B is for Brain-y Buddhist books
Written on September 7, 2007
Continuing the “mind alphabet”… The intersection between Buddhism and Western brain/mind science is a burgeoning field…
- The Mind & Life Institute has published a series of books based on meetings between the Dalai Lama and Western scientists. The most recent title is Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain: How a New Science Reveals Our Extraordinary Potential to Transform Ourselves.
Other titles:
- Zen and the Brain: Toward an Understanding of Meditation and Consciousness
and Zen-Brain Reflections
by James H. Austin
- Two Views of Mind: Abhidharma & Brain Science
by Christopher deCharms
- Contemplative Science: Where Buddhism and Neuroscience Converge (Columbia Series in Science and Religion)
by B. Alan Wallace
I really love the Mind & Life Institute books. They’re a great source to learn about scientific studies on consciousness and neural plasticity (and etc.), because you get to eavesdrop as scientists present these findings to someone who’s never heard about them before. The ensuing discussions are also really on-task and interesting. You can tell that these guys are really serious about finding stuff out about how the mind works. I’ll be checking out these other titles asap, thanks :)