --> 00:12:25,067 Which information gets into your consciousness 336 00:12:25,103 --> 00:12:26,782 and which gets filtered out immediately 337 00:12:26,782 --> 00:12:29,268 is decided by the filtering rules of the salience network 338 00:12:29,623 --> 00:12:31,787 I covered this in detail in the episode on vows 339 00:12:31,902 --> 00:12:33,787 You decide to buy a red car 340 00:12:33,902 --> 00:12:36,187 and suddenly the streets are full of red cars 341 00:12:36,422 --> 00:12:38,142 It is not that there are more red cars 342 00:12:38,143 --> 00:12:41,907 your salience network has tagged red cars as important information 343 00:12:42,582 --> 00:12:45,542 This mechanism directly explains why some people see suffering 344 00:12:45,542 --> 00:12:46,628 and some cannot 345 00:12:46,983 --> 00:12:47,888 For the people who cannot see suffering 346 00:12:48,103 --> 00:12:49,388 it is not that the suffering is absent 347 00:12:49,462 --> 00:12:53,547 their salience network never tagged it as a signal worth noticing 348 00:12:53,782 --> 00:12:55,907 It got tagged as normal background noise 349 00:12:55,942 --> 00:12:57,707 just like the hum of an air conditioner 350 00:12:57,743 --> 00:12:59,667 After a while you filter it out automatically 351 00:13:00,143 --> 00:13:01,821 And for the people who can see the suffering 352 00:13:01,822 --> 00:13:04,128 their salience network for some reason 353 00:13:04,582 --> 00:13:06,508 maybe a major loss 354 00:13:06,542 --> 00:13:08,868 maybe one sentence that suddenly hit them in the heart 355 00:13:08,942 --> 00:13:12,988 maybe a question they could not avoid recalibrated the filtering rules 356 00:13:13,062 --> 00:13:16,750 and lifted suffering from background noise into a foreground signal 357 00:13:17,024 --> 00:13:18,144 Even more importantly 358 00:13:18,145 --> 00:13:22,390 there is a seesaw relationship between the salience network and the default mode network 359 00:13:22,745 --> 00:13:24,630 Neuroimaging research has found 360 00:13:24,745 --> 00:13:28,069 that the two networks are largely anticorrelated 361 00:13:28,265 --> 00:13:30,750 When the salience network is highly active 362 00:13:30,824 --> 00:13:33,110 default mode network activity goes down 363 00:13:33,304 --> 00:13:34,630 and the reverse is true as well 364 00:13:34,904 --> 00:13:35,770 What does that mean 365 00:13:36,265 --> 00:13:39,949 It means that when you truly give something your full attention 366 00:13:40,184 --> 00:13:41,744 not narrating a story in your head 367 00:13:41,745 --> 00:13:43,829 but genuinely and directly seeing 368 00:13:43,985 --> 00:13:46,949 your self narration machine goes quiet for a moment 369 00:13:47,184 --> 00:13:48,691 That is the power of seeing 370 00:13:48,965 --> 00:13:50,931 Seeing is not just taking in information 371 00:13:51,005 --> 00:13:53,250 seeing itself is a form of practice 372 00:13:53,525 --> 00:13:55,130 When you really see the suffering 373 00:13:55,245 --> 00:13:57,590 not the conceptual I know I am suffering 374 00:13:57,806 --> 00:14:01,610 but a bodily direct unnarrated seeing 375 00:14:01,725 --> 00:14:02,845 in that instant 376 00:14:02,845 --> 00:14:07,211 your salience network gives all its attention resources to that signal 377 00:14:07,365 --> 00:14:09,890 the default mode network is temporarily suppressed 378 00:14:09,965 --> 00:14:12,051 and your self narration pauses 379 00:14:12,125 --> 00:14:12,750 In that instant 380 00:14:13,046 --> 00:14:14,364 you are inside the suffering 381 00:14:14,365 --> 00:14:15,924 and not trapped by it 382 00:14:15,926 --> 