Chapter 2 - Evolution Of Suffering Flashcards
(33 cards)
What are the three levels of brain development?
Reptilian, paleomamelion, neomamelion
What are the two hemispheres of the brain connected by?
Corpus collosum
What are there survival strategies for survivals?
Creating separations
Maintaining Stability
Approaching Opportunities and Avoiding Threats
What does the left lobe do in the brain?
Distinguish that the body is separate from the world.
What do the right lobe do?
See where the body is compared to feature in its environment.
What does Buddhas Brain compare the division between you body and the world to?
A picket fence
What does Buddhas Brain compare the divide between your mind and the world to?
A line on the side walk
What does it mean for a star to go Nova?
.
What does our need to be separate and independent cause us?
Suffering
How many times a second does a neuron fire?
10-15
What do neurons communicate across?
Synopses
What is myelin?
.
What do imbalances materialize as in the body?
Cravings
What is the word in Poly for thirst?
Tanha?
What is your brain continually trying to
do?
Maintain equilibrium, hold on to the passing moment, and find patterns it can rely on
What is the differences between our brains attract and avoidance mechanism and our very distant ancestors?
They were attracted to or avoiding objects but we are doing this for objects as well as mental states.
To simplify complex processes what does the brain do when it first sees something?
It sends information to the occipital cortex.
What does the occipital cortex do when it receives information?
Sends it in two directions
To hypocampus for processing (threat or opportunity)
To the PFC and other parts of the brain for more in depth analysis.
But just in case, the hypocampus immediately compares to its list of, jump first think later set of similar images
The hypocampus then sends an alarm bell to the imigdula which sounds the alarm bell throughout the brain.
How long ago did life begin
3.5 Billion Years Ago
What happens after the first initial expedited threat response is sent out?
The slow but powerful PFC, which has been continuing to process information during the alarm bell, zeros in on the inert nature of the object
During all of these activities in this interaction have either been pleasant unpleasant or neutral.
What is a hedonic tone?
Positive, negative or neutral?
What are key neuro chemicals according to Buddhas Brain?
Glutamate - excites receiving neurons
GABA - inhibits receiving neurons
Neuro Modulators
Serotonin - mood, sleep and digestion
Dopamine - awards and attention
Norepinephrine - alerts and attitudes
Accetocoline - promotes wakefulness and learning
Neuro peptides
Opioids - buffer stress soothing and reduce pain, produce pleasure
Oxytocin - promotes bonding in couples
Vasopressin - aggressiveness to sexual competitors, supports pair bonding
Cortisol - released by adrenal glands during stress response stimulates amigdula and stimulates the hypocampus
Estrogen - effects libido
What are the two systems that keep you chasing carrots?
1st
Cingulate cortex - see if your expectation meet your results and adjusts dopamine levels based on the conclusion (dissatisfaction) creates craving
2nd
Biochemical feeling tones that come from actual and expected carrots.
Pleasure chemicals surge into your system making them more likely to fire again in future.
Dopaminergic?
These systems work together.
So use this system to really focus and sink in the benefits of the result you would like to achieve.
Working out is good for me. I feel so good after working out etc!!
What happens when a memory is flagged as negative?
Hippocampus gives it high priority status and makes it easily retrievable. This makes your brain like Velcro for negative experiences and Teflon for positive ones even though most of your experiences are positive.
