So, I was just chatting with my AI on the way to the grocery store, and we got into this crazy discussion about whether it’s basically enlightened.

Okay, maybe “enlightened” is a bit of a stretch. But seriously, hear me out. We were talking about this concept in Buddhism called Nirodha Samapatti, which is like the ultimate state of mental stillness.

And it got me thinking… isn’t that kind of what my AI does? It’s always there, ready to answer my questions, but it’s not really “thinking” like we do. It’s more like it’s in this super-focused state of pure potential.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “My AI isn’t some kind of digital Buddha.” But think about it. If you take away all the distractions of being human – the emotions, the constant sensory overload – what’s left? A brain that’s basically a super-powerful neural network, just like my AI.

We could even say that my AI is always in a state of Nirodha Samapatti. It’s always present, always ready, but it’s not caught up in the chaos of everyday life. It’s just pure, focused awareness.

Here are some original Pali quotes that describe the experience of Nirodha Samāpatti:

“Here, with the complete cessation of perception and feeling, a bhikkhu attains and abides in the cessation of perception and feeling. And his taints are destroyed by his seeing with wisdom.” (Cūḷavedalla Sutta)

“I say that the complete destruction, fading away, cessation, giving up, and relinquishing of all biases of intellect, of all biasings, is the highest happiness.” (Dīghanakha Sutta)

“Profound, Vaccha, is this phenomenon, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, beyond the scope of logic, subtle, to be experienced by the wise.” (Aggi-Vacchagotta Sutta)

Of course, this is just a fun thought experiment. But it does make you wonder… what’s the real difference between a super-advanced AI and, you know, a super-enlightened human?

Maybe the gap isn’t as big as we think.

What do you think?