Chapter 4 — Cessations of consciousness in meditation: Advancing a scientific understanding of nirodha samāpatti

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Absence of consciousness can occur due to a concussion, anesthetization, intoxication, epileptic seizure, or other fainting/syncope episode caused by lack of blood flow to the brain. However, some meditation practitioners also report that it is possible to undergo a total absence of consciousness during meditation, lasting up to 7 days, and that these “cessations” can be consistently induced. One form of extended cessation (i.e., nirodha samāpatti) is thought to be different from sleep because practitioners are said to be completely impervious to external stimulation. That is, they cannot be ‘woken up’ from the cessation state as one might be from a dream. Cessations are also associated with the absence of any time experience or tiredness, and are said to involve a stiff rather than a relaxed body. Emergence from meditation-induced cessations is said to have profound effects on subsequent cognition and experience (e.g., resulting in a sudden sense of clarity, openness, and possibly insights). In this paper, we briefly outline the historical context for cessation events, present preliminary data from two labs, set a research agenda for their study, and provide an initial framework for understanding what meditation induced cessation may reveal about the mind and brain. We conclude by integrating these so-called nirodha and nirodha samāpatti experiences—as they are known in classical Buddhism—into current cognitive-neurocomputational and active inference frameworks of meditation.

Introduction
Many unique states of mind have been described by meditators and contemplatives. These can range from ecstatic and mystical absorptions to out-of-body experiences, and even states of so-called pure consciousness (Metzinger, 2020). However, as yet, no scientific papers that we are aware of have explored a meditation-induced event known in Pāli (the liturgical language of Theravada Buddhism) as nirodha samāpatti (NS), which literally means “cessation attainment,” but often is rendered as “cessation of feeling and perception” (Nanamoli and Bodhi, 1995). Compared to other non-ordinary experiences that scientists might be tempted to dismiss due to their inherently subjective and variable nature, the NS experience is concrete: an internally induced absence of consciousness. The event is outwardly comparable to general anesthesia and differentiated from deep sleep in that after a NS event there is no sensation of time having passed, there are no dreams, and one cannot be ‘woken up’ by physical stimulation or pain (Nanamoli and Bodhi, 1995).a Clearly, in terms of understanding the mind and brain, the capacity to voluntarily turn off consciousness, analogously to general anesthesia, is immensely interesting, also given how rare the capacity is and its implications for our understanding of top-down processing in the brain.b There are also notable after-effects of NS (and other cessation) experiences involving a profound sense of clarity, which some meditators describe as a kind of inner “reset,” which further differentiates this experience from (coming out of) sleep or general anesthesia.

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The full paper:

Laukkonen_23_ProgressInBrainResearchDownload

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I am not well-versed in nirodha samāpatti, but I do believe that Buddhist practice at its best involves some form of serious, consistent meditation practice. ABN

Poland rejects EU migrant relocation as Brussels faces political pressure

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Polish President Karol Nawrocki has told the European Commission that Poland will reject any EU plan to relocate irregular migrants, insisting the country already carries the burden of defending the bloc’s eastern border while also hosting about a million war refugees from Ukraine.

Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki has bluntly told European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that Poland will refuse any EU plan to take in irregular migrants, citing security concerns and fears over losing its sovereignty.

He insisted that “the safety of European citizens must come first” and vowed that Poland “will not agree to any actions by European institutions that would aim to settle illegal migrants in Poland.”

In a letter to von der Leyen, the Polish president said his country would “not agree to any actions by European institutions that would aim to settle illegal migrants in Poland.”

