Thanissara – Time to Stand Up: An Engaged Buddhist Manifesto for Our Earth — The Buddha’s Life and Message through Feminine Eyes (To be published on August 18, 2015 – Pre-order at the Amazon link above for $7.47) About the Author Thanissara and her husband Kittisaro (Harry Randolph Weinberg) are the founders of Dharmagiri Hermitage … Read more
The new episode of Dr. Ginger Campbell’s Brain Science Podcast features a conversation with philosopher Evan Thompson, PhD, about his new book, Waking, Dreaming, Being: Self and Consciousness in Neuroscience, Meditation, and Philosophy. Thompson is one of the leading figures in bridging the gap between Eastern philosophy (specifically Buddhism and the Advaita Vedanta school of … Read more
Here is part one of the Buddhist Geeks interview with Buddhist neuropsychologist Dr. Rick Hanson. Ever since the publication of Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom (2009), Hanson has been one of the prolific and popular authors and teachers in the Buddhist world. BG 335: Practicing with the Brain in Mind … Read more
Vince Horn speaks with neuroscientist David Vago in part one of this two-part Buddhist Geeks Podcast. Good stuff. BG 329: A Neuroscience of Enlightenment by David Vago Podcast: Download Episode Description: David Vago is a contemplative neuroscientist and Jake Davis is a philosopher and Buddhist practitioner. Together they have authored an article proposing the question … Read more
This appeared on the Shambhala Sunspace blog and it was too good not to share. Pema Chödrön is the author of The Places that Scare You, When Things Fall Apart, and Start Where You Are, among other books. A good introduction to her work is Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion. … Read more
From Upaya Zen Center, this is an 8-part series of podcasts featuring B Alan Wallace, one of the foremost scholars of Tibetan Buddhism. The series of talks is focused on the meditative practice of “settling the mind in its natural state,” which is foundational for both the Mahamudra and Dzogchen traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. … Read more
On the heals of the Sam Harris article on hallucinogens I posted earlier today, here is a similar article from Salon. This article, however, focuses on psychedelics as a vehicle to open us up to the spiritual. But once we get a taste, the recommendation is to take up a practice that can provide continuous … Read more
Buddhism, Mind, and Cognitive Science Conference, April 25-26, 2014, UC Berkeley This conference is dedicated to the exploration of the methodological underpinnings of the current encounter between Buddhism and cognitive science. Among the presenters and panelists are: Dan Arnold (Philosophy of Religion, University of Chicago) Lawrence Barsalou (Psychology, Emory University) Christian Coseru (Philosophy, College of … Read more
This is a cool article from Aeon Magazine about how modern mathematics is influencing Western philosophy in the direction of accepting contradictions – an influence of Buddhist thought that is finally getting traction in the West. Graham Priest is a distinguished professor of philosophy at CUNY and professor emeritus at the University of Melbourne. He … Read more
This is an excellent article from Tricycle Magazine on the relational and intersubjective nature of the student-teacher relationship in Buddhism. She goes so far as to say, “The relationship between the Buddhist teacher and student is a dyad comparable to the psychoanalytic one.” I would add that this is true for spiritual traditions, not only … Read more