Absorption

by Johannes Bronkhorst

This book argues for the central role played by absorption in the functioning of the human mind. The importance of absorption makes itself felt in different ways; the two studies combined in this book concentrate on two of them. The first study, The Symbolic Mind, argues that, largely as a result of language acquisition, humans have two levels of cognition, which in normal circumstances are simultaneously active. Absorption is a (or the) means to circumvent some, perhaps all, of the associations that characterize one of these two levels of cognition, resulting in what is sometimes referred to as mystical experience, but which is not confined to mysticism and plays a role in various "religious" phenomena, and elsewhere. In the second study, The Psychology of the Buddha, Prof. Bronkhorst provides a theoretical context for the observation that absorption is a source of pleasure, grapples with Freud, and illustrates his observations through translations of ancient Buddhist texts from the Pali and Sanskrit languages along with his psychological commentary.

Genres: Buddhism, Psychology

270 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Johannes Bronkhorst is a Dutch Orientalist and Indologist, specializing in Buddhist studies and early Buddhism. He is emeritus professor at the University of Lausanne.

Reviews

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part 1 - The Symbolic Mind. After introducing symbolic representation, chapter 2 describes mystical experience as "the weakening or disappearance of the web of symbolic representation". Simply put, the point is to break through the barrier of conceptualization to direct experience. Typical characteristics of mystical experiences include self disappears, unitary, timeless, seems more real & important. Focus and concentration/absorption is essential because it helps "stop the extra associations that constitute symbolic reference". What follows is a brief historically situated look at mysticism, how ritual activities & formulas "are an attempt to step back out of the realm of symbolic representation into the immediacy of non-symbolic experience". For example, the use of mantras conductive to mental absorption. Similarly, connections are made in the next two sections on mythology and culture.

Part 2 "The Psychology of the Buddha" is about constructing a coherent psychological theory that would account for the state Buddhists describe as non-craving & non-suffering. The author makes use of Freud's metapsychology, with adaptations, to come up with a model involving memory traces, repressed urges, satisfactions, etc. The result is a theory that includes several important Buddhist additions such as attention and concentration, toward modeling a complete psychotherapeutic cure by "full integration of all repressed memory traces into the main unit". This may be useful for introducing psychotherapists and psychologists to Buddhist ideas, but it is doubtful how useful Buddhists would find restatement of their doctrines. In a way you have to understand the texts on their own terms, or you are only getting a partial picture. To remedy this somewhat he includes an appendix that includes a very brief looks at the early Buddhist texts.

Some 130 pages in we find a description of absorption as a "intense form of concentration which is combined with optimally reduced bodily tension." What is most closely associated with absorption is expressed in this phrase of the second jhana, "unification of awareness free from directed thought and evaluation — internal assurance." No doubt bodily tension is very important, as seen in the forth step of anapanasati, but unification of awareness is the chief nature of absorption. That is, various strands of mind converge with unnecessary processes put aside. And the author does touch on this. Also this description seems to ties into part 1 about symbolic reference decreasing as absorption loses "directed thought and evaluation".

We all search for pleasure and this process of seeking is ingrained in our memory which creates a motivational structure. Unfortunate, we are rather ignorant of the causality of stress/suffering and its cessation. The author postulates the main motivational structure as seeking to reduce bodily tension that results from urges, which then is experienced as pleasure. So instead of going though a typical side-route of release such as sensuality, use the direct and pure route of absorption. "Why is the most efficient method to obtain satisfaction systematically ignored?" Traditionally what right concentration, the 8th factor of the noble 8 fold path, is said to do is suppress the five hindrances, "no further urges will be excited".

Beyond that, deactivating desire involves a integration and redirection of all urges, resulting in a changed motivational structure and reality assessment. The author mentions a special state of concentration near the complete cure, signless absorption of mind. For more see Peter Harvey's article "Signless Meditations". Overall, the book explores two theories in relation to absorption, and they are more a beginning outline than a conclusion. They serve as useful connections, but this is not a practical read for the meditator. But for those interested in mysticism, concentration, psychology, and Buddhism, the book is recommended. It's good that more attention is brought to the importance of absorption. Time will tell if the theories lead to experiments or modification.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting exposition/theories of the mental state 'absorption', which in Buddhist meditation known as 'jhana'. The author starts with the psychological theory concerning how we perceive the world through a symbolic reprensentation, of which language is the most easily understable example in its role in 'creating' our experience of the world, the 'virtual reality' everyone lives with. The second part begins with the Freudian psychoanalytical theories, how our life is governed by sexual instinct which is supposed to bring us pleasure. Next the recent developments in neuroscience, from among others classic neurocognitive science promoted by Damasio, Pinker, Ramachandran, up to Panksepp affective neuroscience - how our memory triggers the 'seeking' act, in order to enter the pleasurable states again. These states are marked by reduced bodily tensions (bodily tensions are coined as 'emotions' by Damasio). Noteworthy is that next to the reduced bodily tensions, orgasm has been shown to shut down some parts of the brain, e.g. the limbic system (amygdala) and memory (hippocampus). In males the prefrontal cortex is also turned off. All these facts and theories are intertwined with the theories of attention and concentration, together with the Buddhist texts concerning the mental absorption states.

Samatha/jhana meditation has been described as increasing concentration and thus successive absorption states, in which other sensory inputs are minimized, and has been reported to reduce bodily tensions (reported as feelings of lightness). Since orgasm could be considered as a kind of absorption, there are (personal) reports of meditators - perhaps due to lack of other analogies/metaphors - describing their first jhana experience as 'orgasm-like.' And since jhana states usually last much longer than normal orgasm, Ajahn Brahm is probably right when he praises jhanic absorption as 'better than sex' experience.

[Herman H. Douma · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Dear friends and colleagues,
I have just received the news that Johannes Bronkhorst left this world today at noon in a controlled manner, as was his custom, together with his beloved wife Joy Manné.

He sent the last batch of his papers just a few days ago. He will be remembered as an innovative and inspired scientist, a cheerful person and a true and dear friend.
Sadly.
Harry Falk"

Johannes Bronkhorst & Joy Manné
14-05-2025