B AWARENESS X AWARENESS

 B

Summary of "A New 'Self-Model': Rapid Alternation of 'Awareness' and 'Awareness of Awareness'"

Section	Key Points
1. Introduction	- The debate on self spans philosophy, psychology, and cognitive science.
	- Western perspectives: Descartes' "Cogito, ergo sum" vs. Hume’s "Bundle Theory."
	- Eastern perspectives: Buddhist "non-self" (anatta) vs. Advaita Vedanta’s Atman.
	- Modern cognitive science sees the self as a constructed process rather than a fixed entity.
	- The paper proposes a new "Self-Model" where the self is an illusion from alternating "awareness" and "awareness of awareness."
2. The Nature of Vipassana	- Vipassana: Enhanced awareness induced by meditation.
	- Henri Bergson's theory: Meditation weakens perception filters, allowing detailed awareness.
	- In Vipassana, the five aggregates can be observed like a slow-motion film.
3. Awareness of Awareness	- Each of the five aggregates represents a state of awareness (Payutto, 2019).
	- Awareness of awareness: Knowing that you feel happy differs from just feeling happy.
	- Meditation enhances both awareness and meta-awareness, revealing the impermanence of experiences.
4. Five Aggregates as Awareness	- Traditional view: Five aggregates (form, feeling, perception, mental formations, consciousness) define a person.
	- New argument: Aggregates describe subjective experience (Bhikkhu, Gethin, Hamilton, Wynne).
	- Aggregates function as moments of awareness rather than fixed entities.
	- Example: Smelling an odor triggers a chain reaction of awareness and responses.
5. Ajahn Brahm’s "Fruit Salad Simile"	- Ajahn Brahm's analogy: Consciousness is discrete mental events, not a continuous stream.
	- Simile: Like fruits appearing and disappearing on a plate, types of consciousness arise sequentially.
	- This undermines the belief in a constant, observing self and aligns with the Buddhist principle of non-self.
6. A New "Self-Model"	- Inspired by Brahm’s insight, the model proposes "awareness of awareness" after each aggregate.
	- The self is an illusion formed by the rapid alternation between awareness and meta-awareness.
	- Analogy: Similar to a spinning torch creating the illusion of a continuous ring of fire.
	- Supports the Buddhist doctrine of non-self and challenges Western concepts of a fixed mental entity.

A

Summary of "A New Self-Model: Rapid Alternation of 'Awareness' and 'Awareness of Awareness'"

Aspect	Details
Core Concept	The self is an illusion arising from the rapid alternation between "awareness" and "awareness of awareness."
Comparison to Metzinger	Contrasts with Metzinger’s Self-Model Theory by emphasizing the alternating nature of awareness rather than a static model.
Vipassana Insight	- Vipassana meditation enhances awareness, enabling observation of the five aggregates (form, feeling, perception, mental formations, consciousness) like slow-motion film.
Five Aggregates View	- Traditional: Person consists of ever-changing aggregates. - New Model: Aggregates represent a subjective stream of consciousness (Thanissaro Bhikkhu, Gethin, Hamilton, Wynne).
Awareness of Awareness	- Each aggregate corresponds to awareness. - Contemplation reveals a secondary awareness that observes the first (Payutto). - Example: Feeling happy ≠ Knowing you feel happy.
Ajahn Brahm's Contribution	- Inspired by Brahm’s “fruit salad simile”, the model proposes that awareness of awareness arises after each aggregate, not simultaneously.
Key Mechanism	- Illusion of a constant self emerges because of the rapid alternation between awareness and awareness of awareness (like a spinning torch appearing as a ring).
Buddhist Principle	Supports the Buddhist concept of “non-self”—there is no permanent mental entity or continuous self.
Philosophical Implication	Challenges Western philosophical notions of a constant mental entity, proposing that mental events do not occur simultaneously.