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Zara Houshmand

Consciousness at the Crossroads: Conversations with the Dalai Lama on Brain Science and Buddhism Paperback – August 1, 1999

by Zara Houshmand (Editor), B. Alan Wallace (Editor), Robert B. Livingston (Editor)

4.7 110 ratings

Part of: Core Teachings of Dalai Lama (12 books)

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Organized by the Mind and Life Institute, this discussion addresses some of the most troublesome questions that have driven a wedge between Western science and religion. Consciousness at the Crossroads resulted from meetings of the Dalai Lama and a group of eminent neuroscientists and psychiatrists. Is the mind an ephemeral side effect of the brain's physical processes? Are there forms of consciousness so subtle that science has not yet identified them? How does consciousness happen? The Dalai Lama's incisive, open-minded approach both challenges and offers inspiration to Western scientists. The book consists primarily of dialogue and intense, frank conversations between the Dalai Lama and participants.

Part of series

Core Teachings of Dalai Lama
Print length

184 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Snow Lion
Publication date

August 1, 1999
Dimensions

6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

0545227208
ISBN-13

978-0545227209
Lexile measure

1210L
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

How about getting a plain-English rendition of the latest in brain research and psychology from the leading lights in the field? Or a succinct explanation of the Buddhist view of consciousness from the Dalai Lama himself? No need to choose. When the second Mind and Life conference convened in 1989, East and West became collaborators in understanding consciousness. Antonio Damasio, neurologist and author of The Feeling of What Happens, Larry Squire, psychiatrist and author of Memory: from Mind to Molecules, and Lewis Judd, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, sat down with other scholars and scientists for face-to-face talks with the Dalai Lama. Although late in coming, the result is this tidy volume of eager exchange and cross-cultural bridge building. Each specialist first summarizes the latest in research and then accepts questions from and poses questions to the Dalai Lama, acting representative of Buddhism's extraordinarily sophisticated views on consciousness, dreams, memory, meditation, and that stickiest of points, rebirth. The inevitable collision of scientific materialism and Buddhist emptiness isn't avoided, but neither is it fatal, serving instead as motivation for further conversations. Step up to the roundtable and set your mind spinning. --Brian Bruya

Review

"The Dalai Lama's clear approach and open-minded pursuit of knowledge faciliates an important bridge between Western science and the Buddhist empirical observation of mental processes. For the reader, this interfacing offers immediately relevant and interesting material regarding the working of one's brain and mind."—Branches of Light, Banyen Books's semiannual review journal

"Both informative and well-balanced, seeking to further the dialogue rather than asserting the superiority of one tradition over another."—Pacific World

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1559391278
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Snow Lion (August 1, 1999)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 184 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0545227208
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0545227209
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1210L
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.1 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,125,163 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #651 in Karma Buddhism
- #2,688 in Neuroscience (Books)
- #4,936 in Consciousness & Thought Philosophy

Customer Reviews:
4.7 110 ratings

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B. Alan Wallace
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B. Alan Wallace began his studies of Tibetan Buddhism, language, and culture in 1970 at the University of Göttingen and then continued his studies over the next fourteen years in India, Switzerland, and the United States. After graduating summa cum laude from Amherst College, where he studied physics and the philosophy of science, he went on to earn his Ph.D. in religious studies at Stanford University. He then taught for four years in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of California at Santa Barbara, and is now the founder and president of the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies (http://sbinstitute.com). He is also Chairman of the Thanypura Mind Centre (http://piamc.com) in Thailand, where he leads meditation retreats. He has edited, translated, authored, and contributed to more than forty books on Tibetan Buddhism, medicine, language, and culture, and the interface between science and Buddhism, including Meditations of a Buddhist Skeptic: A Manifesto for the Mind Sciences and Contemplative Practice, Mind in the Balance: Meditation in Science, Buddhism, and Christianity, and Hidden Dimensions: The Unification of Physics and Consciousness.
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Zara Houshmand
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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5

110 global ratings

5 star		81%
4 star		10%
3 star		5%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star		3%

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Shawn Criscito

Wish there was more.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 22, 2021

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In the forward, it talks about the conference being shortened from five days to two days. I definitely can see where this book could have benefited from more conversation exchange. That said, what exists is a quick read and a motivation to explore neuroscience from a different perspective.

What is most remarkable is the ability for two seemingly different approaches to be compatible, or in the very least capable of respectful conversation.

There are better neuroscience books and there are better books on Buddhism, but this is the first one I have found to combine the two, and it was very much enjoyable.

