@QuanticASI combination of a sensation in the body and a thought.
the totality of experience is just thoughts + sensations (seeing, hearing, feeling, etc.)
Your mind operates like a computer system. Here is how it works and why it matters. Some inspiration from Jeff Hawkins @Numenta and @jonirraj .
1. Consciousness: the screen
- This is the empty space where everything appears: thoughts, sensations, and emotions.
- Everything we see, hear, taste, smell, or feel shows up here like windows or tabs on a computer screen.
- The screen itself has no inherent content.
This is how we know anything. It is the backdrop for all experience.
2. Perception builder: the operating system
- The automatic system that transforms raw sensory data into our everyday perceived reality.
- It models objects, relationships, colors, distance, time, pleasant and unpleasant tones, and even a basic sense of self.
- It also runs a prediction engine that forecasts what should happen next and flags mismatches between predictions and reality.
The operating system runs in the background and shapes how experience appears on the screen.
3. Mental models and cognitive skills: the software
- The knowledge, skills, and mental frameworks we have about any subject.
- This enables abilities like playing soccer, solving math problems, or doing philosophy.
- It also processes the prediction mismatches flagged by the operating system.
This is how we know how to think or do anything.
4. Attention: the user interface
- The way we direct attention determines how we interact with the contents of the screen of consciousness.
- It decides which window or tab is active, or whether we go full screen on one thing.
This is how we choose what to pay attention to in each moment.
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Why this matters.
With meditation we can improve the UI, and eventually the operating system of our mind. We have little control over what appears on the screen, but we can change how we relate to it and how we place our attention.
How we pay attention in each moment determines the quality of each moment, and each moment adds up to life.
Learning this skill is like downloading the most important software you will ever use.
@DejaRu22 Depends what you mean by suffering, feels like some sort of suffering is also inevitable. But yeah the key is how you relate to this pain / suffering