Download or read book Zen and the Brain The James H Austin Omnibus Edition Meditating Selflessly Zen Brain Horizons and Living Zen Remindfully written by James H. Austin and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2018-08-02 with total page 905 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Three books on Zen and the brain by the celebrated Zen practitioner-neurologist James Austin. This compilation in digital form of three books by the celebrated Zen practitioner-neurologist James Austin offers concrete advice about various methods of meditation, provides timeless wisdom of Zen masters, integrates classical Buddhist literature with modern brain research, and explores mindfulness (and remindfulness) training. In these books, Austin clarifies the benefits of meditative training, guiding readers toward that open awareness awaiting them on the cushion and in the natural world. He discusses different types of meditation, meditation and problem-solving, and the meaning of enlightenment; addresses egocentrism (self-centeredness) and allocentrism (other-centeredness) and the blending of focal and global attention; and considers the illuminating confluence of Zen, clinical neurology, and neuroscience. He describes an everyday life of “living Zen” while drawing on the poetry of Basho, the seventeenth-century haiku master, and illuminates the world of authentic Zen training—the commitment to a process of regular, ongoing daily life practice that trains and enables us to unlearn unfruitful habits, develop more wholesome ones, and lead a more genuinely creative life.
Download or read book Living Zen Remindfully written by James H. Austin and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2018-03-09 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A seasoned Zen practitioner and neurologist looks more deeply at mindfulness, connecting it to our subconscious and to memory and creativity. This is a book for readers who want to probe more deeply into mindfulness. It goes beyond the casual, once-in-awhile meditation in popular culture, grounding mindfulness in daily practice, Zen teachings, and recent research in neuroscience. In Living Zen Remindfully, James Austin, author of the groundbreaking Zen and the Brain, describes authentic Zen training—the commitment to a process of regular, ongoing daily life practice. This training process enables us to unlearn unfruitful habits, develop more wholesome ones, and lead a more genuinely creative life. Austin shows that mindfulness can mean more than our being conscious of the immediate “now.” It can extend into the subconscious, where most of our brain's activities take place, invisibly. Austin suggests ways that long-term meditative training helps cultivate the hidden, affirmative resource of our unconscious memory. Remindfulness, as Austin terms it, can help us to adapt more effectively and to live more authentic lives. Austin discusses different types of meditation, meditation and problem-solving, and the meaning of enlightenment. He addresses egocentrism (self-centeredness) and allocentrism (other-centeredness), and the blending of focal and global attention. He explains the remarkable processes that encode, store, and retrieve our memories, focusing on the covert, helpful remindful processes incubating at subconscious levels. And he considers the illuminating confluence of Zen, clinical neurology, and neuroscience. Finally, he describes an everyday life of “living Zen,” drawing on the poetry of Basho, the seventeenth-century haiku master.
Download or read book Zen and the Brain written by James H. Austin and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 1999-06-04 with total page 876 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A neuroscientist and Zen practitioner interweaves the latest research on the brain with his personal narrative of Zen. Aldous Huxley called humankind's basic trend toward spiritual growth the "perennial philosophy." In the view of James Austin, the trend implies a "perennial psychophysiology"—because awakening, or enlightenment, occurs only when the human brain undergoes substantial changes. What are the peak experiences of enlightenment? How could these states profoundly enhance, and yet simplify, the workings of the brain? Zen and the Brain presents the latest evidence. In this book Zen Buddhism becomes the opening wedge for an extraordinarily wide-ranging exploration of consciousness. In order to understand which brain mechanisms produce Zen states, one needs some understanding of the anatomy, physiology, and chemistry of the brain. Austin, both a neurologist and a Zen practitioner, interweaves the most recent brain research with the personal narrative of his Zen experiences. The science is both inclusive and rigorous; the Zen sections are clear and evocative. Along the way, Austin examines such topics as similar states in other disciplines and religions, sleep and dreams, mental illness, consciousness-altering drugs, and the social consequences of the advanced stage of ongoing enlightenment.
