According to vipassana meditators, every time we pass through a point in mindspace we update its affect by judging whether that mental state is good or bad. On the other hand, the path we take through mindspace is strongly determined by this dimension alone, and we tend to veer towards clusters of positive affect and away from those with negative affect. The current judgment of a mental state is also strongly determined by its present affect. This can result in a dangerous feedback loop3, with small initial affective judgments compounding into deep mental patterns.
I like the general subjects that you’re raising, but didn’t understand the quoted set of claims. Is the mindspace discussion meant to be taken literally? If so, roughly how many dimensions would you guess a typical mindspace has, and what would it mean to update a ‘point’ in what would presumably be a largely continuous series of curves? If not, what else do you mean to convey by your analogy aside from the possibility of positive feedback loops of positive and negative affect?
Is the mindspace discussion meant to be taken literally?
Not too literally. I used the concept since it provided a simple way to understand what was happening during meditation and how the benefits were obtained. Most importantly, I think it could be an aid for LWers who are going to try (or are already practicing) vipassana. The experiences I’ve had in meditation and the changes I’ve noticed in my life seem to fit nicely into this framework.
This motivation is also the reason points are used; they can be thought of as the subjective mind-moments one experiences.
I like the general subjects that you’re raising, but didn’t understand the quoted set of claims. Is the mindspace discussion meant to be taken literally? If so, roughly how many dimensions would you guess a typical mindspace has, and what would it mean to update a ‘point’ in what would presumably be a largely continuous series of curves? If not, what else do you mean to convey by your analogy aside from the possibility of positive feedback loops of positive and negative affect?
Not too literally. I used the concept since it provided a simple way to understand what was happening during meditation and how the benefits were obtained. Most importantly, I think it could be an aid for LWers who are going to try (or are already practicing) vipassana. The experiences I’ve had in meditation and the changes I’ve noticed in my life seem to fit nicely into this framework.
This motivation is also the reason points are used; they can be thought of as the subjective mind-moments one experiences.