7 people found this helpful

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L. J. Vollmer

The Blossoming of Buddhism and Cognitive Science

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 6, 2011

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Consciousness at the Crossroads: Conversations with the Dalai Lama on Brain Science and Buddhism is from the 1989 Mind and Life Conference, the second series of talks sponsored by the Mind and Life Institute. The institute is an organization promoting dialogue between the scientific and contemplative traditions. The first series of meetings, published as Gentle Bridges (Shambhala, 1992), provided a broad overview of the different areas that the field of Buddhism and science could potentially impact. The second conference similarly provides more breadth than depth, yet with a bit more focus on cognitive science, philosophy of mind, and meditation. The contributors are from a variety of fields, including neuroscience, philosophy, and psychiatry.

The dialogue recounted in this book lays the foundations for future work in the realm of Buddhism and cognitive science. Some topics covered include the nature and phenomenology of consciousness, mental illness, and notions of the self. Tackling a young field, the discussion lacks systematic analysis and each contributor even seems to speak in isolation at times. Prior knowledge of Buddhism and/or science is recommended, but the content is so interesting almost any reader could find some merit in this book. This work is compelling, but incomplete, an understandable critique considering the book narrates one of the earlier series of many talks.

7 people found this helpful

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B Pinksy

Buddhism meets the brain

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 25, 2018

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This is a fantastic read as it dives into the science and specifics of Buddhism and the brain. One of many books I will suggest my psychology friends to read.

5 people found this helpful

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Randy Raugh

Interesting convergence of neuroscience and Buddhist thinking.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 20, 2012

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Interesting convergence of neuroscience and Buddhist thinking. It was difficult not to like the Dalai Lama and I found his pragmatism about science a refreshing change from other religious leaders.

3 people found this helpful

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Mason Ainsworth

a great discourse by the Dalai

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 17, 2018

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As can be expected, a great discourse by the Dalai Lama

One person found this helpful

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Maria tinoco

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 16, 2016

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Thank you!

Helpful

Great overview of the overlap between Buddhism and science

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 27, 2021

As I've learned more about Buddhism, I've been impressed by its emphasis on evidence and science - Buddhists believe that their theories need to be abandoned or updated if there is specific evidence disproving them. As a clinical psychologist, I'm also very interested in the workings of the brain, so when I saw this book at a used book sale, I snapped it up. This book stems from the Mind & Life dialogues, a series of conference-type conversations between the Dalai Lama and top scientists. I had never heard of these before happening upon this book, but in turns out that they date back to 1987. These conferences have been held every two years since that time, and according to the Mind & Life Institute website, the latest dialogue, the 33rd, was held in 2018.

This book was based on an early dialogue, the second one, held in 1989. The dialogue centered around consciousness, including looking for areas of consensus between neuroscience and Buddhism, coming up with consensus definitions, and exploring areas for future direction. The book is written like a conversation--or, more accurately, the scientists presenting knowledge to the Dalai Lama, with the Dalai Lama frequently asking probing questions and occasionally providing the Buddhist perspective. Both sides are completely respectful, acknowledging that they have much to learn from each other. In fact, in his opening remarks, Dr. Robert Livingston, a neuroscience professor, states "We pay our respects to two different cultural traditions which have been separated for so very long...we must acknowledge our own humility and naivete: there are many things we don't yet know about the brain and the mind." After the introduction, each chapter of the book focuses on a specific area of consciousness, such as gross vs. subtle, specific brain functions, memory, dreaming, and mental illness. The book concludes with an overview of basic Buddhist tenets and beliefs, including how these apply to a scientific inquiry.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I feared it might be overly scientific or technical, but the conversational nature made it very approachable. The only issue with this book is the length of time since the discussion took place. I am generally aware that our knowledge of consciousness has significantly increased in the 31 years since 1989, and I know specifically that much of what was described in Chapter 11 ("Psychiatric Illness and Psychopharmacology") is now out-of-date. I would love to read an account of this same dialogue, but from 2020! This book is part of a series of 12 volumes, but the others appear to address different teachings of the Dalai Lama rather than the conferences per se. I definitely plan to seek out more of the Dalai Lama's work and to follow the continued course of these amazing conferences.

6 people found this helpful

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remmy

Far too expensive

Reviewed in Germany 🇩🇪 on October 13, 2021

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Very little material is presented at a very high price.

patricia simoes

ótimo produto

Reviewed in Brazil 🇧🇷 on October 11, 2022

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Adorei o livro

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Consciousness at the Crossroads: Conversations with the Dalai Lama on Brain Science and Buddhism Paperback – August 1, 1999

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