"This is a book written with passion and seriousness."
--
Psychoanalytic Books
". . . remarkable in its synthesis of the mystical point of view with
the scientific."
-- Bodhi Tree Book Review
Winner of the Scientific and Medical Network 1998 Book Prize
Aldous Huxley called humankind's basic trend toward spiritual growth
the "perennial philosophy." According to James Austin, the trend
implies a "perennial psychophysiology"--for awakening, or
enlightenment, occurs only because the human brain undergoes
substantial changes. What are the peak experiences of enlightenment?
How could they profoundly enhance, and yet simplify, the workings of
the brain? Zen and the Brain summarizes the latest
evidence.
The book uses Zen Buddhism as the opening wedge for an extraordinarily
wide-ranging exploration of consciousness. In order to understand the
brain mechanisms that produce Zen states, one needs some understanding
of the anatomy, physiology, and chemistry of the brain. Austin, a
neuroscientist and Zen practitioner, interweaves his teachings of the
brain with his teachings/personal narrative of Zen. The science,
which contains the latest relevant developments in brain research, is
both inclusive and rigorous; the Zen sections are clear and evocative.
Along the way, Austin covers such topics as similar states in other
disciplines and religions, sleep and dreams, mental illness,
consciousness-altering drugs, and the social consequences of advanced
stages of enlightenment.
More
information is available at our book-of-the-month site.
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