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By: N. Samphell
I am not surprised that some of those neurosciencetists, who are protesting the Dalai Lama’s talk at Society for Neuroscience in Washington DC next month, are Chinese. I understand their position. They are under Chinese patriotic pressure.
But for non-Chinese scientists, I assume, they need to know little more about Buddhism in general and the Dalai Lama in particular, before they throw Buddhism and the practice of meditation into one of those isms’ category. Buddhism is not a religion in the strict sense of the term. That is why, many religious people consider Buddhist as agnostic. In fact, it is way of reasoning things out, a way of trying to understand things sanely, without making unreasonable claims and credits. It is as practical and scientific as H2O is always water.
I never thought scientists to be this narrow minded and timid to venture into new fields like the idea of research on the effect of meditation on brain. Here is a fresh field of research, thanks to Dr. Richard Davison and his team of the University of Wisconsin, for scientists to take the opportunity and make the most while the Dalai Lama and his meditation masters are easily available to provide them with more information on meditation. To my limited understanding of Buddhism there are different levels of mind. And that there are 51 sub-minds beside the primary mind. If scientists believe, that the primary location of mind is the brain, they should explore the different levels of meditative absorptions of mind on brain cells. It’s treat to their inquisitiveness.
I am shocked, that contrary to my belief of scientists being open minded, inquisitive, and given to exploring and experimenting things out, there are these 544 neuroscientists, who appeared to be dogmatically possessive, unscientific and egotistic intending to claim, that the field of neuroscience is their personal belong. In fact, nobody owns any field of knowledge for that matter, not even Buddhism.
Beside feelings, and thought process like thinking and concentration, meditation too, establishes the relationship between mind and brain, if there is a relationship between the two. Like other functions of mind, Meditation is a function of mind and, therefore, of brain as well. It is a matter of common sense understanding, that when we train and discipline our mind towards positive thoughts like generation of compassion and altruism we definitely, impact our mind, and work our brain positively.
To explore, to experiment, and to work on this relationship for a concrete and precise conclusion is what the scientists should be doing in stead of being paranoid to hear others viewpoint. For those neurotic scientists, I would say that Buddhism is "The Science of Mind"
Though I am just an ordinary lay Tibetan, though Buddhist by birth, and my knowledge of neurology is limited to High School Biology, but I know this for fact, that Meditation is not spiritualism in the sense of creating only "spiritual well being" after one does meditation for a while. It is the training of mind as it disciplines mind and brings it on the focus from wondering about the past and future. Consequently it brings physical well being as well, by regulating and balancing the flow of wind, channel and vital drops (centers). It generates wholesome well being of one’s life.
If scientists lack the spirit of curiosity and inquisitiveness to explore and experiment, we would go back to becoming a Flat Earth Society in this 21 century of Round Earth age.
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