Scientist studies brain from the inside out.
By Loden Jinpa on Mar 20, 2008 in Contemplative Science | comments(0)
In a truly inspirational video (although I’m not a fan of overly flowery language) neuroanatomist Jill Taylor describes an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened — as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding — she studied and remembered every moment. This is a powerful story about how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.
Clearly there are meditators who can identify with the experiences she describes. Either way I have confidence that scientists will over time expand on the current theories of consciousness espoused by people like Dan Dennet to one that is closer a line to Buddhist theory of consciousness. I also think that we as Buddhists need to be open minded about the theory of consciousness.
Simply dismissing the western science view outright is not useful for the individual or Buddhism. We can learn from each other. There is no doubt that the brain plays some role in how we experience the world. I believe this video shows this. I also think it shows that subtle consciousness is not reliant on the brain.
Regardless it is a good watch!