Download or read book Zen Brain Horizons written by James H. Austin and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2014-08-22 with total page 301 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A neurologist and Zen practitioner clarifies the benefits of meditative training, drawing on classical Buddhist literature and modern brain research. In Zen-Brain Horizons, James Austin draws on his decades of experience as a neurologist and Zen practitioner to clarify the benefits of meditative training. Austin integrates classical Buddhist literature with modern brain research, exploring the horizons of a living, neural Zen. When viewed in the light of today, the timeless wisdom of some Zen masters seems almost to have anticipated recent research in the neurosciences. The keen attentiveness and awareness that we cultivate during meditative practices becomes the leading edge of our subsequent mental processing. Austin explains how our covert, involuntary functions can make crucial contributions to the subtle ways we learn, intuit, and engage in creative activities. He demonstrates why living Zen means much more than sitting quietly indoors on a cushion, and provides simplified advice that helps guide readers to the most important points.
Download or read book Selfless Insight written by James H. Austin and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2011-09-30 with total page 371 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Attention, self-consciousness, insight, wisdom, emotional maturity: how Zen teachings can illuminate the way our brains function and vice-versa. When neurology researcher James Austin began Zen training, he found that his medical education was inadequate. During the past three decades, he has been at the cutting edge of both Zen and neuroscience, constantly discovering new examples of how these two large fields each illuminate the other. Now, in Selfless Insight, Austin arrives at a fresh synthesis, one that invokes the latest brain research to explain the basis for meditative states and clarifies what Zen awakening implies for our understanding of consciousness. Austin, author of the widely read Zen and the Brain, reminds us why Zen meditation is not only mindfully attentive but evolves to become increasingly selfless and intuitive. Meditators are gradually learning how to replace over-emotionality with calm, clear objective comprehension. In this new book, Austin discusses how meditation trains our attention, reprogramming it toward subtle forms of awareness that are more openly mindful. He explains how our maladaptive notions of self are rooted in interactive brain functions. And he describes how, after the extraordinary, deep states of kensho-satori strike off the roots of the self, a flash of transforming insight-wisdom leads toward ways of living more harmoniously and selflessly. Selfless Insight is the capstone to Austin's journey both as a creative neuroscientist and as a Zen practitioner. His quest has spanned an era of unprecedented progress in brain research and has helped define the exciting new field of contemplative neuroscience.
Download or read book Chase Chance and Creativity written by James H. Austin and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2003-08-15 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A personal story of the ways in which persistence, chance, and creativity interact in biomedical research. This first book by the author of Zen and the Brain examines the role of chance in the creative process. James Austin tells a personal story of the ways in which persistence, chance, and creativity interact in biomedical research; the conclusions he reaches shed light on the creative process in any field. Austin shows how, in his own investigations, unpredictable events shaped the outcome of his research and brought about novel results. He then goes beyond this story of serendipity to propose a new classification of the varieties of chance, drawing on his own research and examples from the history of science—including the famous accidents that led Fleming to the discovery of penicillin. Finally, he explores the nature of the creative process, considering not only the environmental and neurophysiological correlates of creativity but also the role of intuition in both scientific discoveries and spiritual quests. This updated MIT Press paperback edition includes a new introduction and recent material on medical research, creativity, and spirituality.
