Product Description

Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and other great teachers were born with brains built essentially like anyone else s. Then they used their minds to change their brains in ways that changed history.

With the new breakthroughs in neuroscience, combined with the insights from thousands of years of contemplative practice, you, too, can shape your own brain for greater happiness, love, and wisdom.

Buddha's Brain joins the forces of modern science with ancient teachings to show readers how to have greater emotional balance in turbulent times, as well as healthier relationships, more effective actions, and a deeper religious or spiritual practice.

Well-referenced and grounded in science, the book is full of practical tools and skills readers can use in daily life to tap the unused potential of the brain and rewire it over time for greater peace and well-being.

If you can change your brain, you can change your life.

"Numerous writings in recent years have exacerbated the traditional rift between science and religion; however, there has been a refreshing parallel movement in the opposite direction. Neuroscientists have become increasingly interested in using first person introspective inquiries if the mind to complement their third person western scientific investigations of the brain. Buddhist contemplative practices are particularly amenable to such collaboration, inviting efforts to find neurobiological explanations for Buddhist philosophy. Stripped of religious baggage, Buddha s Brain clearly describes how modern concepts of evolutionary and cognitive neurobiology support core Buddhist teachings and practice. This book should have great appeal for those seeking a secular spiritual path, while also raising many testable hypotheses for interested neuroscientists."

Jerome Engel, Jr., MD, PhD

Jonathan Sinay Distinguished Professor of Neurology,
Neurobiology, and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences
Director, UCLA Seizure Disorder Center

David Geffen, School of Medicine at UCLA

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1051 in Books
• Published on: 2009-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 200 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781572246959
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
The brain physiology associated with spiritual states has been fertile ground for researchers and writers alike. Neuropsychologist andmeditation teacher Hanson suggests that an understanding of the brain in conjunction with 2,500-year-old Buddhist teachings can help readers achieve more happiness. He explains how the brain evolved to keep humans safe from external threats; the resulting built-in negativity bias creates suffering in modern individuals. Citing psychologist Donald Hebb's conclusion that when neurons fire together, they wire together, Hanson argues that the brain's functioning can be affected by simple practices and meditation to foster well-being. Classic Buddhist concepts such as the three trainings—mindfulness, virtuous action and wisdom—frame Hanson's approach. Written with neurologist Mendius, the book includes descriptions and diagrams of brain functioning. Clear instructions guide the reader toward more positive thoughts and feelings. While the author doesn't always succeed at clarifying complex physiology, this gently encouraging practical guide to your brain offers helpful information supported by research as well as steps to change instinctive patterns through the Buddhist path. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
Hanson and Mendius successfully answer the question: How can you use your mind to strengthen positive brain states and ultimately change your life?

Arguing that our ancestors brains, flooded with adrenaline and cortisol, were wired for survival, the authors reveal how this neurological propensity for high arousal contributes to our present-day chronic illness, depression, and anxiety. Using Buddhism s eightfold path as a model, they illustrate how meditation and relaxation can change our brain s natural tendencies. Pictures illustrate the brain s functions and practical meditation exercises are found throughout. The authors also discuss the importance of diet and nutritional supplements.

Verdict. An excellent choice for readers wishing to take control of their lives and spiritual well-being. Readers will find practical suggestions along with impressive research about the brain.

Phyllis Goodman, West Chester Lib., OH --Library Journal

“A wonderfully comprehensive book. The authors have made it easy to understand how our minds function and how to make changes so that we can live happier, fuller lives.”

—Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness

 

“Solidly grounded in the latest neuroscientific research, and supported by a deep understanding of contemplative practice, this book is accessible, compelling, and profound—a crystallization of practical wisdom!"

--Philip David Zelazo, Ph.D., Nancy M. and John E. Lindahl Professor, Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota

 

“This is simply the best book I have read on why and how we can shape our brains to be peaceful and happy. This is a book that will literally change your brain and your life.”

—Jennifer Louden, author of The Woman's Comfort Book and The Life Organizer 

 

“Buddha's Brain is a significant contribution to understanding the interface between science and meditation in the path of transformation. Illuminating.”

