The seven factors of awakening as listed by the Buddha are below. They all need to be developed and kept in a kind of intuitive balance for someone to hit a ‘path moment’, encounter nibbana, and see through the innate impermanence of themselves and the world at large.
I have added a commentary about how these factors could be cultivated outside of buddhist training. My own awakening happened outside of any religious framework so I believe we can extract these tools from the dogma and bring them to the world. Note that all neurotransmitter talk is speculative and based on inferrence from the mechanisms of action of the meds I was prescribed. These medications, combined with intensive introspection and reflection on buddhist first principles, enabled me to break the illusion of self and end the suffering which had defined my life.
This piece is intended to encourage thought and research into something which could save millions of lives and improve billions more. Stick to meditation for now - it's a lot safer and has millennia worth of success stories.
1 - Mindfulness
Continuous objective awareness of body, feelings, mind and phenomena.
The scientist collects data
This is where we see the noble truths at play. This is where we see impermanence directly: all phenomena are arising and passing, never static.
2 - Investigation
Inquiry into the interconnected, causal and impermanent nature of things, including your own thoughts, feelings and body.
The developer identifies code
This is us seeing how our brains are stuck in the past or future in painful thought-feeling-loops that do not match current reality.
3 - Effort
A determination to achieve liberation from suffering. Not a drive to get it done fast, but a steady endeavour to get it done eventually.
The program manager keeps the work moving forward
This is the steady willingness to align awareness and investigation. You are changing the code, but you are not rushing the job; you want to make sure you get it right. Right effort will show you how.
4 - Rapture
A brightening of the mind and body as meditative practice increases, sometimes felt as a tingling or vibration in the hands, body and brain.
The team feels energised as they get to work
Correlate: elevated tonic dopamine. Meditation is the safest way but it could be encouraged with deep brain stimulation or pharmacology. Ideally with medical supervision. Dopamine enables synaptic patterns to stabilize, allowing them to form lasting attractor states.
5 - Tranquility
The relaxed, calm feeling that comes after rapture begins to settle; the afterglow and feeling of wellbeing.
And they relax into a groove once things build up steam
Correlate: elevated serotonin. As dopamine stabilises, serotonin levels rise, promoting feelings of well-being and enhancing neuroplasticity. This process helps disrupt old thought–feeling loops and encourages the formation of new neural pathways. Meditation remains the safest method to support this process.
6 - Concentration
A mind which is focused and free from distraction. It does not need to be pinpoint focused; it can be an open awareness, but it needs to be free of noise and engaged in the moment.
They stay focused on the end goal
Don’t drop the ball now; you’re here for a reason. You have seen the reality, understood your thoughts, and seen that they do not align. The shift is already underway: just stay the course.
7 - Equanimity
A willingness to allow anything that arises to be as it is, without judgement or the need to alter it.
But they are able to accept and work with any problems that come their way
Here the mind neither grasps nor resists anything that arises. This evenness is what allows insight into impermanence and not-self to register fully. If you lean too hard into wanting change, phasic dopamine spikes will reinforce old patterns. What’s needed is steady, level chemistry and gentle awareness.
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