Download or read book Zen Brain Reflections written by James H. Austin and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2010-09-24 with total page 615 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A sequel to the popular Zen and the Brain further explores pivotal points of intersection in Zen Buddhism, neuroscience, and consciousness, arriving at a new synthesis of information from both neuroscience research and Zen studies. This sequel to the widely read Zen and the Brain continues James Austin's explorations into the key interrelationships between Zen Buddhism and brain research. In Zen-Brain Reflections, Austin, a clinical neurologist, researcher, and Zen practitioner, examines the evolving psychological processes and brain changes associated with the path of long-range meditative training. Austin draws not only on the latest neuroscience research and new neuroimaging studies but also on Zen literature and his personal experience with alternate states of consciousness. Zen-Brain Reflections takes up where the earlier book left off. It addresses such questions as: how do placebos and acupuncture change the brain? Can neuroimaging studies localize the sites where our notions of self arise? How can the latest brain imaging methods monitor meditators more effectively? How do long years of meditative training plus brief enlightened states produce pivotal transformations in the physiology of the brain? In many chapters testable hypotheses suggest ways to correlate normal brain functions and meditative training with the phenomena of extraordinary states of consciousness. After briefly introducing the topic of Zen and describing recent research into meditation, Austin reviews the latest studies on the amygdala, frontotemporal interactions, and paralimbic extensions of the limbic system. He then explores different states of consciousness, both the early superficial absorptions and the later, major "peak experiences." This discussion begins with the states called kensho and satori and includes a fresh analysis of their several different expressions of "oneness." He points beyond the still more advanced states toward that rare ongoing stage of enlightenment that is manifest as "sage wisdom." Finally, with reference to a delayed "moonlight" phase of kensho, Austin envisions novel links between migraines and metaphors, moonlight and mysticism. The Zen perspective on the self and consciousness is an ancient one. Readers will discover how relevant Zen is to the neurosciences, and how each field can illuminate the other.
Download or read book Meditating Selflessly written by James H. Austin and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2011-10-07 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A guide to Zen meditative practice informed by the latest findings in brain research. This is not the usual kind of self-help book. Indeed, its major premise heeds a Zen master's advice to be less self-centered. Yes, it is "one more book of words about Zen," as the author concedes, yet this book explains meditative practices from the perspective of a "neural Zen." The latest findings in brain research inform its suggestions. In Meditating Selflessly, James Austin—Zen practitioner, neurologist, and author of three acclaimed books on Zen and neuroscience—guides readers toward that open awareness already awaiting them on the cushion and in the natural world. Austin offers concrete advice—often in a simplified question-and-answer format—about different ways to meditate. He clarifies both the concentrative and receptive styles of meditation. Drawing widely from the exciting new field of contemplative neuroscience, Austin helps resolve an ancient paradox: why both insight wisdom and selflessness arise simultaneously during enlightened states of consciousness.
Download or read book Selfless Insight written by James H. Austin and published by Mit Press. This book was released on 2009 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Attention, self-consciousness, insight, wisdom, emotional maturity: how Zen teachings can illuminate the way our brains function and vice-versa.
Download or read book The Everything Zen written by Jacky Sach and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2011-12-15 with total page 420 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Do you find yourself restless and distracted by the hustle and bustle of the modern world? Have you sought comfort in possessions and acclaim only to be disappointed by their emptiness? If so, you are not along. The Everything Zen Book introduces you to thousands of years of ancient teachings that can help you achieve inner peace and unity with the world around you. Whether you are at home or in the office, this easy-to-follow guide shows you how to apply ancient Zen principles to every area of your life—from relationships and your career to artistic expression and your health.
Download or read book Living Zen written by Seth Zuihō Segall and published by Callisto Media, Inc.. This book was released on 2020-05-19 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Find balance with a hands-on guide to Zen Zen can be achieved by anyone—and Living Zen will show you the way. This simple and straightforward guide helps you bring the practice of Zen into your life with scenarios inspired by the real lives of people who are using Zen strategies to overcome real challenges. Whether you’re a new or current practitioner, Living Zen provides you with a quick primer on the ideas behind Zen and its spiritual background before showing you how to bring it into your life. Discover a variety of exercises you can use to achieve peace and balance, complete with anecdotal examples of how Zen works in the real world. Whether it’s at home, at work, or on the go, find out how you can apply Zen principles to persevere in difficult times. Living Zen features: Everyday Zen—Learn how Zen can help you with everything from managing anger and jealousy to preparing to study for an exam. Activities for positivity—Get actionable advice for being more present, positive, and balanced in your day-to-day life. Easy to use—Situational guides walk you through the process of staying Zen during the most trying times. Get the guidance you need to make Zen a part of your life.
