The Department of Religious Studies, University of Virginia, presents a talk by B. Alan Wallace, PhD, "Principles of a Buddhist Science of Mind," THURSDAY, JANUARY 27, 2005. 7 PM in RUFFNER HALL, ROOM G004A.
Over its 400-year history, modern science has witnessed two revolutions in the physical sciences and one in the life sciences, but it has yet to bring about its first revolution in the cognitive sciences. A principal reason for this may be that, while physicists and biologists have developed rigorous means for directly observing the phenomena under examination, cognitive scientists have failed to devise methods for directly observing mental phenomena, as opposed to their behavioral and neural correlates. While Buddhism has no brain science and no quantitative means of investigating human behavior, it has developed sophisticated means for observing the mind directly and exploring the origins, nature, and causal efficacy of mental events. In this lecture, methods for refining attention and applying it to the rigorous, introspective study of the mind will be discussed, while examining the ways in which these contemplative means of inquiry may be deemed scientific.
B. Alan Wallace, PhD, has over 30 years experience in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and is the author and translator of numerous books on the Tibetan contemplative tradition, the interdisciplinary study of the mind, and Tibetan medicine. A long-time translator for the Dalai Lama and founder of the Santa Barbara Institute, he is presently collaborating with prominent neuroscientists and psychologists at multiple universities to study effects of meditation on the brain and optimal mental health using Buddhist methods for refining attention and cultivating emotional balance. For directions or more information contact Zach at zachr@virginia.edu. For more information about Alan Wallace, visit http://alanwallace.org. For more information about The Santa Barbara Institute, visit http://www.sbinstitute.com/