00:14:16,630 That instant 383 00:14:16,926 --> 00:14:18,010 is practice 384 00:14:18,806 --> 00:14:19,350 So you see 385 00:14:19,765 --> 00:14:21,370 the four foundations of mindfulness the Buddha taught 386 00:14:21,446 --> 00:14:24,691 contemplating body feelings mind and phenomena 387 00:14:24,845 --> 00:14:27,831 are doing something extremely precise at the neuroscience level 388 00:14:28,406 --> 00:14:31,644 By deliberately training how the salience network allocates attention 389 00:14:31,645 --> 00:14:34,531 you suppress the automatic narration of the default mode network 390 00:14:34,645 --> 00:14:37,531 and thereby lower the precision weight of your prior beliefs 391 00:14:37,845 --> 00:14:40,010 The four foundations are not teaching you something new 392 00:14:40,286 --> 00:14:43,617 they train you to see how the old thing operates 393 00:14:44,011 --> 00:14:44,197 Alright 394 00:14:44,651 --> 00:14:46,097 we have taken all three mechanisms apart 395 00:14:46,212 --> 00:14:48,011 now let me put them back together 396 00:14:48,011 --> 00:14:49,577 and show you the full picture 397 00:14:49,931 --> 00:14:52,330 Whether a person can awaken and whether they can practice 398 00:14:52,332 --> 00:14:55,416 depends on the dynamic configuration of three systems in the brain 399 00:14:55,651 --> 00:14:59,377 The precision weight of prior beliefs decides how thick the wall is 400 00:14:59,572 --> 00:15:02,290 the activity level of the default mode network decides 401 00:15:02,291 --> 00:15:04,337 how deeply the character called me is being played 402 00:15:04,572 --> 00:15:07,090 and the filtering rules of the salience network decide 403 00:15:07,092 --> 00:15:09,256 what a person can see and cannot see 404 00:15:09,372 --> 00:15:12,737 The initial configuration of these three systems really is influenced by genetics 405 00:15:12,852 --> 00:15:15,170 Some people are born with low prior precision 406 00:15:15,171 --> 00:15:16,816 more open to new information 407 00:15:16,931 --> 00:15:19,851 some are born with a weaker default mode network 408 00:15:19,852 --> 00:15:21,737 less attached to their self narrative 409 00:15:22,411 --> 00:15:25,816 some are born with a wider filtering bandwidth in the salience network 410 00:15:26,011 --> 00:15:28,296 able to notice more subtle signals 411 00:15:28,531 --> 00:15:32,899 This may be the neuroscience translation of what Buddhism calls spiritual capacity 412 00:15:33,216 --> 00:15:34,015 But 413 00:15:34,053 --> 00:15:36,078 and this is the most important but of the day 414 00:15:36,774 --> 00:15:39,419 the configuration of these three systems is not static 415 00:15:39,654 --> 00:15:40,759 they are dynamic 416 00:15:40,933 --> 00:15:41,899 and plastic 417 00:15:42,053 --> 00:15:43,999 They can be changed by experience by training 418 00:15:44,374 --> 00:15:48,259 by a single sentence by one heartbreaking loss 419 00:15:48,693 --> 00:15:51,419 So that viewer's table of combinations 420 00:15:51,494 --> 00:15:54,218 is not a fixed assignment of destiny 421 00:15:54,573 --> 00:15:55,938 it is a snapshot 422 00:15:56,174 --> 00:15:58,092 What it records is where each person 423 00:15:58,093 --> 00:16:01,858 stands with their cognitive system at this exact moment 424 00:16:02,213 --> 00:16:04,178 But states change 425 00:16:04,494 --> 00:16:06,858 Someone sitting in the first box today 426 00:16:06,933 --> 00:16:08,178 suffering without seeing it 427 00:16:08,414 --> 00:16:10,379 may run into something tomorrow 428 00:16:10,613 --> 00:16:13,659 and a crack suddenly appears in the wall of prior