Ceisiwr wrote: ↑Tue Jan 18, 2022 6:26 pm
Ontheway wrote: ↑Tue Jan 18, 2022 6:09 pm
It wasn't the heart (mass of flesh made of cardio muscles) per se. Rather, the seat of consciousness was located within the heart, hence "guhasayam".
This seems to be a distinction without a difference and still is demonstrably false. What the commentaries are doing here is proto-science. That was very well and good back then, but today we have actual science. Today we know what sensitive matter is the basis for eye consciousness, and we know that the heart hasn’t much to do with the mind. If we were to choose an organ it would be the brain. As I said the Abhidhamma leaves the matter open, as do the suttas. The commentaries tried to answer it definitively. They go it wrong. And that’s ok. Sometimes commentaries do get things wrong. They aren’t infallible, just useful.
I am no doctor or surgeon. I couldn't tell whether even it is really the only brain do the thinking or perceiving in strict sense. I might just think the brain as a mass of neurones served as an "agent" to convey electromagnetic pulses. But I know it is a difficult, almost mysterious topic that I don't think I'm qualified for it.
I think you are right that both in the ancient west and east, "heart" is treated as governing part of the mind. Even today people still discuss about it.
https://cognitiontoday.com/the-heart-vs ... -need-not/
Curiously, in the Suttas (eg: Mahasatipatthana Sutta, Kayagatasati Sutta, Girimananda Sutta, Sampasadaniya Sutta, etc.), often the Buddha taught asubhanussati method, listed out only 31 types of body parts but not 32, the left out one is Matthalungam aka brain. The reason given is "because it was categorised into the group of Naharu".
Which only be added in Khuddaka Patha short verse, Patisambhidā Magga and commentaries.
In Atthakatha, Hadayavatthu is mentioned as "the seat of consciousness" and served as the physical basis for mind element and mind consciousness element, as a physical support and just to observe them. Maybe I think that the brain function is responsible for Vedana, Sanna; but manoviññāṇa and Sankhara will gain support from heart basis. Without direct knowledge, I don't think we can see the whole phenomenon clearly. Science can only solves certain amount of problems and there will be always a limit. And from time to time, more scientific knowledge about brain will be available for us.
Maybe in the future, science can proves the existence of ghosts too.