Item #12603 Zen and the Brain: Toward an Understanding of Meditation and Consciousness. James H. Austin.

Zen and the Brain: Toward an Understanding of Meditation and Consciousness

Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1999.

Paperback. 10" X 7". xxiv, 844pp. Mild toning and shelf wear to covers, corners, and edges of pictorial paper wraps. Small price sticker to rear cover. Light toning and dust-spotting to edges of text block. Pages are clean and unmarked. Binding is sound.

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ABOUT THIS BOOK:
A neuroscientist and Zen practitioner interweaves the latest research on the brain with his personal narrative of Zen.

Aldous Huxley called humankind's basic trend toward spiritual growth the "perennial philosophy." In the view of James Austin, the trend implies a "perennial psychophysiology" because awakening, or enlightenment, occurs only when the human brain undergoes substantial changes. What are the peak experiences of enlightenment? How could these states profoundly enhance, and yet simplify, the workings of the brain? Zen and the Brain presents the latest evidence. In this book Zen Buddhism becomes the opening wedge for an extraordinarily wide-ranging exploration of consciousness. In order to understand which brain mechanisms produce Zen states, one needs some understanding of the anatomy, physiology, and chemistry of the brain. Austin, both a neurologist and a Zen practitioner, interweaves the most recent brain research with the personal narrative of his Zen experiences. The science is both inclusive and rigorous; the Zen sections are clear and evocative. Along the way, Austin examines such topics as similar states in other disciplines and religions, sleep and dreams, mental illness, consciousness-altering drugs, and the social consequences of the advanced stage of ongoing enlightenment.(Publisher). Very good. Item #12603
ISBN: 0262511096

Price: $70.00

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