On Jun 9, 2009, at 1:01 PM, Richard M wrote:
Since this has been discussed before here, ad nauseum, I did not feel
I needed to explain in any detail.
The statement relies on the assumption that the traditional Patanjali
yogins were not lying and that they knew, through their lineal
instruction, what that state of consciousness was. However, given
that we've now replicated this finding in numerous other yogins, in
numerous independent labs, and that the same process now is
understood to underlie neuroplastic restructuring of the brain, I
have a significant degree of confidence in such statements--or I
wouldn't make them.
A circular line of reasoning remains circular no matter how many
times you turn the handle.
Putting back your snip:
"Let me re-phase your statement slightly:
We have tested these guys and found a pattern. We see that that
pattern
matches what samadhi looks like. Therefore we now know what samadhi
looks like. Groan...
Or is it:
We don't know what samadhi is, but whatever it is, we know these guys
have got it (how, if we don't know what samadhi is?). So now we've
measured
them, and as a result we now know what samadhi is. Groan..."
You seem to have gone with version 2. But as a rider to "we know
these guys have got it" you've introduced: "the assumption that
the traditional Patanjali yogins were not lying and that they
knew, through their lineal instruction, what that state of
consciousness was". That doesn't do it for me.
Not close to what I'm saying. You're misdirecting.
Mis-parse it however you like Richard. It's a replicated scientific
finding published in a major journal that shows physiologic markers,
parallel to people in a certain meditative state, which they're able
to replicate at will, often for hours at a a time.