—Joseph Goldstein, author of A Heart Full of Peace and One Dharma

 

 “Buddha's Brain is compelling, easy to read, and quite educational. The book skillfully answers the central question of each of our lives—how to be happy—by presenting the core precepts of Buddhism integrated with a primer on how our brains function. This book will be helpful to anyone wanting to understand time-tested ways of skillful living backed up by up-to-date science.“

—Frederic Luskin, Ph.D., author of Forgive for Good and director of Stanford Forgiveness Projects

 

“I wish I had a science teacher like Rick Hanson when I went to school. Buddha’s Brain is at once fun, fascinating, and profound. It not only shows us effective ways to develop real happiness in our lives, but also explains physiologically how and why they work.  As Dr. Hanson instructs us to do with positive experiences, take in all the good information this book offers and savor it.”

—James Baraz, author of Awakening Joy and cofounder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center

 

“With the mind of a scientist, the perspective of a psychologist, and the wise heart of a parent and devoted meditator, Rick Hanson has created a guide for all of us who want to learn about and apply the scintillating new research that embraces neurology, psychology and authentic spiritual inquiry. Up-to-date discoveries combined with state-of-the-art practices make this book an engaging read. Buddha’s Brain is at the top of my list!”
—Richard A. Heckler, Ph.D., assistant professor at John F. Kennedy University, Pleasant Hill, CA

 

“Buddha’s Brain is a brilliant tapestry that weaves together the strands of neuroscience, Buddhism and psychology in the service of helping people in their quest for personal freedom. It is both relentlessly positive and ardently scientific. Rick Hanson is a master at taking complex concepts and both explaining them in easily understandable ways and providing useful methods to implement them immediately.”

—Daniel Ellenberg, Ph.D., co-founder of the Authentic Leadership Institute and co-author of Lovers for Life

 

“An illuminating guide to the emerging confluence of cutting-edge neuropsychology and ancient Buddhist wisdom filled with practical suggestions on how to gradually rewire your brain for greater happiness. Lucid, good-humored, and easily accessible.”

—John J. Prendergast, Ph.D., adjunct associate professor of psychology at California Institute of Integral Studies and senior Editor of The Sacred Mirror and Listening from the Heart of Silence

 

“Buddha's Brain will show you how mental practices, informed by the contemplative traditions, can increase your capacity for experiencing happiness and peace. This book provides a scientific understanding of these methods, and clear guidance for practices that cultivate a wise and free heart.”

--Tara Brach, Ph.D. author of Radical Acceptance

 

“This book enables us to understand the whys and hows of our human operating system so we can make more informed actions that allow us to live our lives more fully, compassionately, and with greater well-being and kindness towards others and ourselves. What I find exciting about Buddha’s Brain is Rick Hanson’s ability to clearly delineate the root causes of suffering and explain pertinent ways we can actually change these causes and effect lasting change on all levels of our mind, body, and interpersonal relationships. His informative, relaxed and easy-to-read style of writing made me want to pick this book up again and again and dive ever more deeply into the complexities of our human engineering. Buddha’s Brain is now on my recommendation list for all my students and teachers-in-training.”

—Richard C. Miller, Ph.D., founding president of Integrative Restoration Institute

 

“Numerous writings in recent years have exacerbated the traditional rift between science and religion; however, there has been a refreshing parallel movement in the opposite direction. Neuroscientists have become increasingly interested in using first-person introspective inquiries of the mind to complement their third-person, Western scientific investigations of the brain. Buddhist contemplative practices are particularly amenable to such collaboration, inviting efforts to find neurobiological explanations for Buddhist philosophy. Stripped of religious baggage, Buddha’s Brain clearly describes how modern concepts of evolutionary and cognitive neurobiology support core Buddhist teachings and practice. This book should have great appeal for those seeking a secular spiritual path, while also raising many testable hypotheses for interested neuroscientists.”

—Jerome Engel, Jr., MD, Ph.D., Jonathan Sinay Distinguished Professor of Neurology, Neurobiology, and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles

 

“Buddha’s Brain makes a significant contribution to the current dynamic dialogue among neuroscience, psychology, and Buddhist disciplines of mind training. Drawing on the wisdom born of their own meditation practice and their scientific backgrounds, the authors point again and again to the possibilities of the deep transformation of our minds and lives.”

