S p i r i t ua l i t y S t u d i e s 5 - 2 Fa l l 2 0 1 9 4 1 Michal Kutáš mind-wandering occurred in 46,9 % of the samples. According to their results, people were less happy when their minds were wandering. Interestingly, this was true for all activities they did, including the least enjoyable. They also report that “what people were thinking was a better predictor of their happiness than was what they were doing” (Killingsworth and Gilbert 2010, 932). Because of all this and other reasons, Brewer et al. (2011, 20254) posed a question: “Given the interrelationship between the DMN [Note: Default Mode Network], mind-wandering, and unhappiness, a question arises: Is it possible to change this default mode into one that is more present-centered, and possibly happier?” They state that mindfulness meditation can represent a method how to achieve such a change. Although three kinds of meditation they studied –Loving-kindness meditation, Concentration meditation, andChoiceless awareness– to some extent differed in regard to activation of brain centers, Brewer et al. (2011, 20254) found that “the main nodes of the default-mode network (medial prefrontal and posterior cingulate cortices) were relatively deactivated in experienced meditators across all meditation types” and that these meditators “reported less mind-wandering during meditation relative to controls” (Brewer et al. 2011, 20255). Their results suggest that “the neural mechanisms underlying mindfulness training are associated with differential activation and connectivity of the DMN” (Brewer et al. 2011, 20255). They also support the hypothesis that “alterations in the DMN are related to reduction in mind-wandering” (Brewer et al. 2011, 20255). We have seen from other studies that meditation practice can have lasting results that reach beyond formal meditation. In the case of Default Mode Network, the state in which this network’s activity subsided can, as a result of intensive longterm practice, extend to everyday life “the consistency of connectivity across both meditation and baseline periods suggests that meditation practice may transform the resting-state experience into one that resembles a meditative state, and as such, is a more present-centered default mode” (Brewer et al. 2011, 20255). An interesting case of such transformation was found as part of the research of the study just described. One of the subjects of this study, which listed highly accomplished meditators, was different in that his Default Mode Network’s activity was very quiet not only during meditation, but also before meditation (Wright 2017, 167). I would like to close this article with the brief description of the path and transformation, which this subject of the study just described, went through, because in him, the Default Mode Network seems to be quiet almost perpetually. The name of this researcher is Gary Weber. In his own short account of his transformation (Weber 2015, 1), to which he often refers to as “the turning of the page”, he described his efforts leading to it in these words: “Two hours/ day early-morning practice and retreats and teachers’ training programs, in both meditation and yoga, totaling about 20,000 hours.” This practice included letting go of every attachment, because, “as the practice deepened, it was apparent that ‘attachments’ were where the last vestiges of the ‘I’ were being held. Wherever there was an attachment, it was clearly seen that there was an I/me/my at the root of it as the core around which it was structured. Each attachment also clearly had its ‘own’ separate I/me/my. So what was then required was to go through every attachment, and surrender each one” (Weber 2015, 2). These attachments were connected with narrative aspect of mind-activity: “The approach was to focus on each attachment and its particular story, or stories, feel into it, and then let go of it. This continued until all that was left was attachment to my two daughters. That step was delayed until it was apparent that they were secure and would not suffer from whatever might happen, as there was no certainty what would occur when the final attachment was gone. There was even the fear that this body would die without thought and the ‘I’.” (Weber 2015, 2). That did not happen, though. The effort towards enlightenment continued, because “even after this surrender, there remained a little vestige of an I/me/my, which could be felt. It was not clear who/how to surrender it to ‘nothingness/ emptiness’. The solution that manifested was to have some entity come and take it away… the entity that it was surrendered to was Ramana Maharshi” (Weber 2015, 2), a well-known Indian sage who lived in twentieth century [7]. Then, “two or three days later, during the typical morning sequence of yoga postures focusing on the affirmation ‘I am not this body’, going into an inverted posture that had been done thousands of times before, everything changed dramatically when coming down. There was no blinding flash of light, no chorus of angels, etc., but the ‘I/Ego’ had disappeared like a leaf had slipped from a hand, and there was just deep stillness, silence, now and presence. There was the clear, unmistakable, direct perception that this was ‘It’. It had been expected that the internal narrative thoughts would diminish considerably, as that was the goal after all, but it was a jolt when they just STOPPED, along with all self-referential fears, desires and suffering.” (Weber 2015, 2). Narrative thoughts and self-referential fears and desires seem to be connected to the activity of the Default Mode Network, so it makes sense that now this network is so quiet in Gary Weber’s brain. I do not want to claim that whatever enlightenment, awakening, or how we want to call it, is, is just the activity of Default Mode Network, but there seems to be a connection between this brain’s structure’s strong activity
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