Mapping the Mind: A Model Based on Theravada Buddhist Texts and Practices |
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| Authors: | P L Walpola D Y Walpola I C Walpola T Toneatto |
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| Institution: | 1. Independent Medical Practitioner;2. Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University Faculty of Arts, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada;3. Department of Psychiatry, McGill University Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada;4. New College, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada |
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| Abstract: | We propose a functional model based on Theravada Buddhist texts and practices to show how the mind works in relation to both our senses and how we perceive the external world. Our model suggests that the mind acts as a common internal sense organ, receiving all sensory data from the five external senses. It shows how contact plays a central role in both the generation and continual reconstitution of feelings, perceptions and thoughts. This model suggests how previous memories can influence one’s thoughts, by actively editing each cognitive pathway to create a distorted perception of what is experienced in the present moment. We also illustrate how individuals proliferate and cling to thoughts as a result of craving, and address how this can lead to suffering within the context of dependent origination. We believe this model could function as a basic conceptual map of the mind to facilitate a deeper phenomenological understanding of ongoing, complex mental interactions, within the context of Theravada Buddhist theory and practice. |
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