Buddhists and the brain

I picked up the current issue of "Shambhala Sun" magazine at B&N the other day. The magazine contains a couple of articles about an ongoing dialogue between scientific research into brain processes and Buddhist philosophy on the workings of the mind. The current Dalai Lama is fascinated by the inner workings of the human brain, and he has been instrumental in creating a Mind and Life Institute that holds periodic conferences. Neurological science has moved towards Buddhist philosophy with its recognition of "emotional intelligence" and recognition of the value of meditation. One medical study raised the possibility that brain activity and affective moods actually change as the result of extensive meditation. Both sides in the discussion understand that mind and brain are different, though related concepts. One doctor states that "the level of description of mind and the level of description of rain are very different, but I also believe that mind depends on brain and without brain there is no mind." The author then points out that "while in Buddhism, mind transcends embodiment, as evidenced by reincarnation, in neuroscience mind or consciousness is considered an 'emergent property'; it just pops up where there are brains."

The magazine also contains an excerpt from the Dalai Lama's book "The Universe in a Single Atom." The DL recognizes that the "experience of consciousnes" is subjective, while the scientific method is objective. He notes that consciousness consists of varied mental states, some of which are explicitly cognitive (belief, memory, recognition, attention), some that are explicitly affective (emotions), and some that function as causal factors that motivate us to action (volition, will, desire, fear, and anger). Even within those mental states, there are distinctions between sensory perceptions, which require some immediacy in relation to objects, and conceptual thought processes, which do not. To the extent that consciousness stems from physical, chemical processes, it can be studied via the scientific method. One neuroscientist told the DL that all mental states arise from physical states, and that it is impossible for mental states to work changes to physical states, as the DL suggested might be possible. The DL opines that the neuroscientist's claim was a metaphysical assumption, and not a scientific fact. He would like to see science integrate "the phenomenonological aspect of mental phenomena, namely the subjective experience of the individual." Because consciousness is at least in part subjective and experiential, that subjectivity and experience should be taken into account. The DL recognizes that metaphysical differences may remain regarding whether conciousness depends entirely on physical processes or whether subjective experiences are nonmaterial phenomena, but he believes that "the key issue here is to bracket out the metaphysical questions about mind and matter, and to explore together how to understand scientifically the various modalities of the mind." By better understanding the modalities of the mind, the DL believes, we can gain an understanding of the mind and its relation to suffering, which will help in coming up with ways to alleviate suffering.

Fascinating stuff. I really should know more about brain science and mental health than I do, given my kids' autism. It does seem that the DL is, in essence, attempting to reconcile psychology and religion with neurology and physiology. Am I anywhere close to being right? In any event, it's nice to see someone with an intellect that is both broad and deep trying to bring together science and spirituality.