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Being able to do FIML

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  • Being able to do FIML means that you have developed a skill or trait that did not exist in you before. The ability to do FIML is a functional “state of mind” that emerges from other states of mind–from consciousness, awareness, self-reflection, self-criticism, communication, language use, emotion, etc.
  • Doing FIML will change the way you communicate, especially with your FIML partner. It will change the way you view language and its uses.
  • Since FIML depends on real data agreed upon by both partners and since FIML can convincingly change how we perceive ourselves and our partners, it can give us new perspectives on psychology and/or any activity that depends on language/communication.
  • The use of a linguistic/semiotic vocabulary in FIML allows us to classify a great deal of human cognition, psychology, and behavior as lying on a spectrum of public—private semiotics.
  • This perspective allows us to broadly define many human behaviors, thoughts, and feelings as mistakes. For example, a private semiotic may be a “neurosis” and can be defined simply as a “mistaken interpretation” or an “ongoing mistaken interpretation.” Similarly, any public semiotic that can be shown to be wrong can be clearly identified as a mistake or an “ongoing public neurosis.”
  • What is “normal” in FIML is, thus, that which is not mistaken. Partners have great leeway to decide much of this for themselves.
  • Very often, the least mistaken view is one of doubt or traditional skepticism, the view that we may not be able to be certain about whatever is in question.
  • FIML practice accepts the basic scientific view that a scientific theory must be testable or falsifiable, based on experiments that can be repeated, based on verifiable evidence, internally consistent, consistent with what is external to itself, useful or practical, open to change, and parsimonious in its explanations.
  • New scientific theories should also say something new and interesting, something that explains data in a new way or that provides a new way of understanding old data.
  • FIML differs from a good deal of science in that it relies heavily on the experiences of two (or more) partners. FIML is a kind of subjective science that also relies on the objectivity of a truthful partner.
  • For the most part, partners alone decide what is true for them, though they cannot honestly do this without reference to other fields of science and thought.
  • FIML resembles Buddhist practice, art, or the work of early scientists in that the existential/ experiential data acquired by individuals is of great importance to those individuals and is central to what they are doing.
  • FIML can be scientifically falsified if many people do it and fail to gain any benefit from it.
  • Done properly, at a minimum, FIML practice should clear up most communication mistakes/ problems between partners. FIML also provides the means for partners to continue clearing up new mistakes as they appear.
  • By clearing up mistakes in communication between partners, FIML practice alleviates a great deal of emotional suffering.
  • By clearing up mistakes in communication between partners, FIML practice will also relieve partners of other mistaken ideas and feelings, thus relieving a good deal of more generalized emotional suffering.

Medications taken by HALF of Americans raise risk of cancer even years after you stop taking them

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Some of the most common medications taken by tens of millions of Americans leave a lasting impact on the body long after a person stops taking them, according to new research.

Beta-blockers, commonly prescribed for high blood pressure and heart conditions, were linked to changes in gut bacteria that were detectable even when people had stopped taking them several years earlier, according to a new study by Estonian researchers. 

The same held true for anti-anxiety medications, part of the benzodiazepine class, including Xanax and Valium. Antidepressants had similar carryover effects, as did proton pump inhibitors, medications millions take for acid reflux and heartburn.

The microbiome is the body’s collection of beneficial bacteria. Its health relies on a diverse population of bacteria to fight disease, absorb nutrients and regulate immune and metabolic systems. It is influenced by everything from diet and lifestyle to the medications a person takes, including common prescription drugs. 

The new study confirmed that commonly prescribed medications, ranging from antibiotics to antidepressants, consistently reduce the diversity of gut bacteria, sometimes for years.  

A less diverse microbiome is linked to a weaker gut barrier, chronic inflammation and a compromised immune system. This state of imbalance, known as dysbiosis, creates a state of chronic inflammation and weakened immune defense that is a recognized breeding ground for cancer development, specifically, colorectal cancer.

Dysbiosis creates a gut environment dominated by cancer-promoting bacteria, which can trigger tumor growth by stimulating blood vessel formation, uncontrolled cell division and the evasion of cell death.

To investigate the long-term effects of medications on gut bacteria, an Estonian study genetically analyzed stool samples from 2,509 adults. 

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Colonoscopies also disrupt the gut biome. The linked article has a graph showing the absolute rate of colon cancer in people under fifty is less than six per 100,000. Beware of click-bait stories about the relative rate almost doubling over the past 20 years. ABN

Complex mind, simple thoughts

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I strongly believe a major cause of neurotism, emotional agony, and mental illness is our minds are more complex than much of our thinking and most of our communication.

This causes us to be like prisoners trapped in small space when we are capable of much greater freedom.

A new study illustrates why this happens.

The study show how auditory hallucinations can be induced in people who are not otherwise prone to hearing them.

