Researchers at Hong Kong’s Center of Buddhist Studies have published findings that point to a connection between the heart and the mind. Buddhism has long asserted a connection between the heart and the mind. The Sanskrit word citta and the Japanese word kokoro each translate to English as both “heart” and “mind.” Now, Buddhist researchers are trying to identify that [...]
Where Buddhism and Science Meet: Teachings, Commentary, and News
Now more than ever, Buddhists are using scientific tools and scientists are using Buddhist wisdom to uncover truths about the universe. Here, we present a collection of articles on the fruits of those collaborations. Featuring the Dalai Lama, Daniel Goleman, Karen Kissel Wegela, Vincent Horn, Judy Roitman, Jack Kornfield, Judy Lief, Sam Littlefair, and more. Buddhist [...]
Author (and Zen Buddhist) Jane Hirshfield debuts “poem about the presidency” in Washington Post
The Washington Post today published "On the Fifth Day," a new "poem about the presidency" authored by Jane Hirshfield. "On the Fifth Day," according to the Washington Post, will be read by Hirshfield from the stage at the March for Science on April 22. Hirshfield, who has been heralded as one of our finest contemporary poets, is a Zen Buddhist -- though she resists the [...]
Leading neuroscientists and Buddhists agree: “Consciousness is everywhere”
New theories in neuroscience suggest consciousness is an intrinsic property of everything, just like gravity. That development opens a world of opportunity for collaboration between Buddhists and neuroscientists. "The heart of consciousness," says neuroscientist Christof Koch, "is that it feels like something. How is it that a piece of matter, like my brain, can feel [...]
The Beginner’s Mind of Scientist Sir Roger Penrose
Rev. Tony Stultz on the brilliant mind who models a rich exchange between Buddhism and scientific thought — for the benefit of all beings. If you don’t study physics or mathematics, you likely don’t know about Sir Roger Penrose. Penrose, a groundbreaking theorist on the nature of mind, is a model for how Buddhists can let go of their assumptions and use empirical inquiry [...]
Molecular dance meditation reveals: you’re just atoms and energy
Physics and Buddhism both posit that it's hard, if not impossible, to pinpoint "you." Harrison Blum, the Buddhist spiritual advisor at Northeastern University, has created a new guided meditation that allows practitioners to experience that truth. In three sessions last fall, participants sat and danced in meditation, while watching molecules and energy fields interact with [...]
What does Neil deGrasse Tyson have to say about “Buddhistic” astrophysics?
He may have what he's described as only “the Reader’s Digest knowledge of Buddhism,” but famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is a fascinating thinker in just about any capacity. So: what does he think about how Buddhist thought and science may or may not intersect? Can they learn from each other? That's what author Jerome Freedman wanted to know when he sat down with [...]
NASA gives Buddhist nickname to region of Pluto
Following NASA's historic Pluto flyby yesterday, scientists have already begun ascribing informal names to splotchy geographical features in never-before-seen images of the dwarf planet. Among the new place names is “Meng Po,” the god of forgetfulness from Chinese Buddhist mythology. Meng Po greets souls in the afterlife and gives them a bowl of soup to forget their experience [...]
Congrats to environmental activist Dekila Chungyalpa, still “walking the talk”
The Shambhala Sun hopes you'll join us in congratulating Dekila Chungyalpa, who has just been been awarded a coveted Yale fellowship -- the 2014 Dorothy S. McCluskey Visiting Fellow in Conservation -- to continue her work with religious leaders around the world at Yale’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Previous fellows include several Nobel Peace Prize [...]
Jindal administration comments on lawsuit filed against LA school for alleged harrassment of Buddhist student
Via rawstory.com, we learn that, after nearly a month of silence (see our post from January 23 for more), the New Orleans Times-Picayune has obtained a statement from Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal’s administration concerning the ACLU lawsuit filed in January against a Sabine Parish school on behalf of the parents of a sixth grader allegedly harassed for his Buddhist beliefs [...]