THE EMPIRICAL STUDY OF THE PHENOMENA

THAT APPEAR IN THE STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS

Henry M. Vyner, M.D.
Center for Nepal and Asian Studies
Tribhuvan University,
Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal
The Healthy Mind Institute
Crestone, CO, USA

Anyone interested in pursuing collaborative research within the paradigm for the science of
the stream of consciousness presented in this paper should please contact Dr. Vyner at
hmvmd@mindspring.com. Dr. Vyner is interested in developing the science of the stream
of consciousness by establishing a network of people doing research on the stream of
consciousness and the healthy mind that would include academic psychologists, social
scientists, psychotherapists, meditation teachers, graduate students and so forth. He is
hoping that the body of research produced by this network would become the foundation
of a new field of scientific inquiry: the science of phenomena that appear in the stream of
consciousness (SoSoC).

THE EMPIRICAL STUDY OF THE PHENOMENA

THAT APPEAR IN THE STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS

Henry M. Vyner, M.D.

Center for Nepal and Asian Studies
Tribhuvan University
Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal
The Healthy Mind Institute
Crestone, CO, USA
It is still taken as axiomatic, within the larger scientific community, that it is not possible to
empirically study the phenomena of consciousness. This paper demonstrates empirically as
opposed to philosophically that it is in fact possible to scientifically study one specific group of
these phenomena: the phenomena that appear in the human stream of consciousness. It makes the
case that science can study these phenomena by reporting the findings of an ongoing sixteen year
study in which these phenomena have been systematically observed, described and defined. In
other words, it demonstrates that it is possible to study these phenomena by reporting the results
of a body of research that has actually studied them.
For the last 16 years, the author has been interviewing Tibetan lamas at considerable length about
their experiences of their own mind in meditation for the purposes of: (1) developing a formal
descriptive science of the phenomena that appear in the stream of consciousness (SoC) and (2)
deriving from that descriptive science an empirically valid theory of the nature of the healthy
human mindi,ii,iii,iv. The science that is being generated by this work is a basic and applied science of
the phenomena that appear in the SoC.

Previous papers on this work have made the case that: (1) a valid empirical theory of the nature of
the healthy human mind must be a theory that is derived from a descriptive science of the
phenomena that appear in the SoC v (2) the phenomena that appear in the SoC are the dialectical
phenomena and processes of the mind -- the processes by which the mind knows and controls
itselfvi (3) the dialectical phenomena of the mind are simultaneously objective and subjective
phenomena6 (4) the human mind has two modes of self awareness vii and (5) a healthy mind is a
mind that possesses the egoless mode of self awareness vii.
The present paper makes the unequivocal and empirical case that it is possible to empirically study
the phenomena that appear in the stream of consciousness. It makes this case by: (1) presenting a
comprehensive descriptive science of the phenomena and processes that appear in the SoC and (2)
by demonstrating that the philosophy of science that is currently the foundation of the every day
practice of contemporary science will also support the empirical study of the phenomena that
appear in the SoC.

In general, the scientific world holds to the view, in both theory and practice, that it is not
possible to use the scientific method to directly study the phenomena of consciousness viii,ix,x,xi,xii.
Historically, science has taken the position that there are two classic impediments to scientifically
studying these phenomena: (1) they are subjective phenomena and, as such, are not amenable to
scientific study and (2) it is not possible to develop interpersonal verification of observations of
these phenomena.
Nonetheless it is, in fact, a relatively simple matter to empirically study one specific aspect of
consciousness the phenomena that appear in the stream of consciousness (SoC). This paper is
going to demonstrate that it is possible to empirically study the phenomena that appear in the
stream of consciousness by: (1) presenting a formal descriptive science of these phenomena and