—Christina Feldman, author of Compassion and The Buddhist Path to Simplicity

 

“Recent developments in psychology and the neurosciences have led to clear and powerful insights about how our brains work and how these neurological functions shape our experience of the world. These insights are profoundly congruent with the wisdom that has been developed over thousands of years in the contemplative traditions. The authors of Buddha’s Brain have given us a concise and practical guide to how these two currents of knowledge can be used to transform our capacity to engage both ourselves and others with wisdom, compassion, and mindfulness.”

—Robert D. Truog, MD, professor at Harvard Medical School, executive director of the Institute for Professionalism and Ethical Practice, and senior associate in critical care medicine at Children’s Hospital, Boston

 

“Rick Hanson ably unpacks key, un-obvious implications of brain research to help us more skillfully surf the waves of moment-to-moment mental experience. This beautifully written, easy-to-read book gracefully conveys a series of epiphanies that can enable us to achieve self-compassion, balance and happiness. Highly recommended!”

— Terry Patten, co-author, Integral Life Practice

 

 “A clear introduction to some basic principles of neuroscience and dharma.”

—Roger Walsh, MD, Ph.D., professor at the University of California, Irvine, and author of Essential Spirituality

 

“Buddha’s Brain brilliantly reveals the teachings of the Buddha in the light of modern neuroscience. This is a practical guide to changing your reality. This is your brain on Dharma!”

—Wes ‘Scoop’ Nisker, author of Essential Crazy Wisdom and editor of Inquiring Mind

From the Publisher

"A wonderfully comprehensive book. The authors have made it easy to understand how our minds function and how to make changes so that we can live happier, fuller lives."
--Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness

"Solidly grounded in the latest neuroscientific research, and supported by a deep understanding of contemplative practice, this book is accessible, compelling, and profound--a crystallization of practical wisdom!"
-Philip David Zelazo, Ph.D., Nancy M. and John E. Lindahl Professor, Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota

"This is simply the best book I have read on why and how we can shape our brains to be peaceful and happy. This is a book that will literally change your brain and your life."
--Jennifer Louden, author of The Woman's Comfort Book and The Life Organizer

"Buddha's Brain is a significant contribution to understanding the interface between science and meditation in the path of transformation. Illuminating."
--Joseph Goldstein, author of A Heart Full of Peace and One Dharma

"Buddha's Brain is compelling, easy to read, and quite educational. The book skillfully answers the central question of each of our lives--how to be happy--by presenting the core precepts of Buddhism integrated with a primer on how our brains function. This book will be helpful to anyone wanting to understand time-tested ways of skillful living backed up by up-to-date science."
--Frederic Luskin, Ph.D., author of Forgive for Good and director of Stanford Forgiveness Projects

"I wish I had a science teacher like Rick Hanson when I went to school. Buddha's Brain is at once fun, fascinating, and profound. It not only shows us effective ways to develop real happiness in our lives, but also explains physiologically how and why they work. As Dr. Hanson instructs us to do with positive experiences, take in all the good information this book offers and savor it."
--James Baraz, author of Awakening Joy and cofounder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center

"With the mind of a scientist, the perspective of a psychologist, and the wise heart of a parent and devoted meditator, Rick Hanson has created a guide for all of us who want to learn about and apply the scintillating new research that embraces neurology, psychology and authentic spiritual inquiry. Up-to-date discoveries combined with state-of-the-art practices make this book an engaging read. Buddha's Brain is at the top of my list!"
--Richard A. Heckler, Ph.D., assistant professor at John F. Kennedy University, Pleasant Hill, CA

"Buddha's Brain is a brilliant tapestry that weaves together the strands of neuroscience, Buddhism and psychology in the service of helping people in their quest for personal freedom. It is both relentlessly positive and ardently scientific. Rick Hanson is a master at taking complex concepts and both explaining them in easily understandable ways and providing useful methods to implement them immediately."
--Daniel Ellenberg, Ph.D., co-founder of the Authentic Leadership Institute and co-author of Lovers for Life

"An illuminating guide to the emerging confluence of cutting-edge neuropsychology and ancient Buddhist wisdom filled with practical suggestions on how to gradually rewire your brain for greater happiness. Lucid, good-humored, and easily accessible."
--John J. Prendergast, Ph.D., adjunct associate professor of psychology at California Institute of Integral Studies and senior Editor of The Sacred Mirror and Listening from the Heart of Silence

