Buddha's Brain: neuroscience and Eastern wisdom integration

Buddha's Brain

Why you selected book

The book has adequate referencing and based on science, the book provides enough practical knowledge and techniques that can be used to keep revitalizing our brain in day-to-day life. The brain is an important organ that most influence your personality and your existential experience. Therefore, getting knowledge to keep it healthy, making it strong and using it in the positive direction that benefit you maximum, is a precious treasure for yourself, and for all those people whom you interact in your life. Prominent scholars, psychologists and teachers such as, Jennifer Louden, Jerome Engel, Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg Walsh, Tara Brach, Richard Miller, Fred Luskin, Phillip Zelazo, James Baraz, Wes Nisker, Christina Feldman and many others, have admired Buddha's Brain. The book summarizes that how anxiety or inner strength, sorrow or love, annoyance and calmness, confusion or clarity, anguish or relief is created by your brain -- and how to:

Reflect on positive happenings of your life to be in high sprit and more confident -- overcoming the brain's negativity for bad experiences like Velcro but for positive ones like Teflon.

Instruct your brain to tackle with stress, greed, and hatred -- and remain in a state of harmony and happiness.

Strengthen the neural networks of kindness, empathy and love -- and remain free from hate, jealousy and bitterness.

Be attentive in routine life, carefulness, and meditation.

Be more social and think yourself an important part of the world, and less isolated and unsafe.

Use healthy food or supplement that is essential for your brain to retain a good frame of mind, relieve anxiety, boost memory, and to enhance concentration. You can change your life, if you are able to change your brain (Rick Hanson, 2016).

The book is well organized, not too technical, and at the end of each chapter, has a simple and easy "review" section. I read one chapter a day. I could certainly read more, but this would have spoilt the purpose of reading this great book. It successfully explains developing brain science surrounding motivation, contentment and (Eastern) wisdom. It is a combination of Western "why" and Eastern "practice." For that reason it is "Practical Neuroscience." The book provides scientific reasoning to explain the effectiveness of meditation. This is my prime interest besides other exercises that give the method of invigorating the useful neural networks (those which help you relax, make good decisions, feel loving and safe) like using imagery, having a deep breath, conscious relaxation etc. It is not only about doing exercises to relax, but is also the running commentary on the functions of the neural systems that are used in these actions. I'm in the middle of the book, and certainly will be relaxing as I read it sometime today (Litterski, 2011).

What piqued your interest and why

When I found "Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love and Wisdom" on the rack, and read the back cover, it increased my curiosity to know further something similar I have read before. I know at least two guys that relate these issues, so chances are "Buddha's Brain" will not only beneficial be for us but it will also be helpful for others. Actually, the title attracted me and became the principal reason for taking interest in the book and it also gives a scientific explanation of concepts that were considered supernatural or solely spiritual.

What you liked and why

As noted above, Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and other prominent teachers were all born with a same brain. Then using their minds, they adopted ways to develop their brains that changed history. Using new discoveries in neuroscience, joined with deep understanding of centuries' meditative practice, I am also able to change my brain for better contentment, love, and wisdom. Having understood this section, I decided to follow the book further. Another reason is, if I read the book more closely, it will open my mind and there is likelihood that I achieve something outstanding like Jesus, Buddha, or Moses did.

Book Review: Buddha's Brain 4