belief 429 00:16:13,813 --> 00:16:15,379 prediction error floods in 430 00:16:15,534 --> 00:16:17,659 and they slide into the second box 431 00:16:18,453 --> 00:16:20,972 Someone sitting in the third box today 432 00:16:20,973 --> 00:16:22,698 awakened but not practicing 433 00:16:22,973 --> 00:16:26,698 may find that one day their default mode network goes quiet for a single instant 434 00:16:26,774 --> 00:16:31,019 and they experience for the first time what seeing without narration feels like 435 00:16:31,213 --> 00:16:34,610 and before they know it they are on the path of practice 436 00:16:34,924 --> 00:16:36,770 There is a line in the Mahaparinirvana Sutra 437 00:16:36,924 --> 00:16:39,010 all sentient beings possess Buddha nature 438 00:16:39,365 --> 00:16:42,289 But this line has been argued over inside Buddhism for more than a thousand years 439 00:16:42,645 --> 00:16:46,929 The Yogacara tradition Xuanzang brought back from India teaches five distinct spiritual lineages 440 00:16:47,164 --> 00:16:50,250 and says beings without that nature simply do not possess untainted seeds 441 00:16:50,365 --> 00:16:53,049 In other words not everyone necessarily has that seed 442 00:16:53,284 --> 00:16:53,909 Which side is right 443 00:16:54,324 --> 00:16:56,209 A thousand years of argument produced no verdict 444 00:16:56,324 --> 00:16:58,809 and I am not going to hand you an answer in this episode either 445 00:16:59,204 --> 00:17:00,669 I will only tell you where I land myself 446 00:17:01,084 --> 00:17:02,929 Translated into today's framework 447 00:17:02,965 --> 00:17:06,890 every person's cognitive system naturally has the ability to reconfigure itself 448 00:17:07,084 --> 00:17:08,649 Prior precision can come down 449 00:17:08,765 --> 00:17:10,649 the default mode network can go quiet 450 00:17:10,804 --> 00:17:13,009 the salience network can be recalibrated 451 00:17:13,604 --> 00:17:17,306 No one's brain is locked into any single state 452 00:17:17,581 --> 00:17:21,066 But at the same time I want to say something that may not be popular 453 00:17:21,502 --> 00:17:22,046 In theory 454 00:17:22,341 --> 00:17:23,587 everyone can wake up 455 00:17:23,941 --> 00:17:24,687 but in fact 456 00:17:24,941 --> 00:17:26,587 most people will not 457 00:17:26,901 --> 00:17:29,066 Not because their brain forbids it 458 00:17:29,181 --> 00:17:31,826 but because waking up costs too much 459 00:17:32,022 --> 00:17:34,140 Awakening means you have to admit 460 00:17:34,141 --> 00:17:37,667 that the world model you have lived by for decades 461 00:17:37,782 --> 00:17:39,907 may be wrong all the way down at the root 462 00:17:40,141 --> 00:17:42,667 What you thought was important may not be important 463 00:17:42,861 --> 00:17:45,466 what you thought was real may be made up 464 00:17:45,621 --> 00:17:49,026 and the thing you thought was yours may only be a story 465 00:17:49,302 --> 00:17:51,226 The magnitude of that cognitive shock 466 00:17:51,302 --> 00:17:53,667 is no smaller than an earthquake at the level of the psyche 467 00:17:53,982 --> 00:17:57,706 Most people's brains will instinctively choose to keep the old model 468 00:17:58,421 --> 00:18:00,420 not because the old model is correct 469 00:18:00,421 --> 00:18:02,667 but because the old model is familiar 470 00:18:02,861 --> 00:18:04,546 and familiarity brings a sense of safety 471 00:18:04,661 --> 00:18:07,112 even when that safety is an illusion 472 00:18:07,388 --> 00:18:07,733 And besides 473 00:18:08,108 --> 00:18:09,993 evolution did not select for awakening 474 00:18:10,348 --> 00:18:12,953 evolution selected for survival and reproduction 475 00:18:13,267 --> 00:18:15,993 Your brain was designed as a survival machine 476 00:18:16,108 --> 00:18:17,872 not an awakening machine 477 00:18:18,348 --> 00:18:20,832 The self narration function of the default mode network 478 00:18:20,908 --> 00:18:22,347 seen from an evolutionary angle 479 00:18:22,348 --> 00:18:24,553 is an extremely successful survival tool 480 00:18:24,668 --> 00:18:27,213 It helps you maintain social relationships plan the future 481 00:18:27,547 --> 00:18:29,392 and learn from past mistakes 482 00:18:29,588 --> 00:18:32,192 That system works beautifully in the jungle 483 00:18:32,628 --> 00:18:35,753 But when you try to use it to understand the nature of suffering 484 00:18:35,868 --> 00:18:37,152 it turns into an obstacle 485 00:18:37,547 --> 00:18:41,072 You are trying to use a system that evolved for survival 486 00:18:41,188 --> 00:18:43,592 to complete a task that goes beyond survival 487 00:18:44,188 --> 00:18:46,352 It is like running a large language model in Excel 488 00:18:46,467 --> 00:18:47,707 Excel is not broken 489 00:18:47,707 --> 00:18:50,230 the task is outside the range it was designed for 490 00:18:50,425 --> 00:18:53,550 So in a sense practice runs against evolution 491 00:18:53,905 --> 00:18:55,785 You are deliberately weakening a survival system 492 00:18:55,786 --> 00:19:00,070 that millions of years of natural selection optimized 493 00:19:00,465 --> 00:19:02,070 This is why practice is hard 494 00:19:02,506 --> 00:19:04,191 not because the method is complicated 495 00:19:04,425 --> 00:19:05,810 what is complicated about counting your breath 496 00:19:06,465 --> 00:19:09,951 but because your entire biological substrate is resisting you 497 00:19:10,306 --> 00:19:14,111 Your brain will manufacture anxiety to pull you back into the old pattern 498 00:19:14,306 --> 00:19:17,070 it will manufacture boredom to make you quit practicing 499 00:19:17,226 --> 00:19:20,464 it will manufacture the illusion that I already understand so I do not need to practice 500 00:19:20,465 --> 00:19:22,790 to tempt you into stopping at the level of understanding 501 00:19:23,105 --> 00:19:24,951 None of this means your willpower is weak 502 00:19:25,066 --> 00:19:28,050 this is evolution protecting its masterpiece 503 00:19:28,365 --> 00:19:30,210 But evolution also left one road open 504 00:19:30,565 --> 00:19:33,010 It gave human beings an ability that in other animals 505 00:19:33,085 --> 00:19:35,151 never developed anywhere near this far 506 00:19:35,686 --> 00:19:36,651 metacognition 507 00:19:37,085 --> 00:19:38,411 You can not only think 508 00:19:38,486 --> 00:19:40,530 you can watch yourself thinking 509 00:19:40,845 --> 00:19:42,611 You not only have prior beliefs 510 00:19:42,686 --> 00:19:44,930 you can see that you have prior beliefs 511 00:19:45,206 --> 00:19:48,010 You not only have a default mode network running automatically 512 00:19:48,165 --> 00:19:50,050 you can become aware that it is running 513 00:19:50,365 --> 00:19:52,571 This ability to see yourself operating 514 00:19:52,605 --> 00:19:54,091 is the seed of awakening 515 00:19:54,405 --> 00:19:56,371 It requires no external conditions 516 00:19:56,486 --> 00:19:58,450 and it is in you right now 517 00:19:58,751 --> 00:20:01,117 While you are listening to me say all this 518 00:20:01,351 --> 00:20:04,277 if a thought rises in your mind at the same time 519 00:20:04,432 --> 00:20:05,696 something like this sounds exactly like me 520 00:20:05,992 --> 00:20:07,857 