Download or read book Memories of a Nobody written by James H. Austin and published by . This book was released on 2004-10 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book relates the author's arrival in Germany together with his wife and children. He is employed in a mental hospital and works himself up to a recognized authority on the treatment of the psychically ill, in particular the chronic psychotics and the addicts, introducing modern management and treatment in a yet undeveloped facility. There are problems, conflicts, obstacles. But the task is rewarding and the regrets irreversible. The author describes his life with family in the Germany of the seventies. They travel extensively and they years bring a lots of satisfaction as well as heartaches. He stays at the Andernach Hospital for a whole 12 years and experiences the contrast of German post-war culture with the American way of handling the problems of the mentally ill. The book shows the impact of innovative thinking and handling on old static structures and methods. There is a lot of personal telling and it makes this work more enjoyable within the framework of an almost scientific sociological effort within a trans cultural setting.
Download or read book Zen written by Evie Harrisson and published by Self Publisher. This book was released on 2020-08-15 with total page 86 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a 2-book combo, which has the following titles: Book 1: Is Zen meditation something you have been looking into? Are you mindful of your surroundings? Do you want to enjoy the present better? These are things you can enjoy with the help of Zen, which refers to peace of mind and relaxation, in most cases. When you are at work, when you are trying to be more forgiving in an intense relationship, or when you are stressed out too much… Zen can be the principle of living that can pull you through. Book 2: Most people who practice Zen techniques, are calmer and more satisfied in their lives. It’s one of those things you have to experience to understand it. A pure Zen perspective on life can carry many benefits. It can help reduce stress and anxiety, alter the neurochemicals in your cerebrum, and make you feel more powerful and capable of things because of a more balanced outlook on the many challenges you face every day. Take the time to learn about the ancient art of Zen. You won’t regret it.
Download or read book Developments in Meditation and State of Consciousness written by James H. Austin and published by . This book was released on 2009-03 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This sequel to the widely read Zen and the Brain continues James Austin’s explorations into the key inter-relationships between Zen Buddhism and brain research. In Zen-brain reflections, Austin, a clinical neurologist, researcher, and Zen practi-tioner, examines the evolving psycho-logical processes and brain changes associated with the path of long-range meditative training. Austin draws not only one the latest neuroscience research and new neuroimaging studies but also on Zen literature and his personal experience with alternate states of consciousness. Zen-Brain Reflections takes up where the earlier book left off. It addresses such questions as: how do placebos and acupuncture change the brain? Can neuroimaging studies localize the site where our notions of self arise? How can the latest brain imaging methods monitor meditators more effectively? How do long years of meditative training plus brief enlightened states produce pivotal transformations in the physiology of the brain? In many chapters testable hypotheses suggest ways to correlate normal brain functions and meditative training with the phenomena of extraordinary states of consciousness. After briefly introducing the topic of Zen and describing recent research into meditation, Austin reviews the latest studies on the amygdale, frontotemporal interactions, and paralimbic extensions of the limbic system. He then explores different state of consciousness, both the early superficial absorptions and the later, major “peak experiences†. This discussion begins with the states called kensho and satori and includes a fresh analysis of their several different expressions of “oneness†He points beyond the still more advanced states toward that rare ongoing stage of enlightenment that is manifest as “sage wisdom†. Finally, with reference to a delayed “moonlight†phase of kensho, Austin envisions novel links between migraines and metaphors, moonlight and mysticism. The Zen perspective on the self and consciousness is an ancient one. Readers will discover how relevant Zen is to the neurosciences. And how each field can illuminate the other.