(2) demonstrating that the philosophy of science that currently supports and guides the every day
practice of contemporary science can also be used, without alteration, to guide and support the
empirical study of the phenomena that appear in the stream of consciousness.
EXISTING APPROACHES TO STUDYING CONSCIOUSNESS
Despite the fact that science has not yet found a way to empirically study consciousness that it
deems valid, there continues to be a vig orous scientific interest in doing
soxiii,xiv,xv,xvi,xvii,xviii,xix,xx,xxi,xxii,xxiii,xxiv,xxv.
Indeed, there is much to be learned from finding a way to empirically study consciousness.
From the perspective of this paper, the most important reason to take up the scientific study of
consciousness is that there is a large group of vital scientific questions that are best answered
empirically by directly studying the phenomena that appear in the SoC v.
For example, the case has been made that given the nature of the scientific method, the only
way to empirically understand the nature, or defining characteristics, of the healthy human mind is
to study the phenomena that appear in the SoC v.
At the present time, two systematic approaches to empirically studying the phenomena of
consciousness are being actively explored. The first approach is that of finding the neural
correlates of consciousness (NCC) xiv, xv, xvi, xvii, xviii . The second approach is that of seeking to acquire
objective knowledge of the subjective contents and structure of consciousness.
Scientists are, at present, exploring the use of two methods that are designed to obtain
objective knowledge of the contents of consciousness: introspection

xix, xx, xxi, xxii

and

phenomenology xxiii, xxiv, xxv.

The present paper is going to introduce a third fundamental approach to empirically studying
consciousness the science of the phenomena that appear in the stream of consciousness. The

science of the phenomena that appear in the stream of consciousness is the nascent scientific field
that: (1) observes and analyzes the phenomena that appear in the stream of consciousness for the
purpose of (2) understanding the systemic processes of the larger natural system to which those
phenomena belong.
THE SCIENCE OF THE STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS
Science is the study of observable phenomena for the purpose of understanding the
mechanics of the objective processes that occur in natural systems

viii, xii

All natural phenomena, and that includes the phenomena that appear in the SoC, are
phenomena that participate in the objective processes of a larger natural system. The phenomena
that appear in the SoC are, to be more precise, the phenomena that mediate the processes by
which the larger system that is the mind accomplishes two objective functions: self-awareness and
self control vi, vii.
The science of the stream of consciousness is the field that studies these phenomena for the
explicit purpose of understanding the systemic processes by which the human mind knows and
controls itself.
In contrast, the other approaches to studying consciousness have not yet recognized that the
phenomena that appear in the SoC are phenomena that mediate the processes of a larger natural
systemxii. As a result, they have not followed the norm of scientific practice and studied these
phenomena as a means of understanding the natural systems to which they belong.
The science of the stream of consciousness studies the processes of self-awareness and self
control by: (1) observing and describing the phenomena that mediate these processes the
phenomena that appear in the SoC (2) observing and describing the causal relationships that exist
between these phenomena and (3) deriving from these observations a body of theory that

describes and analyzes the mechanics of the processes of self awareness and self control. The tool
it uses to observe and study these phenomena is meditation

i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, vii

The science of the stream of consciousness defines the phenomena that appear in the SoC in
terms of their structural and dynamic form. This is important. It does not define these
phenomena in terms of their content. It is for this reason that the typology of phenomena being
presented in this paper is being called a formal descriptive science.
To give you a preliminary idea of what is meant here by a formally defined phenomenon that
appears in the SoC, here are three quick examples for now: (1) the involuntary stream of
consciousness (2) the dissolution of a single moment of consciousness and (3) the repression of a
thought or emotion. A comprehensive descriptive science of forty-one of these phenomena will
be presented in this paper.
The theory that is being generated by the empirical study of this group of phenomena is
reductionist theory. It is reductionist theory that describes and explains the processes by which the
mind knows and controls itself. This theory describes and explains these processes by: (1)
delineating the component elements of these processes and (2) describing the ways in which these
elements causally interact with one another to create the processes of self-awareness and self
control.
This theory explains the mechanics of the processes of self-awareness and self control by
reducing them to the psychological elements of which they are composed. It does not explain
these processes by reducing them to the material processes of the brain.
Finally, it should be stressed that the data being presented in this paper are but the early
findings of the science of the stream of consciousness. As such, they are provisional findings. This
early work of identifying the phenomena that appear in the SoC is akin to the task of finding and

