By establishing a dialogue in which the meditative practices of Buddhism and Christianity speak to the theories of modern philosophy and science, B. Alan Wallace reveals the theoretical similarities underlying these disparate disciplines and their unified approach to making sense of the objective world.
Wallace begins by exploring the relationship between Christian and Buddhist meditative practices. He outlines a sequence of meditations the reader can undertake, showing that, though Buddhism and Christianity differ in their belief systems, their methods of cognitive inquiry provide similar insight into the nature and origins of consciousness.
From this convergence Wallace then connects the approaches of contemporary cognitive science, quantum mechanics, and the philosophy of the mind. He links Buddhist and Christian views to the provocative philosophical theories of Hilary Putnam, Charles Taylor, and Bas van Fraassen, and he seamlessly incorporates the work of such physicists as Anton Zeilinger, John Wheeler, and Stephen Hawking. Combining a concrete analysis of conceptions of consciousness with a guide to cultivating mindfulness and profound contemplative practice, Wallace takes the scientific and intellectual mapping of the mind in exciting new directions.
目次
Preface Part I: Meditation: Where It Started and How It Got Here 1 1. Who Am I? 3 2. The Origins of Contemplation 7 3. The Scientific Externalization of Meditation 15 4. Scientific Studies of Meditation 27
Part II: Meditation in Theory and Practice 37 5. Practice: Attending to the Breath of Life 39 6. Theory: Coming to Our Senses 41 7. Practice: The Union of Stillness and Motion 47 8. Theory: Knowing and Healing the Mind 53 9. Practice: Behold the Light of Consciousness 71 10. Theory: Exploring the Nature of Consciousness 75 11. Practice: Probing the Nature of the Observer 87 12. Theory: The Ground State of Consciousness 89 13. Practice: Oscillating Awareness 97 14. Theory: Consciousness Without Beginning or End 99 15. Practice: Resting in the Stillness of Awareness 119 16. Theory: Worlds of Skepticism 121 17. Practice: The Emptiness of Mind 137 18. Theory: The Participatory Worlds of Buddhism 139 19. Practice: The Emptiness of Matter 151 20. Theory: The Participatory Worlds of Philosophy and Science 153 21. Practice: Resting in Timeless Consciousness 167 22. Theory: The Luminous Space of Pristine Awareness 169 23. Practice: Meditation in Action 187 24. The Universe as a Whole 189 25. What Shall We Become? 197
