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Title: Zen and the Brain: Toward an Understanding of Meditation and Consciousness by James H. Austin ISBN: 0-262-51109-6 Publisher: MIT Press Pub. Date: 02 July, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $32.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.71 (24 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent book describing consciousness scientifically
Comment: Most of the works on eastern philosophies can be difficult for scientifically minded people to accept. Especially the idea of meditation when most westerners have not experienced it. This book describes what biochemically happens in the brain to cause these feelings. It not only describes kensho and other zen states but it descibes near-death experiences, actions of drugs on the brain and how fear and other emotions form in the brain. Definately get this if you are interested in backing up altered states of consciousness with scientific understanding.
Rating: 5
Summary: An important approach to the science of mind.
Comment: James Austin has devoted the majority of his life to the science of the brain, steeped as it is in the empirical disciplines of the Western laboratory, and nearly an equal amount in the strict discipline of Zen meditation, with its mysterious koans and indefatigable pursuit of Eastern-style enlightenment. Now this is a gorge fit for the best Andean rope-bridge makers! I read Zen and the Brain as part of my extensive studies of the neurophysiology of movement, especially related to golf. I believe that recent advances over the last 25 years in brain science offer opportunities to understand the mind-body relationship in much greater depth. So I was reasonably familiar with the neurophysiological and neuropharmcological studies Dr. Austin has lived with and reports on in the book's survey of the relationship between the brain and the experience of Zen meditation. The conclusion one draws from this is that the so-called mysterious stages and cognitive / physiological phenomenon of Zen are truly understandable (to an extent) in terms of Western-style science. That is, explainable, measurable, predictable, reproducible, testable. To an extent. And that goes a long, long way toward bridging the gorge, at least from the West. The really interesting aspect is that Dr. Austin breaks new ground the only way he can without an NSF / NIH research budget sufficient to reach Mars: he uses personal monitoring and introspection to report his inner cognitive and behavioral / physiological experiences and searches the literature critically for possible connections and explanations. Obviously, the conclusions are frequently superbly educated guesses, and this is to be celebrated. Who else is guessing from such an educated base? Thanks, Dr. Austin.
Rating: 5
Summary: Scholarly and highly readable
Comment: This is a well-written and informative work on the changes that occur in our brains as a result of a long-term commitment to meditation, which can free us from the grip of our neurotic behaviors yet leave our healthy behaviors intact and even enhanced.
I won't repeat the positive comments of other reviewers, but I definitely echo them in recommending this book to anyone on the meditative path who is seeking further information about meditation and its effect on our brains.
If the length of the book seems overwhelming to you, note that the chapters are short and and structured in a very manageable style. This helps greatly in getting through the more difficult material. The book, less the extensive list of referances and source material, is about 700 pages. Like daily meditation, getting through this book requires a commitment of time and mental focus. For me, both endeavors have been well-worth the ongoing time and effort they require.
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Title: The Mystical Mind: Probing the Biology of Religious Experience (Theology and the Sciences) by Eugene G. D'Aquili, Andrew B. Newberg ISBN: 0800631633 Publisher: Augsburg Fortress Publishers Pub. Date: 01 August, 1999 List Price(USD): $20.00 |
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Title: Zen Training: Methods and Philosophy by Katsuki Sekida ISBN: 0834801140 Publisher: Weatherhill Inc. Pub. Date: 01 December, 1975 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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Title: NeuroTheology: Brain, Science, Spirituality, Religious Experience by R. Joseph, Andrew Newberg, Matthew Alper, William James, Friederich Neitzshe, Eugene G. d'Aquili, Michael Persinger, Carol Albright ISBN: 0971644586 Publisher: University Pr Pub. Date: 15 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $44.00 |
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Title: Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki ISBN: 0834800799 Publisher: Weatherhill Inc. Pub. Date: 01 April, 1972 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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Title: The "God" Part of the Brain by Matthew Alper ISBN: 0966036700 Publisher: Rogue Press Pub. Date: May, 2001 List Price(USD): $11.95 |
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