Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience Of Happiness, Love, And Wisdom

Plot

Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and other great teachers were born with brains built essentially like anyone else s. Then they used their minds to change their brains in ways that changed history.With the new breakthroughs in neuroscience, combined with the insights from thousands of years of contemplative practice, you, too, can shape your own brain for greater happiness, love, and wisdom.Buddha's Brain joins the forces of modern science with ancient teachings to show readers how to have greater emotional balance in turbulent times, as well as healthier relationships, more effective actions, and a deeper religious or spiritual practice.Well-referenced and grounded in science, the book is full of practical tools and skills readers can use in daily life to tap the unused potential of the brain and rewire it over time for greater peace and well-being.If you can change your brain, you can change your life."Numerous writings in recent years have exacerbated the traditional rift between science and religion; however, there has been a refreshing parallel movement in the opposite direction. Neuroscientists have become increasingly interested in using first person introspective inquiries if the mind to complement their third person western scientific investigations of the brain. Buddhist contemplative practices are particularly amenable to such collaboration, inviting efforts to find neurobiological explanations for Buddhist philosophy. Stripped of religious baggage, Buddha s Brain clearly describes how modern concepts of evolutionary and cognitive neurobiology support core Buddhist teachings and practice. This book should have great appeal for those seeking a secular spiritual path, while also raising many testable hypotheses for interested neuroscientists." Jerome Engel, Jr., MD, PhD Jonathan Sinay Distinguished Professor of Neurology,Neurobiology, and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral SciencesDirector, UCLA Seizure Disorder Center David Geffen, School of Medicine at UCLA