describing new species in the fields of botany, zoology or physical anthropology. It will take years,
perhaps decades, of further study of both meditating and non-meditating populations to
establish a solid foundation for the empirical study of the phenomena that appear in the SoC.
DIALECTICAL PHENOMENA AND PROCESSES OF THE MIND
The theoretical position that the processes that appear in the SoC are the objective processes
by which the mind knows and controls itself is not a speculative position. The empirical study of
the stream of consciousness is demonstrating that the phenomena and processes that appear in the
SoC are the dialectical phenomena and processes of the mind (DPoM) vi.
The dialectical processes of the mind are the psychological processes by which the mind
knows, evaluates and controls itself. These processes are, like the cognitive processes of the mind,
universal psychological processes that appear in the minds of all healthy vi,xxvi,xxvii and
unhealthyxxviii,xxix,xxx,xxxi,xxxii human beings. The dialectical phenomena of the mind are, in turn, the
phenomena that mediate the dialectical processes of the mind.
Once it has been understood that the phenomena that appear in the SoC are the dialectical
phenomena of the mind, it also becomes apparent that they are paradoxical phenomena. They are
paradoxical in the sense that every single phenomenon that appears in the SoC is simultaneously an
objective and subjective phenomenon 6.
On the one hand, every thought, emotion and so forth that appears in the SoC is a construct
that contains subjective content that gives meaning to the minds experience of both itself and the
world. As constructs created by the mind that attribute meaning to a given persons world, they are
subjective phenomena.
On the other hand, every single phenomenon that appears in the SoC is also an objective entity.
They are objective in the sense that they are phenomena that participate in and mediate the

dialectical processes of the mind a group of natural processes that are universally present in all
human minds. As objective phenomena, they are phenomena that can be empirically studied by
science with the scientific method. Herein lies the solution to the first impediment to scientifically
studying these phenomena subjectivity.
The existence of this paradox also means that there are two kinds of knowledge that a human
being can and does have of the phenomena that appear in his or her stream of consciousness. On
the one hand, there is subjective knowledge of the stream of consciousness which is knowledge
of the content of ones thoughts, emotions, inner images and feelings.
On the other hand, there is objective knowledge of the stream of consciousness which is
empirical knowledge of the natural processes that are the dialectical processes of the mind. The
descriptive science of the SoC that is being presented in this paper is objective knowledge of the
dialectical processes of the mind.
Finally, it should be noted that prior to the publication of the research being reported in this
paper, the scientific literature contained several descriptions of one or another of the dialectical
phenomena of the mind. This would include, for example, studies that described the following
phenomena: (1) stimulus independent thought xxxiii,xxxiv which is equivalent to the phenomenon that
is being called the involuntary stream of consciousness in this paper (2) the non-sensory
contents of fringe consciousness xxxv which are being called meanings in this paper and (3) the
stream of consciousness itself xxxvi. For empirical definitions of these three phenomena, please see
Tables I and II in the Results section of this paper.
OBSERVING PHENOMENA THAT APPEAR IN THE SoC
The notion of using meditation as a tool to observe and study the phenomena that appear in
the SoC is not by any means a new one. Buddhist scholars have been using meditation to develop

detailed descriptive phenomenologies of the SoC for over two millennia

xxxvii,xxxviii,xxxix

. Buddhist

psychology is, to the extent that it is a science, a science of the phenomena that appear in the SoC.
The basic structure of the mind's experience of itself, as one knows it in meditation, is a
situation in which the mental sense, or minds eye, watches the appearance and disappearance of
the phenomena that arise within its stream of consciousness xl.
The mental sense knows and is aware of the phenomena that appear in the SoC as sensory
appearances I, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, vii, xix, xx, xxi, xxii, xxiii, xxiv, xxv, xxxvii, xxxviii, xxxix, xxxx . It knows them in much the same way
that the eye is aware of visual phenomena and the ear is aware of auditory phenomena. This
means that the science of the stream of consciousness, like all scientific disciplines, is a discipline
that observes and studies sensory phenomena.
In the minds experience of itself in meditation, the mental sense is an awareness that stands
outside of the SoC. It can, from this position, make observations of the phenomena that appear in
the SoC. It is much the same experience as standing by the side of a river and watching that river
flow.
When the mind knows itself in this way, it actually seems as though two different minds are
present within that experience: (1) the SoC that presents meanings to the mind's awareness as a
temporal sequence of thoughts, feelings and so forth and (2) the awareness, or watcher, that knows
and responds to those meanings.
In the typology of phenomena being presented in this paper, these two minds are being called
the watcher and the stream of consciousness. All of the phenomena described in this paper are
being described as they are known and experienced by the watcher.
The central dynamic of intrapsychic experience is one in which two basic things happen: (1)
the SoC presents meanings to the watcher and then (2) the watcher knows and responds to those

