Sati-pasala

I was fascinated to read Nanda Pethiyagoda’ article on ‘Sati- Pasala’ in the Sunday Island of March 3. Some step that should have been incorporated into the curriculum has come at last! As it says the mindful meditation has now been incorporated into school curricula in many western countries. It’s also spread into most psychiatric clinics in the USA as the ‘Mindful Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) programs. The Armed services of the USA, I am told has recently adopted it too.

Way back a few decades ago, in the ‘80s, I would like to place on record, Prof Eugene Wickramanayaka, the Prof of Anatomy at Peradeniya, conducted a meditation program for all comers including medical students, staff etc. Her demise unfortunately recently, has ended it. While it lasted it was extremely beneficial to those attending the same.

Monks from Tibet, who had done over 30,000 hours of Insight- Vipassana Meditation were brought by the current Dalai-Lama to the Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA. Their brains were scanned whilst meditating by a fMRI scanning machine. The two main networks in the brain, so demonstrated, the Default mode network (ruminating of the past and future) and the Central Executive network (living in the present moment- vipassana) were highlighted. At last, the Neuroscience backing mindfulness was established.

Those interested to know more details are directed to, my book ‘Buddhist Philosophy and Neuroscience’ now being sold at Sarasavi bookshops at Rs 800/=.

Dr Channa Ratnatunga