The
talk will begin and end with the question: What is the value of the
neuro-scientific study of meditative states? To answer the question from
a Buddhist perspective we will seek first to understand the multiple
perspectives on the mind developed by Buddhists over the centuries,
through exploring such topics as the place of mind in nature, the
relation between mind and body, the structure and functions of mind, the
ultimate nature of mind, and the various methods of training the mind
that we broadly refer to as “meditation.” On the basis of these
perspectives, we will summarize a number of recent neuro-scientific
studies of Buddhist meditators, and assess the importance of “neural
Buddhism” for physicians, psychologists, philosophers, and, above all,
Buddhist practitioners, whether "traditional" or "modern."
Roger Jackson is Carleton's John W. Nason Professor of Asian Studies and Religion and the Director of Asian Studies
Roger R. Jackson (Wesleyan, BA; Wisconsin, MA, PhD), 1983-84, 1989-, teaches the religions of South Asia and Tibet. His special interests include Indian and Tibetan Buddhist philosophy, meditation, and ritual; Buddhist religious poetry; religion and society in Sri Lanka; the study of mysticism; and contemporary Buddhist thought. He is author of Is Enlightenment Possible? (1993) and Tantric Treasures (2004), co-author of The Wheel of Time: Kalachakra in Context (1985), editor of The Crystal Mirror of Philosophical Systems (2009), co-editor of Tibetan Literature: Studies in Genre (1996), Buddhist Theology (1999), and Mahamudra and the Bka'brgyud Tradition (2011), and has published many articles and reviews. He is a past editor of the Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, and is currently co-editor of the Indian International Journal of Buddhist Studies.
Roger R. Jackson (Wesleyan, BA; Wisconsin, MA, PhD), 1983-84, 1989-, teaches the religions of South Asia and Tibet. His special interests include Indian and Tibetan Buddhist philosophy, meditation, and ritual; Buddhist religious poetry; religion and society in Sri Lanka; the study of mysticism; and contemporary Buddhist thought. He is author of Is Enlightenment Possible? (1993) and Tantric Treasures (2004), co-author of The Wheel of Time: Kalachakra in Context (1985), editor of The Crystal Mirror of Philosophical Systems (2009), co-editor of Tibetan Literature: Studies in Genre (1996), Buddhist Theology (1999), and Mahamudra and the Bka'brgyud Tradition (2011), and has published many articles and reviews. He is a past editor of the Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, and is currently co-editor of the Indian International Journal of Buddhist Studies.