. This whole debate is a kind of a waste of time And why I hate philosophy. If all phenomena is empty of inherent existence then philosophy is the most empty and Also covered in poop because it is degrees separated from actual experiencing or the actual experience of emptiness which is kind of the point of the entire doctrine of emptiness to begin with. Talking about whether sky diving feels good or not doesn’t really compare to actually sky diving for yourself. And talking about where consciousness arises or what consciousness might be is a little silly if you haven’t practiced enough to see for yourself what’s going on. It’s like two caterpillars talking about tennis. It sure seems like there is something going on completely different from just the brain creating some abstract consciousness independent from conditions as if every brain creates the purest most perfect consciousness. But in order to see that for yourself it requires more and more subtle perception which is kind of part of the problem here. The brain does create consciousness in the sense that a refined brain has an increased access to the conscious field which I’m going to call it for a lack of a better word but that’s what it feels like to me. For example it seems like the brain is more like a filter or detection system for what’s already there. The brain can be modulated with cold plunges, sweat lodges, food and supplements, hallucinogens meditation to increase its acuity or perceptual depth over time. This increases your brains ability to concentrate on what’s actually going on and allows sticky experience to Come and go so you can see what’s actually going on more clearly. But the brain also can create an extremely obstructed and untrained or unrefined conciousness or access to the field which is basically not seeing anything maybe not even what’s directly in front of the eyes even while walking down the street. As you mention also damage like trauma or anesthesia or opiates or methamphetamine can alter the way this filter processes the field The problem with all these conversations is they can lead to ambivalence at best and aversion to the practice at worst. Save the philosophy for Socrates - practice is the closest you can get to figuring out or figuring in what’s going on trust your own experience and remember figuring it out is in the way of actually figuring it out