Pars Prima 𔃀 De Retis Modalis Defaultae
                       On the Default Mode Network)

• Article I 𔃀 Utrum Rete Modale Defaltum sit sedes ego illusorii
           (Whether the Default Mode Network is the Seat of the Illusory Ego)
  
  
  • Objection 1. It seems that the Default Mode Network (DMN) cannot be the locus of the illusory ego,for the ego is not a physical entity but a construct of language and social conditioning.
    
    
  • Objection 2. Further, the DMN is merely a resting-state neural network; it cannot be assigned metaphysical responsibility for delusion or ego-formation.
    
    
  • Objection 3. Moreover, in Zen Buddhism and Christian mysticism, the ego is transcended through spiritual practice, not neurological suppression.
    
    
  • On the Contrary: James Austin in Zen and the Brain documents that during deep meditative absorption, particularly kensho and satori experiences, activity in the DMN is markedly suppressed, coinciding with ego-dissolution, loss of narrative self, and emergence of spacious, nondual awareness.
    
    
  • One Answers That: The Default Mode Network–primarily including the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and angular gyrus–functions as the neurophenomenological infrastructure of the narrative self, or ipse narrans. It constructs an ongoing simulation of selfhood through autobiographical memory, mental time travel, and projection of subjective identity.
    
    In the language of phenomenology, this corresponds to the noetic-noematic loop: the subject (noesis) perpetually objectifies itself in remembered or anticipated forms (noema), reinforcing the illusion of continuity and separation (aha?kara in Sanskrit, superbia spiritualis in Christian monastic terms).
    
    
  • In linguistic terms (cf. general semantics), the DMN produces a map of self not identical with the territory of being. This "map" is a recursive symbolic structure, generating "I" as a grammatical fiction.
    Contemplative disciplines–Zen zazen, Hesychast prayer, and Benedictine lectio divina–disengage the DMN through deautomatization, revealing a non-symbolic, non-dual field of awareness wherein there is no thinker of the thought, no pray-er of the prayer, but only pure suchness (Zen), or the unio mystica (Christianity).
    Thus, the DMN is not evil, but it is provisional–a necessary structure for egoic development, yet one that must be transcended in the evolution of conscious being toward global synchrony, or metanoia in Patristic theology.
    
    
  • Reply to Objection 1: Although the ego arises in language and social interaction, these rely upon neural substrates. The DMN is the scaffolding that enables symbolic modeling. Language rides upon the neural horse, but does not abolish its structure.
    
    
  • Reply to Objection 2: The resting state is the psychological default, not neutral ground. It predisposes the mind toward inward rumination, self-referencing, and affective loops (e.g., anxiety, regret). It is thus the precondition of delusion, not its cause.
    
    
  • Reply to Objection 3: Spiritual practice does not bypass the brain; rather, it restructures its habitual patterns, especially via neuroplastic attenuation of DMN dominance. This aligns with the Patristic term kenosis–self-emptying.
    
    
• Principia Contemplativa: DMN and Global Synchrony
  
  • Definitions
    
    • D1. Default Mode Network (DMN): A temporally correlated set of cortical regions whose baseline activity dominates during wakeful rest and internally directed thought. Its a large-scale brain network primarily composed of the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus and angular gyrus.
      
      
    • D2. Global Synchrony (GS): A large-scale coherent oscillatory alignment across widespread brain regions, especially noted during advanced meditative, mystical, or peak states.
      
      
    • D3. Self-model (SM): A recursive symbolic construct instantiated by DMN activity.
      
      
  • Axioms
    
    • A1. The DMN supports the recursive projection of autobiographical identity.
      
    • A2. The activity of the DMN is inversely correlated with task-oriented or present-centered states.
      
    • A3. Global synchrony is emergent when the DMN is functionally attenuated, allowing broader cortico-thalamic and frontoparietal coherence.
      
      
  • Theorems
    
    • T1. x (x = SM ? x ? DMN): There exists a self-model derived from DMN activity.
      
    • T2. ¬DMN ? GS: The inhibition of DMN is a necessary condition for global synchrony.
      
    • T3. GS ? ¬SM ? ? P-Field: Global synchrony leads to dissolution of the self-model and enhancement of the present-momentfield.
      
      
  • Corollary (Phenomenological)
    From T2 and T3, we infer that:
    In states of contemplative absorption (samadhi or unio mystica), the self-model dissolves into a pre-reflective awareness–a unified field of suchness, corresponding neurophysiologically with DMN attenuation and neuroelectric synchrony in the gamma band (30𔃀80 Hz).
    
    
  • POSTLUDE: SPIRITUAL EPISTEMOLOGY
    Let it be concluded that the DMN is the neural correlate of the Fall– not in a moral sense, but as the original separation from unitive Being. To "repent" (µeta??e?te) is to shift meta-noetic function – to perceive without constructing.
    T his aligns with:
    
    • Zen: No-mind (mushin)
    • Christianity: Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus (Phil. 2:5)
    • Neuroscience: Phase coherence in global networks, absence of DMN dominance
    Therefore:
    GIVEN:
    Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
    
    Blessed are they who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
    
    Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the land.
    
    Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be satisfied.
    
    Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
    
    Blessed are the clean in heart,
    for they will see God.
    Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
    
    Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
    Blessed are the poor in DMN,
    for theirs is the kingdom of unified awareness.
    
    
  • Conclusion
    As detailed earlier, the Default Mode Network (DMN) is increasingly understood not merely as a neurological resting-state system but as the infrastructure of egoic continuity–an evolutionary scaffold upon which the narrative self is built. The Default Mode Network is neither demonized nor deified–it is the womb of identity. Yet unless transcended, it remains the architect of division and delusion. Contemplative neurotheology reveals that through meditative and spiritual disciplines–whether Zen, Hesychast, or Benedictine–the DMN can be softened, making way for global synchrony, integrated presence, and the radiance of nondual awareness.
    
    Contemplative neurotheology brings together neuroscience, ancient wisdom, and lived spiritual practice to illuminate how meditation reshapes the brai's functional architecture. The Default Mode Network (DMN), which generates self-referential thought, narrative identity, and time-traveling rumination, normally dominates waking consciousness. In deep contemplative practice–whether Zen zazen, the Hesychast's prayer of the heart, or Benedictine lectio divina–the activity of the DMN softens. Instead of being dismantled, its grip loosens, allowing other neural networks–salience, attentional, and sensory–to harmonize into global synchrony.
    
    This shift is not mere neural mechanics but a transformation of experience. As self-referential chatter quiets, awareness becomes less owned, less localized, opening into an integrated field where perception is direct, unmediated by egoic filters. Mystics across traditions describe this as presence: luminous, spacious, and imbued with love. Theologically, one might say that the image of God is uncovered when the restless "I" dissolves into the radiance of being itself.
    In quantum terms, this resembles coherence: diverse oscillations settling into resonance without collapsing into sameness. The contemplative thus embodies nondual awareness–neither clinging to self nor dissolving into void, but living as a dynamic openness where individuality and universality interpenetrate in seamless, radiant communion. Be transformed by the renewal of your mind. – Romans 12:2
    When the self disappears, what remains is what always was. – Zen Koan paraphrase.
    In other words, we have to get out of our own way, our so-called ego.
    
    
  • Neuotheology Video References:
    Neurotheology of Scanning Brains of Monks and Nuns
    Dorsomedial Prefrontal Cortex and Deliberative Self-Referencing
    God in the Brain: The Amazing Findings of Neurotheology with Dr. Andrew Newberg