meanings. The SoC presents meanings to the watcher in the form of thoughts, images, feelings
and emotions, and the watcher can and does respond to these meanings in a number of different
ways. For example, the watcher might repress an emotion, hold onto a thought or do absolutely
nothing at all.
Every single response that the watcher makes to a meaning initiates, in turn, a causal sequence
of events that determines what will happen next to that meaning. Different responses initiate
different causal sequences. For example, when the watcher represses an emotion, that emotion will
remain present in awareness as a mood. Or if the watcher attaches, or holds onto, an individual
moment of consciousness, it will have dual, as opposed to non-dual, awareness of that moment of
consciousness. And so forth.
In keeping with this analysis, the dialectical phenomena that appear to the minds awareness, or
watcher, can be divided into six basic categories:
(1) The structure of the minds experience of itself.
(2) The phenomena that appear as meanings in the stream of consciousness.
(3) The phenomena that appear as responses that the watcher makes to those
meanings.
(4) The causal phenomena: phenomena that appear in the stream of consciousness
as a result of the responses that the watcher makes to a given prior
phenomenon.
(5) The causal sequences: The causal relationships that exist between the watcher
and the stream of consciousness.
(6) The two modes of self-awareness.

METHODS
For the last sixteen years, the author has been interviewing Tibetan lamas about their
experiences of their own minds in meditation for the purposes of:

1. Developing a formal descriptive science of the phenomena and processes that appear in

the SoC, and

2. Deriving from that descriptive science an empirically valid theory of the defining

characteristics of the healthy human mind.

The science of the stream of consciousness sees these interviews as being situations in which
one scientist of the stream of consciousness is interviewing a second scientist in the field for the
purpose of recording two basic things: (1) the second scientists observations of the phenomena
and processes that appear in the SoC and (2) the theoretical conclusions that the second scientist
has derived from those observations.
A series of interviews with a given lama begins with the task of asking a lama to describe the
dialectical phenomena of the mind as he or she knows them from their own experiences in
meditation. The point of departure for these questions is the technical language of the Tibetan
mind science in which the lamas have been trained.
The technical terms of their mind science refer to specific phenomena that appear in the SoC,
and in these interviews each lama is asked to experientially, or empirically, describe these
phenomena and the causal relationships they have with one another.
Once these specific phenomena and processes have been delineated, it then becomes possible
to talk about the theoretical implications of their observations. To date, theoretical discussions
have focused on two main issues: (1) the defining dynamics of the healthy human mind and (2)

how to best cultivate a healthy mind.

RESULTS: THE DESCRIPTIVE SCIENCE

The findings being presented in this section are a formal descriptive science of the dialectical
phenomena of the mind as they appear in the SoC. They are being presented in the six tables that
appear after the references. Each table corresponds, sequentially, to the six categories of
phenomena outlined above.
CONCLUSIONS
This descriptive science of the phenomena and causal processes of the SoC, which has
emerged from sixteen years of lama interviews i, ii, iii, iv, is objective knowledge of the phenomena
and processes that appear in the SoC.
These findings demonstrate that it is possible to empirically study the phenomena that appear
in the SoC. It is possible to observe and develop a descriptive science of these phenomena. It is
possible to observe the causal processes in which these phenomena participate. It is possible to
derive from these observations a theory of the mechanisms by which the mind knows and controls
itself

vi, vii

These findings also demonstrate that it is possible for two human beings to compare and verify
their observations of the phenomena that appear in the SoC. In fact, that is what these interviews
are all about.
It has long been held that given that two people can not simultaneously observe the
phenomena that appear in one persons mind, science can not properly study the phenomena of
consciousness. The idea, of course, is that if it is not possible for two scientists to simultaneously
observe a phenomenon, that interpersonal verification of their observations is not possible.

Nonetheless, interpersonal verification is possible. Interpersonal verification can be achieved

between scientists within the science of the stream of consciousness through dialogue, just as it is
in all of the other scientific disciplines. After all, in the usual course of the practice of science,
scientists do not visit one another's laboratories and watch each other work to achieve the
verification of observations. Interpersonal verification is usually achieved by the replication of
work and through the sharing and comparing of findings.
In this way, the epistemological structure of the science of the stream of consciousness is
analogous, for example, to the epistemological structure of the field of elementary particle physics.
Most of us do not know how to use particle accelerators, or how to interpret the events that occur
in gas diffusion chambers. Nonetheless, we trust the findings of those physicists who are using
these instruments because we know that there is a community of scientists working together in
that field who can and do check the validity of one another's work.
The situation will be much the same in a community of scientists using meditation as a research
tool. It will be the dialogue that occurs between people within the field that will establish the
validity or invalidity of a piece of research.
Descriptive psychologists, like scientists in any other field, will assess the validity of one
anothers findings by replicating research and by discussing their work with one another. They will
share their findings in journals and at conferences, and in that way validity and consensus can and
will be established.
In closing, I would like to reiterate that the most compelling reason to study the SoC is that it
will open the door to empirically studying a number of interesting and important questions about
the dialectical processes of the mind. For example:
What are the defining characteristics of a healthy mind?

