Buddha's Brain
by Rich Hanson summary
Rick Hanson, Ph.D., is a neuropsychologist, a Senior Fellow of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, and a New York Times best-selling author. He’s been an invited speaker at Oxford, Stanford, and Harvard, and taught in meditation centers worldwide.
This book talks about internal functioning of brain and mind in a minute level; and at the same time, talks about love, compassion, mindfulness, equanimity, relaxation, blissful, kindness; and how we can use the focus of our mind to harness the power of attention to enhance our life, and our relationships with others. With new breakthroughs in modern neuroscience and the wisdom of thousands of years of contemplative practice, it is possible for us to shape our own thoughts in a similar way for greater happiness, love, compassion, and wisdom.
Buddha's Brain joins the forces of modern neuroscience with ancient contemplative teachings to show readers how they can work toward greater emotional well-being, healthier relationships, more effective actions, and deepened religious and spiritual understanding. This book explain how the core elements of both psychological well-being and religious or spiritual life-virtue, mindfulness, and wisdom-are based in the core functions of the brain: regulating, learning, and valuing. Readers will also learn practical ways to apply this information, as the book offers many exercises they can do to tap the unused potential of the brain and rewire it over time for greater peace and well-being.
What makes this book different from others is the way that the authors link Buddhist practice to neuroscience. The thought is that the brain is preprogrammed with survival strategies that link back to our ancestors. The authors show the reader ways that their conscious mental activity and thought processing can lead to altering these survival linked neural pathways that are always active outside of awareness. The reader is walked through different meditation practices and ways of thinking about difficult situations to end up with a more positive attitude causing a more positive outlook in the long run. These methods help the reader to activate more desired and positive neural pathways instead of the survival ones that are usually the first response.
Well-referenced and grounded in science, the book is full of practical tools and skills that you can use in daily
life to rewire your brain over time. The brain is the bodily organ that most affects who you are and your experience
of living – so learning how to take good care of it, and strengthen and direct it in the ways that will help you
the most, is a profound gift to yourself, and to everyone else whose life you touch.
You’ll learn how your brain creates worry or inner strength, heartache or love, anger or peacefulness, confusion
or clarity, and suffering or its end – and how to:
-Take in good experiences to feel happier and more confident – defeating the brain’s negativity bias,
which is like Velcro for bad experiences but Teflon for positive ones.
-Train your brain to cool down stress, greed, and hatred – and come home to your natural core of calm and contentment.
-Energize the neural networks of compassion, empathy, and love – and clear out resentment, envy, and ill will.
-Improve attention for daily life, mindfulness, and meditation.
-Feel more at one with the world, and less separate and vulnerable.
-Get the nutrients your brain needs to maintain a good mood, relieve anxiety, sharpen memory, and strengthen concentration.
If you can change your brain, you can change your life.
-Do small things inside your mind that will lead to big changes in your brain and your experience of living.