Mind in the Balance: Meditation in Science, Buddhism, & Christianity (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780231147309)

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.

Author: B. Alan Wallace
ISBN-10: 0231147309
ISBN-13: 9780231147309
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Language: English
Published: 03/03/2009
Pages: 264
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.04lbs
Size: 9.12h x 6.38w x 0.89d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 09/01/2009