(1) What is the best way to cultivate a healthy mind?

(2) Is it possible to prevent mental illness by cultivating a healthy mind?
(3) Is it possible to treat psychiatric illness by restoring the mind to its healthy state just as we
return the body to its healthy state in somatic medicine?
(4) What is the function of the stream of consciousness?
(5) What are the neurobiological correlates of the phenomena that appear in the stream of
consciousness?
(6) How do the various mind-rituals e.g. cognitive psychotherapy, hypnosis, meditation or the
Kalahari Kung Fire Dance change the structural and dynamic properties of the mind 5?
(7) Does the pharmacological and/or behavioural treatment of psychiatric symptoms make the
mind a healthier mind?

The perspective of the field of the science of the stream of consciousness is that it will, of
course, take time to convince the larger scientific community that it is possible to empirically study
the phenomena that appear in the SoC. Given the history of science and psychology as we now
receive it, it is easy to understand that this may well be the case.

The best way to go forward with the task of demonstrating that the science of the
stream of consciousness is a valid science is to simply go ahead and do the work. If it is
good and useful scientific work, it will stand. If it is not, the scientific community will reject
it. It is in this spirit that the data in this paper is being been presented.

Table I. The Structure of Minds Experience of Itself

Type of
Phenomenon

Description of Phenomenon

Experiential
duality

The experience of watching one's mind and having the impression that two different
minds are present within that experience: (a) the stream of consciousness (SoC) and
(b) the awareness that knows the SoC.

The temporal sequence of meanings thoughts, images, emotions and feelings that
Stream of
appear within the mind. The SoC is the medium by which the mind presents
Consciousness meanings to its own awareness in conscious form.

Watcher

The watcher is the awareness that knows the phenomena that appear in its stream of
consciousness. The watcher experiences itself as being the active agent of the mind.
It is the active agent in the sense that it experiences itself as being the entity that
knows and responds to both the world and to the phenomena, or meanings, that
appear in its stream of consciousness.

Table II. Meanings

Type of
Phenomenon

Description of Phenomenon

Meaning

Any construct that the mind creates, in response to its experience, that creates
intention. The mind creates both dual and nondual meanings. Only dual meanings
are described in this paper, and that includes the involuntary stream of
consciousness, individual moments of consciousness and the mind films.

Involuntary
Stream of
Consciousness
(ISoC)

A film-like sequence of thoughts and images that tends to be a constant presence in

the egocentric mind's experience of itself. The ISoC is involuntary in the sense that
the watcher experiences itself as not being in control of either the appearance,
disappearance, or content of the ISoC.

Moment of
Consciousness
(MoC)

Any single mental event that appears for an instant in the SoC and then
immediately dissolves and disappears. Usually there is a cessation of thoughts after
a MoC dissolves. A MoC might be a single thought, image, emotion or feeling. A
MoC arises as a response to, and to give meaning to, one specific experience.

Mind Film

A recurring cycle of ISoC thoughts that creates a narrative within the mind. The
egocentric mind has a small repertoire of recurring films, and each film tells one
type of story over and over again. The mind films tend to be active within the mind
for long periods of time, and as a result, they give contextual narrative meaning to
large swaths of the minds experience of both itself and the world. They do not
appear for the purpose of giving meaning to one specific experience. When these
films are active within the mind, the mind tends to live in the narratives they create.

Voluntary Stream
of Consciousness A stream of thoughts that the watcher experiences as being under its voluntary
control. The watcher experiences itself as both creating the VSoC and as
(VSoC)
controlling its appearance, disappearance and content.

Cessation

The complete disappearance of the ISoC from the stream of consciousness.

Diminution

An observable decrease in the experienced velocity and intensity of the ISoC.