"Buddha's Brain will show you how mental practices, informed by the contemplative traditions, can increase your capacity for experiencing happiness and peace. This book provides a scientific understanding of these methods, and clear guidance for practices that cultivate a wise and free heart."
-Tara Brach, Ph.D. author of Radical Acceptance

"This book enables us to understand the whys and hows of our human operating system so we can make more informed actions that allow us to live our lives more fully, compassionately, and with greater well-being and kindness towards others and ourselves. What I find exciting about Buddha's Brain is Rick Hanson's ability to clearly delineate the root causes of suffering and explain pertinent ways we can actually change these causes and effect lasting change on all levels of our mind, body, and interpersonal relationships. His informative, relaxed and easy-to-read style of writing made me want to pick this book up again and again and dive ever more deeply into the complexities of our human engineering. Buddha's Brain is now on my recommendation list for all my students and teachers-in-training."
--Richard C. Miller, Ph.D., founding president of Integrative Restoration Institute

"Numerous writings in recent years have exacerbated the traditional rift between science and religion; however, there has been a refreshing parallel movement in the opposite direction. Neuroscientists have become increasingly interested in using first-person introspective inquiries of the mind to complement their third-person, Western scientific investigations of the brain. Buddhist contemplative practices are particularly amenable to such collaboration, inviting efforts to find neurobiological explanations for Buddhist philosophy. Stripped of religious baggage, Buddha's Brain clearly describes how modern concepts of evolutionary and cognitive neurobiology support core Buddhist teachings and practice. This book should have great appeal for those seeking a secular spiritual path, while also raising many testable hypotheses for interested neuroscientists."
--Jerome Engel, Jr., MD, Ph.D., Jonathan Sinay Distinguished Professor of Neurology, Neurobiology, and Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles

"Buddha's Brain makes a significant contribution to the current dynamic dialogue among neuroscience, psychology, and Buddhist disciplines of mind training. Drawing on the wisdom born of their own meditation practice and their scientific backgrounds, the authors point again and again to the possibilities of the deep transformation of our minds and lives."
--Christina Feldman, author of Compassion and The Buddhist Path to Simplicity

"Recent developments in psychology and the neurosciences have led to clear and powerful insights about how our brains work and how these neurological functions shape our experience of the world. These insights are profoundly congruent with the wisdom that has been developed over thousands of years in the contemplative traditions. The authors of Buddha's Brain have given us a concise and practical guide to how these two currents of knowledge can be used to transform our capacity to engage both ourselves and others with wisdom, compassion, and mindfulness."
--Robert D. Truog, MD, professor at Harvard Medical School, executive director of the Institute for Professionalism and Ethical Practice, and senior associate in critical care medicine at Children's Hospital, Boston

"Rick Hanson ably unpacks key, un-obvious implications of brain research to help us more skillfully surf the waves of moment-to-moment mental experience. This beautifully written, easy-to-read book gracefully conveys a series of epiphanies that can enable us to achieve self-compassion, balance and happiness. Highly recommended!"
--Terry Patten, co-author, Integral Life Practice

"A clear introduction to some basic principles of neuroscience and dharma."
--Roger Walsh, MD, Ph.D., professor at the University of California, Irvine, and author of Essential Spirituality

"Buddha's Brain brilliantly reveals the teachings of the Buddha in the light of modern neuroscience. This is a practical guide to changing your reality. This is your brain on Dharma!"
--Wes `Scoop' Nisker, author of Essential Crazy Wisdom and editor of Inquiring Mind

---

Customer Reviews

A Deep Awakening into the Heart of Mind...what is it, why is it that way, and how understanding it can change it all ! ! !
Wow ! ! ! These are the first words that come to this mind of mine, as I begin to think about this amazing new book from Rick...and that's just after reading the Editorial reviews posted at the Amazon "Buddha's Brain" web page...I invite interested readers to begin their research on "Buddha's Brain" right here.

These reviewers are each of them truely Awakened Beings in their various fields...and my respect for their depth and breadth of knowledge and subsequent praise for Rick's book...are a recommendation unlike any other...and I find myself at a loss for words to add anything to what they have generously shared with all of us about this book.

