Abstract:

Over the past three decades, since the creation of the Mind and Life Institute in the 80s, a series of conferences have introduced the idea of a convergence between Buddhism and neuroscience. Neuroscientists have been particularly interested in the possible neural correlates of Buddhist meditation, and their experiments have contributed to the current popularity of Mindfulness and derived techniques, such as “Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.” Apart from meditation, a number of important issues, such as notions of self and non-self, or Buddhist ethics and neuroethics, have been discussed. Yet, because of the media attention and a desire to reach consensus, problems and disagreements between the two fields have sometimes been ignored or downplayed, and the conversation has been limited to certain forms of Buddhist thought and practice. The time has come to move “beyond the hype” and to engage in a broader and more critical discussion.

This lecture is part of the Yin-Cheng Distinguished Lecture Series on Buddhism, hosted by Harvard FAS CAMLab.

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Speaker:

Bernard Faure
Kao Professor of Japanese Religion
Columbia University

Discussant:

Janet Gyatso
Hershey Professor of Buddhist Studies
Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs
Harvard University