Enlightenment: a neural interpretation

Let's assume we have a bunch of neurons (or is it a 'cluster'?) that each have been associated with a particular thing. Now we think of every instance of a door we have ever seen: a number of neurons fires simultaneously. One new neuron forms connections to these particular neurons. This new neuron now represents the concept 'door', and when it fires, we activate all instances of doors we have ever seen. This then is a category, and a fairly direct one. The concept of 'door' can still be defined.

But let's take it to the next level. When all kinds of neurons, representing both things, memories of events, but also concepts of varying degrees of abstraction are combined into one category, one concept and one neuron, we arrive at more vague concepts such as 'justice' and 'good'. We have arrived at new insights. However, as the new concepts grow more distant from immediate observations, it becomes harder to describe in a language that was designed to describe the world as we perceive it directly. The more abstracted the concept, the harder it is to describe. This is why so many philosophies and religions claim that the heart of their teachings can not be expressed in words: they revolve around abstracted concepts.

If we follow this line, we end up in the end with an abstraction at the top of a pyramid, as it were. It combines abstracted concepts, which in turn combine less abstracted concepts, on to the basic perceptions. When all other neurons can be linked in the end to one concept, which is long since impossible to describe, we have what some describe as 'enlightenment'. An understanding of all, a sudden flash of light: in a manner that is beyond description we have linked everything from apple to zeal together and comprehended their common nature.

It might be interesting, if I was a neurology student, to compare brainscans from people concentrating on concepts of increasing abstraction, like 'truth' or 'God'. I also imagine the result would very much depending on culture: the abstract concepts we use are often handed to us through literature and parable.

Note: The neuron as described by me here is simplified considerably, though as a description or metaphor for what will in reality probably be a complex brain-function, suffices to express my theory.