What I can share from my own experience in reading the book though, is the profound way my understanding has changed about my own mind. Rick has laid bare for me it's intricate mechanisms...and in learning how to work with these systems for myself...I have come to an absolutley new relationship with myself...and by natural projection...with all the world. Rick has so skillfully and even lovingly I might say...midwifed this amazing transformation for me. It has been a journey deep deep inside not only the far reaches of my brain and psyche...but into the sometimes impenatrable depths of my soul. What I have found when I got there was not the "Nothingness" that is sometimes spoken of in Buddhist teachings...but instead...an amazing "Everythingness". I really can say that "Buddha's Brain" split apart any and all misconceptions that I have clung to so dearly in my mind as to "Who" I have always "Thought" I was...alone, seperate, lost, amongst them. Now I understand the nature of how those misconceptions have arisen in my neurobiology and in my conditioned experience, and how that has gone on to mold my sense and experience of self. With Rick's wonderful guidance in this book...I've found not only a sure path to the truth of who I am...but also the possibility of creating for myself the opportunity to be happy, joyful, safe, and connected to everything and everyone...to be a part of the "Everythingness" of it all.

Deep Deep Bows to you Rick for guiding me along this journey into the Heart and Mind and Soul of what it means to be human...and perhaps evn more importantly...into the understanding of what it means to be Me.

Buddha's Brain on My Mind!
"Buddha'a Brain" is a highly practical, no-nonsense manual to your brain that teaches you to drive your brain using the gearbox of your mind. This very well researched book trains you to fire up your brain, to cool it down, and even to expand your "consciousness workspace." The neuro-anatomical commentary that accompanies the Sunyuata doctrine of "no fixed self" is masterful! "Buddha's Brain" is a laconic, pragmatic cousin to James Austin's "Zen and the Brain." Bound to be a classic!

Pavel Somov, Ph.D.
author of "Eating the Moment," "Present Perfect: a Mindfulness Approach to Overcoming Perfectionism and the Need to Control," & "The Lotus Effect"

Highly Recommended
We have often been told that by altering our thoughts, deeds and words, we can create a happier, more fulfilled life. This book, at the intersection between psychology, neuroscience, and Buddhism, offers effective methods to show us how to live such a life by being fully present in the moment.

Hanson and Mendius, a neuropsychologist and a neurologist and both practicing Buddhists, show us just how the brain programs us to experience the world a certain way by combining information from the external world with information held in neural pathways within the brain. These pathways operate in the background of our awareness, influencing our conscious mental activity. Unless we consciously interrupt this process, we are destined to develop deeper neural networks and even stronger programming.

The argument that the brain has the ability to simulate the world is not new. What is interesting is how Hanson and Mendius link Buddhist teachings on the causes of suffering (painful situations cannot be avoided but our emotional responses to them can) to the deep programming in our brains caused by ancestral survival strategies. They suggest that this hardwiring helped us survive constant life-threatening situations but is based on erroneous beliefs that we are separate, that it is possible to stabilize an ever changing world, that we can avoid situations that create pain and pursue only those that give us pleasure. None of these beliefs are true or can be attained. Their inherent contradictions cause us to live with an underlying feeling of anxiety taking us away from our true ground of being and causing much physical and psychological ill-health.

The main part of the book is a practical guide and is packed with useful exercises and guided meditations to help us develop a more loving, happier, and wiser state of being. The methods Hanson and Mendius suggest are informed by their experiences as therapists and management consultants, and are rooted in Buddhist teachings on mindfulness, virtue, and wisdom. I particularly liked the way they use neuroscience to underpin the tools they offer, only choosing "methods that have a plausible scientific explanation for how they light up neural networks of contentment, kindness and peace." Now I know why taking five deep inhalations and exhalations calms me.

Many of their methods show how to activate desired brain states by consciously changing the association between an event and its painful or pleasurable feelings. This can take a long time. Understanding the neuroscience behind the process can help us be compassionate with ourselves when "swimming against ancient currents within our nervous system."

This book is very informative, with helpful summaries at the end of each chapter. The authors' writing, even when explaining the intricacies of neuroscience, is infused with humor and fun to read. This is a good working manual to help us to become who we already are, and an important contribution to the growing body of knowledge on the relationship between mind, brain, and consciousness. Highly Recommended.

Review by Marta Freundlich