or I do not really agree with this 521 00:20:08,271 --> 00:20:10,797 and then you see that thought arising 522 00:20:10,912 --> 00:20:13,110 that act of seeing a thought arise 523 00:20:13,111 --> 00:20:14,597 is already practice 524 00:20:14,751 --> 00:20:18,117 You do not have to wait until suffering corners you before you awaken 525 00:20:18,271 --> 00:20:22,357 You do not need seven retreat centers and four methods to start practicing 526 00:20:22,511 --> 00:20:25,916 You do not even need to agree with anything I said today 527 00:20:26,111 --> 00:20:28,837 All you need is that when the next thought rises 528 00:20:28,952 --> 00:20:29,837 you see it 529 00:20:29,952 --> 00:20:30,736 you do not follow it 530 00:20:31,111 --> 00:20:32,277 and you do not push it away 531 00:20:32,392 --> 00:20:33,357 You just see 532 00:20:34,031 --> 00:20:36,236 This sounds almost laughably simple 533 00:20:36,351 --> 00:20:37,136 but let me tell you 534 00:20:37,551 --> 00:20:38,991 anyone who can do this much 535 00:20:38,992 --> 00:20:41,396 has already stepped out of that table of combinations 536 00:20:41,952 --> 00:20:42,577 They have awakened 537 00:20:42,952 --> 00:20:44,317 and they are practicing 538 00:20:44,791 --> 00:20:48,037 and it is the least impressive but most effective kind of practice 539 00:20:48,903 --> 00:20:49,087 Alright 540 00:20:49,462 --> 00:20:50,087 having come this far 541 00:20:50,222 --> 00:20:51,387 I want to leave one question open 542 00:20:51,863 --> 00:20:54,968 The whole framework I laid out today has one hidden premise 543 00:20:55,583 --> 00:20:58,867 that differences in awakening can be explained by neuroscience 544 00:20:59,302 --> 00:21:03,268 Prior precision the default mode network the salience network 545 00:21:03,383 --> 00:21:05,228 are all mechanisms at the material level 546 00:21:05,462 --> 00:21:08,968 But Buddhism has one dimension this framework cannot cover 547 00:21:09,302 --> 00:21:12,627 the accumulation of seeds across life cycles in the alaya consciousness 548 00:21:13,183 --> 00:21:16,067 If seed patterns really can be transmitted across carriers 549 00:21:16,143 --> 00:21:18,308 then the fact that some people wake up easily from birth 550 00:21:18,423 --> 00:21:20,387 may not be only about genes 551 00:21:20,423 --> 00:21:23,902 but because their alaya consciousness in earlier life cycles 552 00:21:23,903 --> 00:21:26,427 already accumulated enough seeds of awakening 553 00:21:27,262 --> 00:21:29,988 This is a conjecture I cannot verify scientifically 554 00:21:30,062 --> 00:21:31,781 but it deserves to be left standing here 555 00:21:31,782 --> 00:21:33,548 as an open possibility 556 00:21:33,742 --> 00:21:34,902 And if it is true 557 00:21:34,903 --> 00:21:36,748 then everything you heard today 558 00:21:36,782 --> 00:21:39,347 has added a few more grains to your cognitive sandpile 559 00:21:39,742 --> 00:21:41,827 You never know which grain is the last one 560 00:21:42,183 --> 00:21:43,788 but every grain counts 561 00:21:44,477 --> 00:21:48,303 What are your own realizations and thoughts about awakening and practice 562 00:21:48,797 --> 00:21:50,182 Which type of person are you 563 00:21:50,638 --> 00:21:52,357 Are you being pushed along by suffering 564 00:21:52,358 --> 00:21:54,182 or pulled along by curiosity 565 00:21:54,598 --> 00:21:56,357 Tell me in the comments 566 00:21:56,358 --> 00:21:59,602 and tell me what you most want me to talk about next time 567 00:21:59,757 --> 00:22:00,463 I am Leo Wang 568 00:22:00,838 --> 00:22:01,411 and I will see you next episode