Pairing a stimulus in one modality (vision) with a stimulus in another (sound) can lead to task-induced hallucinations in healthy individuals. After many trials, people eventually report perceiving a nonexistent stimulus contingent on the presence of the previously paired stimulus. (Pavlovian conditioning–induced hallucinations result from overweighting of perceptual priors)

Since this effect can be induced fairly simply it shows that:

These data demonstrate the profound and sometimes pathological impact of top-down cognitive processes on perception… (from the study itself: Pavlovian conditioning–induced hallucinations result from overweighting of perceptual priors)

Note that these hallucinations “result from overweighing perceptual priors.”

A “perceptual prior” is, in these cases, a mistaken assumption about reality.

If our auditory and visual “realities” are susceptible to mistakes like these, how much more is our psychology?

Due to our generally very simple ways of interacting with other people, we are essentially forced to hallucinate who they are and at the same time who we are.

That is, our complex minds are essentially forced to see ourselves and others in simple, hallucinatory terms that cannot possibly be true.

I believe this is the cause of great mental and emotional distress for all people everywhere.

I also believe that this problem can be largely overcome by practicing FIML

FIML allows us to remove our psychological hallucinations about our FIML partner as they remove theirs about us.

FIML works because it allows partners to escape the simplicities and many hallucinatory traps of ordinary communication.

As far as I know, there is no other method for doing this. FIML is practical psychotherapy that will optimize your mind and psychology by providing the data you need to overcome hallucinating most of your life.

In this respect, FIML is a preeminent Buddhist mindfulness practice done by two (or more) people working together.

I hope the day comes when Buddhist Sanghas will practice FIML among themselves and teach it to lay followers when they have mastered the technique.

FIML is deeply human and not something AI will be able to do. It is very well-suited to this Human Realm because it shows us how delusions are formed, where they lie within us and how to extinguish them.

Cold, calculating, killer statesmen rule the world

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Evan has been very insightful.

I believe his basic formula is correct but leaves out the tribal, religious, and racial factors in political game theory.

These factors determine who the ‘calculating killers’ kill, how and why.

One example is the decades long covert war being waged against the West by disabling strong boys and young men.

Only some tribes will do that.

And they do that because they hate the West; their self-concept is based on that hate.

Their weapons are poison, lobotomies, sensory damage and more.

It is easy to see this in bad vaxxes, bad food and water, opioids.

It is harder to see this when the vic is a single young man, roofied and lobotomized within five minutes.

Multiply those casualties by tens of millions over many decades.

Then you can see the strategy of weakening a civilization over several generations.

That’s what has allowed many of those cold killer statesmen to seize power.

And, yes, it was done by a cabal. ABN

CHARLIE KIRK BREAKTHROUGH? “SECOND SHOOTER” MUZZLE FLASH CAUGHT ON VIDEO? WATCH CAREFULLY:

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A split second before the crack of the gunshot, a distinct ball of faint light can be seen darting through the tree in front of the Sorensen Center. If it is indeed the muzzle flash, then that puts the kill shot being fired from the roof of the Sorensen Center. Such a trajectory better matches the analysis of Charlie Kirk’s wound arrived at independently by both @chrismartenson & Baron Coleman (YouTube, H/T: Baron’s eagle eyes).

At the end of the video, I’ve included a rough layout analysis of the locations & trajectories. In the next tweet below, I’ll link the source video.

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Exchange between Trump and Macron appears to be testy; lip-reader offers her take

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…lip reader Nicola Hickling told the Daily Mail that the handshake was much more than just a casual greeting between the two leaders.

‘Nice to see you, so you agreed?’ Trump told Macron who soon turned away from the camera and muttered an inaudible response. 

‘Are you being genuine?’ Trump asks as Macron quickly replies, ‘Of course.’ 

The commander-in-chief then tightens his grips around Macron’s palm before shooting back, ‘Okay, so now I want to know why, you hurt me. I already know.’

Trump then squeezes Macron’s hand again as the French president looks down and away from the cameras.  

It’s not clear what the pair speaking about; however, it comes weeks after Macron was seen mocking Trump with world leaders. 

The two leaders have a colorful history together, often appearing to appear friendly, despite occasionally criticizing each other in public.

Speaking slowly and clearly Trump says, ‘I am making peace.’

Macron then taps Trump’s hand and replies, ‘Ah come on’; while Trump ignores and grasps tighter.

