Zen and the Brain: Toward an Understanding of Meditation and Consciousness

Einstein told us almost a century ago that "science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." If ever there were a 900 page coffee table tome meant to be savored as a paradoxical Minute Book in highly digestible bite size sections as the mood strikes, Zen and the Brain is it. "In this book Zen Buddhism becomes the opening wedge for an extraordinarily wide ranging exploration of consciousness. In order to understand which brain mechanisms produce Zen states, one needs some understanding of the anatomy, physiology, and chemistry of the brain. Austin, both a neurologist and a Zen practitioner, interweaves the most recent brain research with the personal narrative of his Zen experiences. The science is both inclusive and rigorous; the Zen sections are clear and evocative. Along the way, Austin examines such topics as similar states in other disciplines and religions, sleep and dreams, mental illness, consciousness altering drugs, and the social consequences of the advanced stage of ongoing enlightenment." Recommended.

A monk asked master Chi-Chen: "What is the way upward?" The master replied, "You will hit it by descending lower."This is a valuable book written by a competent scientist/MD on a topic of great importance. Is it possible to change our experience of ourselves and the world through dedicated practice - in other words, is it possible to become a happy person? Buddhism and other religions have always claimed this is possible if one dedicated oneself to a thorough investigation of one's own perception and cognition. Modern science approaches these questions from another end - it has succeeded in elucidating many of the key biological mechanisms which underlie brain function (such as attention, perception, cognition and dreaming). This book combines insights obtained from both endeavours and thus provides a welcome bridge between the meditation methods sharpened through thousands of years of practice and modern neuroscience. The book is composed of four parts: (1) an intro on physiological effects of meditation is a thoughtful compilation of evidence gathered from (mostly) TM and zen meditators. Austin describes the changes in brain physiology (coherence in EEG activity, changes in oxygen consumption, breathing patterns), cognition (changes in perception, attention) and the long-range positive changes in attitude that occur in serious meditators; this part also includes a very competent overview of the effects of psychedelics on both brain activity and behaviour (2) a compendium of brain anatomy/physiology/chemistry which is a bit confusing and way too detailed. probably too simplistic for an expert and way too complicated for a layman; many findings described here are likely to be already out of date or to become so within the next couple of years. (3) a description of Buddhist and zen philosophy and practice which i find to be excellent (4) There are interesting accounts of Austin's own experiences during zen meditation - which include kensho (experience of "enlightenement"). i especially liked his speculations on the relationship between zen practice and personal growth. i found them useful because, as opposed to the recapitulation of other people's work, Austing here finally integrates the material via his own insights and experiences. In summary, I found this book to be worthwhile and interesting (if at times tedious). A wonderful thing about it is that it was written by an eminent neurologist and scientist (a Professor Emeritus, no less) who has immersed himself in an arduous and unflinching investigation of his personal experience of the world. This book thus represents an impressive bridge between quality science and quality zen practice and a welcome step towards integration of true phenomenology (meditation) and of open-minded empiricism. The week point of this book is its lack of organization: Austin tends to add new stuff when he runs into it and he tends to do this rather haphazardly. As a result, the book lacks focus, things get repeat

James Austin has devoted the majority of his life to the science of the brain, steeped as it is in the empirical disciplines of the Western laboratory, and nearly an equal amount in the strict discipline of Zen meditation, with its mysterious koans and indefatigable pursuit of Eastern-style enlightenment. Now this is a gorge fit for the best Andean rope-bridge makers! I read Zen and the Brain as part of my extensive studies of the neurophysiology of movement, especially related to golf. I believe that recent advances over the last 25 years in brain science offer opportunities to understand the mind-body relationship in much greater depth. So I was reasonably familiar with the neurophysiological and neuropharmcological studies Dr. Austin has lived with and reports on in the book's survey of the relationship between the brain and the experience of Zen meditation. The conclusion one draws from this is that the so-called mysterious stages and cognitive / physiological phenomenon of Zen are truly understandable (to an extent) in terms of Western-style science. That is, explainable, measurable, predictable, reproducible, testable. To an extent. And that goes a long, long way toward bridging the gorge, at least from the West. The really interesting aspect is that Dr. Austin breaks new ground the only way he can without an NSF / NIH research budget sufficient to reach Mars: he uses personal monitoring and introspection to report his inner cognitive and behavioral / physiological experiences and searches the literature critically for possible connections and explanations. Obviously, the conclusions are frequently superbly educated guesses, and this is to be celebrated. Who else is guessing from such an educated base? Thanks, Dr. Austin.

A western, scientific style investigation of the physiological/ psychological phenomena associated with the states of consciousness which can be achieve through Zen meditation and other related spiritual practices. As somone who struggles to reconcile Eastern, intuitive philosophy with Western rational philosophy, I was totally absorbed by this book. It successfully puts each in the context of the other and has helped to fundamentally change my views on the nature of spirituality and religion.It maps observed experience of "altered states of consciousness" and spiritual experience onto the emerging understanding of brain physiology to give a glimpse into the underlying dynamics of what is happening to the experiant.My hunch is that this book will come to be regarded as a watershed in our understanding of spirituality. This is a weighty tome with a lot of scientific detail but it is extremely well written and enjoyable to read.