Table III. Responses

Type of
Phenomenon

Description of Phenomenon

Grasping

Any response that the watcher makes to a meaning that causes the watcher to have dual
awareness of that meaning. The egocentric watcher can and does make four different
types of grasping response to the phenomena that appear in its stream of
consciousness: judgment, repression, attachment and following.

Judgment

A type of grasping behavior in which the watcher judges a meaning that has appeared
in its stream of consciousness. The egocentric watcher gives positive judgments to
meanings that it likes, and these judgments appear in the SoC as positive emotions. It
gives negative judgments to meanings that it does not like, and these judgments appear
in the SoC as negative emotions.

Repression

A type of grasping behavior in which the watcher tries to prevent itself from becoming
aware of and/or expressing either a MoC or a mind-film.

Attachment

A type of grasping behavior in which the watcher identifies with and tries to keep
present in awareness a MoC or mind film.

Following

A type of grasping behavior in which the watcher believes and lives in the reality being
portrayed by the thoughts and emotions of an active mind film.

Empty
Awareness

A type of response to the SoC in which the egoless watcher is simply aware of the
phenomena that appear in the stream of consciousness and allows them to pursue their
own natural course by neither grasping nor responding to them in any way. In this form
of awareness the watcher does not judge, repress, attach or follow the meanings that in
its SoC.

IV. The Causal Phenomena

Type of
Phenomenon

Description of Phenomenon

Complex
Activation

An abrupt and vigorous appearance of the ISoC as a mind film. The film appears in tandem
with an emotion that is congruent with the content of the thoughts, or narrative, contained in
that film. Complex activation occurs after, and appears to be caused by, the grasping of a MoC
by the watcher.

A type of duality that is the experience in which the watcher feels, in a given moment, that its
own intention is different than, and thus in conflict with, the intention of a meaning that is
Intentional Duality
present in its SoC. Intentional duality occurs, for example, when the watcher attempts to
repress, and thus finds itself in conflict with, a mind film or emotion that it deems undesirable.
A mode of awareness in which the watcher experiences itself as being spatially and
ontologically separate from the meanings that appear in its SoC. When the watcher has dual
Dual Awareness
awareness of a meaning, it projects egocentric constructs onto it, and as a result, it does not
know its content exactly as it is.

Non-dual
Awareness

A mode of awareness in which the watcher does not experience itself as being ontologically or
spatially separate from the meanings it knows. The watcher experiences non-dual awareness as
the phenomenon of dissolution. For example, when the watcher has nondual awareness of a
thought, a thought appears and then immediately dissolves and disappears into awareness. The
import of nondual awareness is that when the watcher has non-dual awareness of a meaning,
it does not project any constructs onto that meaning. As a result, it knows the content of that
meaning exactly as-it-is.

A transformation in which a dual meaning e.g. a thought or an emotion is transformed into

either a nondual meaning or into nondual awareness itself. Nondual transformations occur
The Nondual when the watcher has non-dual awareness of a meaning. To date, four different types of
Transformations nondual transformation have been recognized and described: dissolution, realization, amused
compassion and nondual joy. Each transformation produces a different type of nondual
phenomenon.

Dissolution

A type of nondual transformation in which a meaning simply dissolves and disappears.

Whenever a dissolution occurs, there is also a simultaneous and temporary cessation of the
SoC. Temporary cessation of the SoC occurs in all four of the nondual transformations.

Realization

A nondual transformation in which an insight into the nature of one's self or the world
appears after the dissolution of a meaning occurs.

Amused
Compassion

A nondual transformation in which a feeling of amused compassion arises after a MoC or

mind film dissolves. The meaning dissolves, the watcher sees it as having been foolish, and as
the meaning dissolves, amusement and compassion arise simultaneously as a response to the
content of that meaning.

Nondual Joy

A nondual transformation in which a feeling of joy arises in tandem with the cessation of
thoughts and emotions that occurs after the dissolution of a meaning.

Abiding Joy

The presence, within the mind, of a feeling of joy that becomes an ongoing presence within
the mind. Abiding joy appears within the mind when there is either: (1) a significant
diminution of the ISoC and/or (2) the frequent and ongoing occurrence of moments of
nondual awareness.