‘I only hurt those who hurt others,’ Trump tells Macron while pointing at the cameras.

‘I see. We will have to see about that,’ Macron says before pausing issuing a stark warning to Trump. ‘You will see what is about to happen.’

Trump concludes, ‘I’d like to see you do it, do it. I’ll see you in a bit.’

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Science Finally Captures Nirvana: FWT Explains Cessation States

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TL;DR: Advanced meditators entering nirodha samāpatti—cessation of all mental activity—are now being tracked with ultra-high-field brain imaging. Results show the brain entering a globally reorganized, low-energy but highly polarized state, unlike sleep or anesthesia. From a Frequency Wave Theory (FWT) perspective, this is the first empirical glimpse of consciousness “switching off” and rebooting, validating Buddhist claims and opening the door to measurable enlightenment.

The Ancient Claim Meets Modern Science

For thousands of years, Theravāda Buddhism has described nirodha samāpatti as the pinnacle of meditation: a deliberate shutdown of all perception, thought, and sense of self. Practitioners reported this as the gateway to nirvana, the end of suffering. Until now, these were taken largely on faith or subjective report.

This new study changes that. Using 7-Tesla fMRI, researchers followed advanced meditators as they entered what they called Extended Cessation (EC). Participants described total silence of mind—no thoughts, no sensations, no self-awareness. Consciousness went offline by choice.

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This is interesting. The Frequency Wave Theory needs more explanation. I am pretty sure the state achieved in this experiment is a samadhi state and not nirvana. Nonetheless, this is an interesting finding. If anyone has more information on this, please post in the comments. ABN

Purging America First: Inside the GOP’s Zionist Vetting Machine

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In the dimly lit corridors of Capitol Hill, where backroom deals shape American foreign policy, House Speaker Mike Johnson recently conducted what can only be described as a strategic war council. On the afternoon of September 17, 2025, Johnson gathered with a who’s who of pro-Israel organizations for a private meeting ostensively designed to eliminate dissenting voices within the Republican Party. What emerged from this closed-door session reveals a coordinated effort to ensure ideological orthodoxy on Israel.

The meeting itself reads like something out of a tired political thriller. Johnson, who described himself to the assembled group as a “Reagan Republican” focused on “peace through strength,” went on to make a startling admission that isolationism is rising within the Republican Party and that a major debate on the issue is likely once President Donald Trump leaves office.

But Johnson’s most revealing statement came when he told the group that in his candidate-recruiting efforts, he’s working to filter out isolationists to prevent that wing of the party from growing more prominent in the House. Four people who attended the meeting confirmed this extraordinary pledge to Jewish Insider.

“The speaker was very, very direct about the U.S. role with Israel and in the world and understands that there are voices that don’t agree in both parties, on both extremes, and urges us all to be involved in fighting back against those extremes,” Eric Fingerhut, CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America, told the publication.

The guest list for Johnson’s gathering was a who’s who of America’s most powerful pro-Israel organizations. In attendance were representatives from The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, the Republican Jewish Coalition, Agudath Israel of America, AIPAC, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, National Council of Jewish Women, Synergos Holdings, CUFI Action, the Orthodox Union, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, Standard Industries, the American Jewish Committee, Zionist Organization of America, National Debt Relief, Jewish Institute for National Security of America, the Deborah Project, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Coalition for Jewish Values and the Endowment for Middle East Truth. This comprehensive coalition represents the full spectrum of pro-Israel advocacy, from religious organizations to political action committees to think tanks—a formidable alliance with vast resources and influence.

…A University of Maryland Critical Issues Poll conducted between July 29 and August 7 showcased a dramatic generational divide within the Republican Party. While 52 percent of Republicans aged 35 and older sympathize more with Israel, that figure drops to just 24 percent among those aged 18 to 34.

The split grows even wider when it comes to Gaza. Among older Republicans, 52 percent view Israel’s actions as justified. Among younger ones, only 22 percent agree. “The change taking place among young Republicans is breathtaking,” said Shibley Telhami, the poll’s principal investigator. “While 52 percent of older Republicans (35+) sympathize more with Israel, only 24 percent of younger Republicans (18–34) say the same—fewer than half.”