Download or read book Talking Zen written by Alan Watts and published by Shambhala Publications. This book was released on 2022-06-21 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Insightful and entertaining essays spanning 40 years of lectures by Alan Watts on Zen, Taoism, psychedelics, and comparative philosophy. Alan Watts's essays and talks range widely through psychology, art, religion, and politics, but always come home to the Zen core. For those familiar with Alan Watts’s style of presentation, the wonderful, memorable, and prophetic style of his voice is captured in this volume. Talking Zen puts on display Watts’s ability to explore the very subtle philosophies, those common across traditions and those unique to Zen, in ordinary and accessible language. These lectures paved the way for the rise of Zen in the West.
Download or read book Zen Beginner s Guide Happy Peaceful and Focused Lifestyle for Everyone written by Ian Tuhovsky and published by Positive Coaching LLC. This book was released on with total page 118 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover the Noble Teachings of Zen to Bring Peace & Happiness to Your Everyday Life! Dear Friends, Contrary to popular belief, Zen is not a discipline reserved for monks practicing Kung Fu. Although there is some truth to this idea, Zen is a practice that is applicable, useful and pragmatic for anyone to study regardless of what religion you follow (or don’t follow). Zen is the practice of studying your subconscious and seeing your true nature. The purpose of this work is to show you how to apply and utilize the teachings and essence of Zen in everyday life in the Western society. I’m not really an “absolute truth seeker” unworldly type of person - I just believe in practical plans and blueprints that actually help in living a better life. Of course I will tell you about the origin of Zen and the traditional ways of practicing it, but I will also show you my side of things, my personal point of view and translation of many Zen truths into a more “contemporary” and practical language. It is a “modern Zen lifestyle” type of book. I invite you to take this journey into the peaceful world of Zen Buddhism with me today! In This Book You Will Read About: •Where Did Zen Come From? - A short history and explanation of Zen •What Does Zen Teach? - The major teachings and precepts of Zen •Various Zen meditation techniques that are applicable and practical for everyone! •The benefits of a Zen lifestyle •What Zen Buddhism is NOT? •How to slow down and start enjoying your life •How to accept everything and lose nothing •Why being alone can be beneficial •Why pleasure is NOT happiness •Six Ways to Practically Let Go •How to de-clutter your life and live simply •"Mindfulness on Steroids" •How to Take Care of your Awareness and Focus •Where to start and how to practice Zen as a regular person •And many other interesting concepts...
Download or read book Zen and the Art of Anything written by Hal French and published by Harmony. This book was released on 2001-10-15 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "If shelf and cerebral space allowed for only one book on personal spirituality, self-knowledge, or improvement, it could easily be Dr. Hal French's Zen and the Art of Anything." ¯The Star Reporter, Columbia, S.C. THIS IS NOT JUST A BOOK ABOUT ZEN. THIS IS ZEN! Simply put, Zen is mindfulness¯extracting the most from a given moment. You are invited, through this book, to understand Zen As something that is not exotic or difficult to attain. Rather, Zen is basic and available to anyone wishing to have a more fulfilling life. Think of everyday activities: breathing and speaking, waking and sleeping, Moving and staying, eating and drinking, working and playing, caring and loving. If we are truly mindful in our daily living, thereby practicing Zen, We can elevate the most fundamental activity to an art form. Through Dr. Hal French's charming, mindful writing, You can actually find the key to a more authentic and meaningful life. The simple act of reading his thoughts and works, Filled with so many elegant and artful insights, enables Zen. AN ENABLING BOOK MUST ALSO ENOBLE. AND SO THIS DOES. "[Zen and the Art of Anything] teaches¯in just the way [Hal French] speaks, kindly, lovingly, humorously¯chapter by chapter, how to breathe and speak, wake and sleep, move and stay, eat and drink, play and work, care and love, thrive and survive... There is a charmingly homey and homely feel to the way Dr. French does this." ¯The State, Columbia, SC From the Trade Paperback edition.