Table V: Causal Sequences

I. Meditation causes the diminution and/or cessation of the ISoC:

Meditation -------------> Diminution/Cessation of the ISoC

II. When the watcher attaches a single MoC, complex activation occurs and a mind film appears in the
SoC:

Attachment -------------> Appearance of Mind Film

III. When the watcher represses a single MoC, complex activation occurs and a mind film appears in the
SoC:

Repression -------------> Appearance of Mind Film

IV. When the mind follows, and thus believes and lives in, the content of a story created by a mind film,
that film will remain present in the stream of consciousness:

Following --------> Continued Projection of Mind Film

V. When the watcher has empty and thus nondual awareness of a mind film, it will dissolve and disappear:

Empty Awareness of a Mind Film ------> Cessation of Mind Film

VI. When the watcher grasps a meaning, be it a MoC or a mind-film, it will have dual awareness of that
meaning:

Grasping -----------> Dual Awareness

VII. When the watcher grasps a MoC, an involuntary stream of thoughts will appear in the SoC:

Grasping of MoC ------- > Appearance of an Involuntary Stream of Thoughts

VIII. When the watcher has empty awareness of a meaning that appears in its SoC, it will have
spontaneous non-dual awareness of that meaning:

Empty Awareness ----------> Non-dual Awareness

IX. Non-dual awareness of a either a MoC or a mind film will cause one of the nondual transformations
to occur:

Non-dual Awareness of MoC or Mind Film --------> Nondual Transformation

X. When diminution or cessation of the involuntary stream of consciousness occurs, the watcher becomes
aware of having more frequent moments of nondual awareness:
Diminution of ISoC ---------> Increased Frequency of Moments of Non-dual Awareness
XI. When diminution or cessation of the involuntary stream of consciousness occurs, an increase in both
the duration and intensity of abiding joy occurs:

Diminution of ISoC ------> Increased Duration and Intensity of Abiding Joy

XII. A sustained increase in the frequency of the occurrence of moments of nondual awareness over time
causes an increase in the duration and intensity of abiding joy within the mind:

Sustained Occurrence of Nondual Awareness --> Increased Duration and Intensity of

Abiding Joy

Table VI. Modes of Self Awareness

Type of
Process

Description of Process

Self
Awareness

The minds awareness of itself. It occurs when the watcher is aware of the phenomena
that appear in its SoC. The watcher has two fundamentally different ways of knowing
and responding to these phenomena, and these are the two modes of self-awareness.

The mode of self-awareness in which the watcher consistently attempts to alter the
content of the meanings that appear in its SoC. It alters these meanings for the purpose
The
of making their content consistent with its conception of itself. The watcher alters the
Egocentric content of the meanings that appear in its SoC by: (1) repressing and attaching them and
Mode of Self by (2) creating and living in mind films. This causes the egocentric watcher to have dual
Awareness awareness of the meanings that appear in its SoC, and as a result it: (1) does not know
the actual content of those meanings and (2) does not abide in the joy and compassion
that are the natural state of the mind 2,6,7.
The mode of self-awareness in which the watcher leaves the SoC in its natural state. The
The Egoless egoless watcher does not try to preserve its conception of its self by repressing,
Mode of Self attaching or following any of the meanings that appear in its SoC. As a result, it has
Awareness nondual awareness of those meanings, and they become, in turn, the wisdom, joy and
amused compassion of the nondual egoless mind 2,6,7.