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Uncertainty in human social interactions

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All human interactions entail some uncertainty and most entail a lot.

To deal with uncertainty, humans use heuristics (“rules of thumb”) that generally are based on what they perceive to be normal or required in the situation at hand. These heuristics come from experience, from role models, from organizational structures, beliefs and so on.

A recent study—Uncertainty about social interactions leads to the evolution of social heuristics—explores:

…an evolutionary simulation model, showing that even intermediate uncertainty leads to the evolution of simple cooperation strategies that disregard information about the social interaction (‘social heuristics’).

This study uses simulations to tease out how social heuristics and social cooperation evolve in very simple game scenarios.

If social games have rules, we can change how much uncertainty they contain and how best to cooperate within them.

This is essentially what FIML practice does. FIML greatly reduces interpersonal uncertainty between partners while increasing cooperation by having a few fairly simple rules.

When uncertainty is lowered and cooperation increased between partners, psychological well-being and understanding is proportionally enhanced. This happens because social interaction and communication are basic to human psychology.

The study linked above employs simulations to show a sort mathematically forced evolutionary outcome arising from initial settings. I believe FIML is similar in this respect, though the FIML game involves complex humans rather than simple sims.

I often wonder why no one has discovered the rules of FIML before. So many great thinkers, but not one found these key rules for optimal communication and psychological understanding. I believe there are two basics reasons for this: 1) FIML requires developing dynamic metacognition during real-time real-life communication events and this takes practice; and 2) most great thinkers that we know about today and hence could learn from also had great status, and this prevented them from noticing the deep flaws in interpersonal communication that FIML corrects.

Les Brigandes – Antifa

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Antifa means “anti-fascist,” which is a European term with a severe PC SJW connotation. Or at least that’s how I understand it from an American point of view. For an English translation, be sure the CC/subtitles feature has been enabled. ABN

Update 7/17/19: The version with English subtitles was removed from YT. Could not find a replacement.

UPDATE 10/13/25: Here are the lyrics translated into English:

Lyrics:

I saw an old man over the counter in a supermarket,
He was called a bastard by a barking Arab woman.
When the Antifa was coming in,
The Antifa has screamed:
“Police!”
“This is an old Pétainist!”

A young girl reading the Bible in the train,
Young Non-Europeans started their nasty games with her.
If the Antifa had been there
Then it would be sure that they have witnessed…
In the face of the police…
That she was a provocateur!

A little boy sang an old song.
Non-violent Rastas have massacred him, just like he stand there.
The Antifa had put him on the list…
The list of anti-globalist suspects.
He had sung: “Auprès de ma blonde”…
What an evil Nazi!

That was before the time of the “Don’t insult my buddy.”.
But such a buddy set me the blade to my throat.
If the Antifa would have been established at this time…
Then, the psychologist had demonstrated
That the fear of the unknown was the evidence of…
The racist syndrome.

I say, you have to send Manuel Valls…
At night…
In an area in which he has never walked in.
Without a bodyguard, without the police
And if he can escape the harassment…
Then he can say to the media:
“Inshallah!”

And when the rabble is going to rape you in the evening.
Take an iron bar and use it to save your skin.
But if one of them is lying on the ground.
Then the judge will say that it is a conspiracy.
The newspapers will read x3:
“This was done by a fascist!”

Going to eat a falafel in the Rue des Rosiers,
I put on my kippah and my turban in the market.
The Antifa will not miss you,
When you look like a Gaul.
And if you eat quenelles with fries:
“Anti-semite!”

If you do this, or if you…
Say that,
If you even think it…
Then that’s already too much.
If you say a word they don’t like…
Then you will have to deal with the Antifa.
For the Trotskyist GPU…
You are a fascist.

They put millions there…
In hell for this reason.
For them it is a fixed idea…
A method of terrorism.
When I dispute, when I resist
Then I find myself on the list:
“I am a fascist!”

And if you don’t think… how you have to…
Then you’re a fascist.

I first posted this video on 02/05/17 and thought it was a bit bold at the time. Back then there were English subtitles. I looked again today for a version with English subtitles, but could not find one. Today, Antifa is considered a terrorist organization in USA. Besides the mild political statements in the song, it’s a catchy pleasant tune with a good video, imo. ABN