Beyond the self Conversations between Buddhism and neuroscience

Matthieu Ricard

Book - 2017

Buddhism shares with science the task of examining the mind empirically; it has pursued, for two millennia, direct investigation of the mind through penetrating introspection. Neuroscience, on the other hand, relies on third-person knowledge in the form of scientific observation. In this book, Matthieu Ricard, a Buddhist monk trained as a molecular biologist, and Wolf Singer, a distinguished neuroscientist--close friends, continuing an ongoing dialogue--offer their perspectives on the mind, the self, consciousness, the unconscious, free will, epistemology, meditation, and neuroplasticity.

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Subjects
Published
Cambridge, Massachusetts : The MIT Press [2017]
Language
English
French
Main Author
Matthieu Ricard (author)
Physical Description
x, 282 pages ; 24 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN
9780262036948
  • Preface
  • 1. Meditation and the Brain
  • A Science of Mind
  • Awareness and Mental Constructs
  • Working with Emotions
  • Gradual and Lasting Changes
  • Outer and Inner Enrichment
  • Processes of Neuronal Changes
  • Emotional Nuances
  • Effortless Skills
  • Relating to the World
  • How Young Can One Start to Meditate?
  • Mental Distortions
  • Attention and Cognitive Control
  • Attentional Blink
  • Attention, Rumination, and Open Presence
  • Mindfulness and Distraction
  • Consolidating Learning through Sleep
  • Compassion and Action
  • Compassion, Meditation, and Brain Coherence
  • Altruism and Well-Being
  • Magic Moments
  • Could Feedback Replace Mind Training?
  • Are There Limits to Mind Training?
  • Meditation and Action
  • 2. Dealing with Subconscious Processes and Emotions
  • On the Nature of the Unconscious
  • Side Effects of Meditation
  • Love versus Attachment
  • On the Joy of Inner Peace
  • Watching the Mind, Training the Mind
  • 3. How Do We Know What We Know?
  • What Reality Do We Perceive?
  • How Do We Acquire Knowledge?
  • Can There Be Valid Cognition of Some Aspects of Knowledge?
  • Is Cognitive Delusion Inescapable?
  • Each Person to His or Her Own Reality
  • Is There an Objective Reality "Out There"?
  • Causality as a Correlate of Interdependence
  • Constructing and Deconstructing Reality
  • Refining the Tools of Introspection
  • First, Second, and Third-Person Experience
  • A Physician and a Cure
  • The Ethics of Practice and Science
  • Three Aspects of Buddhist Philosophy
  • A Summary
  • 4. Investigating the Self
  • Investigating the Self
  • The Self Exists in a Conventional Way
  • The Self and Freedom
  • Weak Self, Strong Mind
  • Ego and Egolessness
  • The Scourge of Rumination
  • Who's in Charge Here?
  • 5. Free Will, Responsibility, and Justice
  • The Process of Decision Making
  • The Responsibility to Change
  • Free Will and the Range of Choices
  • Attenuating Circumstances
  • Looking with the Eyes of a Doctor
  • True Rehabilitation
  • Horrendous Deviations
  • Breaking the Cycle of Hate
  • Is There a Self That Bears the Responsibility?
  • Can One Prove Free Will?
  • Architects of the Future
  • 6. The Nature of Consciousness
  • Something Rather Than Nothing
  • Cultivating States of Subtle Consciousness or Pure Awareness
  • On Various Levels of Consciousness
  • Puzzling Experiences
  • Remembering Past Lives?
  • What Can Be Learned From Near-Death Experiences?
  • Could Consciousness Be Made of Something Other Than Matter?
  • A Concluding Note of Gratitude
  • Notes
  • Index
Review by Choice Review

Beyond the Self is a timely book that should be welcomed by both the Buddhist and neuroscience communities. The conversational format makes for a jaunty read. The discussion is absorbing, informative, often astute, and at times entertaining. Ricard is a noted Buddhist monk who was trained as a molecular biologist, and Singer is a leading neuroscientist. Both men bring the best of their respective disciplines to bear in what is sometimes a difficult debate between science and religion. The reader will find no rancor or scorekeeping here. The authors share the common goal of comparing the Eastern and Western perspective of the mind and consciousness, and they proceed admirably in a most irenic manner. That said, neither author easily assumes the other's argument but instead challenges the other for proof and clarification. Dealing with topics as diverse as meditation, the brain, and epistemology, the discussion is a keen exploration of the nexus of Buddhism and neuroscience. The reading is, at its best, a heuristic process of leading the reader into fundamental aspects of human life. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals. --William J. Pankey, William Rainey Harper College

Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.