Image rewards

Irving Babbitt, in his introduction to The Dhammapada (t936), comments that the readiness of men to succumb to schemes for acquiring sudden wealth is perhaps only a faint image of their proneness to yield to the lure of teachings that seem to hold out the hope of spiritual riches without any corresponding effort. Especially in America, he says, substantial material reward awaits any one who can devise some new and painless plan for getting "in tune with the Infinite."... 

Fig. 13. In vivo PET images from Volkow and colleagues (1999b) showing a correlation between the rewarding effects of stimulant drug (intravenous 0.5 mg/kg methylphenidate) and the level of striatal dopamine. The images show the distribution volume of [nC]raclopride binding at the levels of the striatum (left) and cerebellum (right) in a healthy male subject who reported the effects of methylphenidate as pleasant and in a healthy male subject who reported them as unpleasant. Note the lower activity (reflecting increased dopamine levels) in the striatum of the subject who reported the effects of methylphenidate as pleasant than in the striatum of the subject who reported them as unpleasant.

Conversely, parents who reward effort as well as outcome (because they believe without striving there can be no accomplishment) can encourage the child to think of himself or herself as persistent. Feeling determined, the child keeps trying in the face of adversity, thereby reinforcing the image of tenacity that he or she feels proud to claim. What parental attention reflects to their child about their child has some power of self-fulfilling prophecy for their child. 

We sometimes wish it were possible to pass quickly and miraculously from the nigredo into a state of euphoria. But this is not the process symbolized in the Splendor Solis. The image of women washing is like saying Work with nature to do it There is no special ability required and certainly no cause for inflation. Perhaps that is why the process is represented as women s work, with no special recognition, no public rewards. 

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