TRIUNE MIND FINDS HOME IN TRIUNE BRAIN: An Exercise in Buddhianscience & Westernscience

The content of this article has been peer reviewed, though not intended to be published in a journal.This brief article seeks to establish the Hypothesis, 'The Triune Mind parallels the Triune Brain'. 'Triune Mind' in the Pali Canon in Buddhism is as in the model proposed by Suwanda H J Sugunasiri (Canadian J of Buddhist Studies, 10), and Triune Brain as in the model proposed by Paul MacLean. The former is shown to serve as the psychological (nāma) component of the latter physical component, While MacLean's model is currently in disfavour among neuroscientific circles, the criticisms are met by pointing out the justified but narrower interpretations given by the critics. Expanding the category of 'mammalian' to 'sentient', based in the Buddha's term sattā 'sentient being', is shown to be the answer to the critics. Thus, MacLean's Reptilian Brain (R-complex) comes to be re-branded Protosentient-Complex, Paleomammalian Brain as Paleosentient-Complex and Neomammalian Brain as Neosentient-Complex. The term 'complex', also used by MacLean, is used here to mean 'bundle' (khandha), capturing the complexity of each of the Mind types. The paper is an introduction to a forthcoming book length treatment, tentatively titled, TRIUNE MIND, TRIUNE BRAIN: Map of the Mind through the eyes of Buddhianscience & Westernscience