H.M. Vyner, The Healthy Mind Interviews: Kenpo Nyima Wangyal (Vajra Books, Kathmandu, 2004a).
H.M. Vyner, The Health Mind Interviews: Khenpo Tsewang Gyatso (Vajra Books, Kathmandu, 2004b).
iii
H.M. Vyner, The Healthy Mind Interviews: Lopon Tekchoke (Vajra Books, Kathmandu, 2005).
iv
H.M. Vyner, The Healthy Mind Interviews: The Dalai Lama, Lopon Tenzin Namdak and Lopon Tekchoke (Vajra
Books, Kathmandu, 2007).
v
 H.M.Vyner, The descriptive science of Tibetan Buddhist mind science and the nature of the healthy
human mind. Anthropology of Consciousness 113(2), 1-26 (2003).
vi
 H.M.Vyner, Dialectical phenomena and processes of the mind. Imagination, Cognition and Personality 27(2)
163-196 (2007-2008).
vii
H.M. Vyner, A preliminary theory of the defining dynamic of the healthy human mind. Imagination,
Cognition and Personality 29 (3) 225-270 (2009-2010).
viii
R. Descartes, Principles of Philosophy (D. Reidel, Durdrecht, 1983).
ix
J.B. Watson, Psychology as the behaviorist views it. Psychol. Rev. 20, 158-177 (1913).
x
B.F. Skinner, Science and Human Behavior (Free Press, New York, 1953).
xi
D.C. Dennett, Consciousness Explained (Little-Brown, Boston, 1991).
xii
D. Chalmers, in The Cognitive Neurosciences III, M.S. Gazzaniga, Ed. (MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass, 2004)
pp. 1111-112.
xiii
G.M. Edelman, The Remembered Present: A Biological Theory of Consciousness. (Basic Books, New York, 1989).
xiv
F. Crick, C. Koch, Towards a neurobiological theory of consciousness. Semin. Neurosci. 2, 263-275 (1990).
xv
F. Varela, in Explaining Consciousness: The Hard Problem, J. Shear, Ed. (MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass, 1997),
pp. 337-358.
xvi
T . Metzinger, Ed., Neural Correlates of Consciousness: Empirical and Conceptual Questions (MIT Press,
Cambridge, Mass, 2000).
xvii
D.J. Chalmers, in Neural Correlates of Consciousness: Empirical and Conceptual Questions, T. Metzinger, Ed.
(MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass, 2000), pp. 17-40.
xviii
A. Lutz, J.P. Lachaux, J. Martinerie, F.J. Varela, Guiding the study of brain dynamics using first-person
data. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 99, 1586-1591 (2002).
xix
J.L. Singer, in Empirical Perspectives on the Psychoanalytic Unconscious, R.F. Bornstein, J.M. Masling, Eds.
(American Psychological Association Press, Washington, DC, 1990), pp. 141-185.
xx
A.I. Jack, A. Roepstorff, Why trust the subject? Journal of Consciousness Studies 10 (910), vxx (2003).
xxi
R. T. Hurlburt, E. Schwitzgebel, Describing inner experience? (MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass, 2007).
xxii
M. Overgaard, Introspection in science. Consciousness and Cognition 15, 629-633 (2006).
xxiii
S. Gallagher, J.B. Sorensen, Experimenting with phenomenology. Consciousness and Cognition 15 (1), 119134 (2006).
xxiv
M. Velmans, Heterophenomenology versus Critical Phenomenology. Phenomenology and the Cognitive
Sciences 6 (1-2), 44-55 (2007).
xxv
S. Gallagher, D. Zahavi, The Phenomenological Mind: An Introduction to Philosophy of Mind and Cognitive Science
(Routledge, New York, 2008).
xxvi
Plato. The Dialogues of Plato (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1953).
xxvii
H. Hartmann, Essays on Ego Psychology (New International Universities Press, New York, 1964).
xxviii
S. Freud, The Ego and the Id, in The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud
(vol. 19), (London: Hogarth Press, 1923).
xxix
C.J. Jung, Aion: Researches into the Phenomenology of the Self (Bollingen Foundation, New York, 1969)
xxx
M. Klein, Contributions to Psychoanalysis, 1921-1945 (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1964).
xxxi
O. Kernberg, Object Relations Theory and Clinical Psychoanalysis (Jason Aronson, New York, 1976).
xxxii
H. Kohut, The Analysis of the Self (International Universities Press, New York, 1971).
xxxiii
J.S. Antrobus, J.L. Singer, S. Greenberg, Studies in the stream of consciousness: experimental
enhancement and suppression of spontaneous cognitive processes. Percept. Mot. Skills 23 (2), 399 (1966).
xxxiv
J.L. Singer, Daydreaming (Plenum Press, New York, 1966).
xxxv
 B . Mangan, Sensation's ghost: the non-sensory "fringe" of consciousness. PSYCHE 7(18)
i

ii

http://psyche.cs.monash.edu.au/v7/psyche-7-18-mangan.html (2001).
xxxvi
W. James, The Principles of Psychology (Holt, New York, 1890).
xxxvii
Vasubhandu, Abhidharmakhosabhasyam (Asian Humanities Press, Berkeley, 1991)
xxxviii
L. Rinpoche, E. Napper, Mind in Tibetan Buddhism (Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca, 1986).
xxxix
S. Ganguly, Treatise In Thirty Verses on Mere Consciousness (Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, Delhi, 1992).
xl
R.N. Walsh, Initial Meditative Experiences: I. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology 9(2), 151-192 (1977).