Tibetan Buddhist monastic debate: Psychological and neuroscientific analysis of a reasoning-based analytical meditation practice

Decoding the cognitive states of attention and distraction in a real-life setting using EEG

Lapses in attention can have serious consequences in situations such as driving a car, hence there is considerable interest in tracking it using neural measures. However, as most of these studies have been done in highly controlled and artificial laboratory settings, we want to explore whether it is also possible to determine attention and distraction using electroencephalogram (EEG) data collected in a natural setting using machine/deep learning. 24 participants volunteered for the study. Data were collected from pairs of participants simultaneously while they engaged in Tibetan Monastic debate, a practice that is interesting because it is a real-life situation that generates substantial variability in attention states. We found that attention was on average associated with increased left frontal alpha, increased left parietal theta, and decreased central delta compared to distraction. In an attempt to predict attention and distraction, we found that a Long Short Term Memory model classified attention and distraction with maximum accuracy of 95.86% and 95.4% corresponding to delta and theta waves respectively. This study demonstrates that EEG data collected in a real-life setting can be used to predict attention states in participants with good accuracy, opening doors for developing Brain-Computer Interfaces that track attention in real-time using data extracted in daily life settings, rendering them much more usable.

Collaborative dialogue between Buddhism and science: A contribution to expanding a science of consciousness

Investigation of consciousness (experience, mind, awareness, subjectivity) has become an accepted endeavor in contemporary neuroscience. However, current work is largely limited to study of neural correlates of consciousness. While this is interesting and important, it may not be sufficient to carry us to a place of truly new insight regarding consciousness. I argue that one element of expanding a science of consciousness is appreciation of the interdependent co-creation or enfolding of mind and world. Addressing this interdependence is an aspect of the collaborative engagement of the traditions of Buddhism and science-a project that is exploring how complementary worldviews and analytic procedures might further the development of an expanded science of mind. In this essay, written for a collection honoring the life and work of Jack Pettigrew, I describe his connection to this project.