Mind in the balance : meditation in science, Buddhism, and Christianity

259 Pages·2009·1.2 MB·English

by  B. Alan

MIND IN THE BALANCE
COLUMBIA SERIES IN SCIENCE AND RELIGION
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THE COLUMBIA SERIES IN SCIENCE AND RELIGION
Th e Columbia Series in Science and Religion is sponsored by the Center for the
Study of Science and Religion (CSSR) at Columbia University. It is a forum for
the examination of issues that lie at the boundary of these two complementary
ways of comprehending the world and our place in it. By examining the intersec-
tions between one or more of the sciences and one or more religions, the CSSR
hopes to stimulate dialogue and encourage understanding.
ROBERT POLLACK
Th e Faith of Biology and the Biology of Faith
B. ALAN WALLACE, ED.
Buddhism and Science: Breaking New Ground
LISA SIDERIS
Environmental Ethics, Ecological Th eory, and Natural Selection:
Suff ering and Responsibility
WAYNE PROUDFOOT, ED.
William James and a Science of Religions: Reexperiencing
Th e Varieties of Religious Experience
MORTIMER OSTOW
Spirit, Mind, and Brain: A Psychoanalytic Examination of
Spirituality and Religion
B. ALAN WALLACE
Contemplative Science: Where Buddhism and Neuroscience Converge
PHILIP CLAYTON AND JIM SCHAAL, EDITORS
Practicing Science, Living Faith: Interviews with Twelve Scientists
B. ALAN WALLACE
Hidden Dimensions: Th e Unifi cation of Physics and Consciousness
PIER LUIGI LUISI WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF ZARA HOUSHMAND
Mind and Life: Discussions with the Dalai Lama on the Nature of Reality
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MIND
IN THE

BALANCE
MEDITATION IN SCIENCE,

BUDDHISM, & CHRISTIANITY
[ ]
B. Alan Wallace
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS / NEW YORK
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Columbia University Press
Publishers Since 1893
New York Chichester, West Sussex
Copyright © 2009 Columbia University Press
Paperback edition, 2014
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wallace, B. Alan.
Mind in the balance : meditation in science, Buddhism, and Christianity / B. Alan
Wallace.
p. cm. — (The Columbia series in science and religion)
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN 978-0-231-14730-9 (cloth : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-0-231-14731-6 (pbk. : alk. paper)—
ISBN 978-0-231-51970-0 (e-book)
1. Meditation. 2. Meditation—Buddhism. 3. Meditation—Christianity. I. Title. II.
Series.
BL627.W33 2009
158.1ʹ2—dc22 2008022867
Columbia University Press books are printed on permanent
and durable acid-free paper.
This book is printed on paper with recycled content.
Printed in the United States of America
c 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
p 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Cover image (top): iStockphoto; (bottom): Image Club Graphics
Cover design: The DesignWorks Group, Charles Brock
References to Internet Web sites (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing. Neither
the author nor Columbia University Press is responsible for URLs that may have
expired or changed since the manuscript was prepared.
For Sarah and Troy, and all who are seeking
greater understanding and meaning in life

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CONTENTS
Preface ix
PART I: MEDITATION: WHERE IT STARTED
AND HOW IT GOT HERE 1
1. Who Am I? 3
2. Th e Origins of Contemplation 7
3. Th e Scientifi c Externalization of Meditation 15
4. Scientifi c Studies of Meditation 27
PART II: MEDITATION IN THEORY AND PRACTICE 37
5. Practice: Attending to the Breath of Life 39
6. Th eory: Coming to Our Senses 41
7. Practice: Th e Union of Stillness and Motion 47
8. Th eory: Knowing and Healing the Mind 53
9. Practice: Behold the Light of Consciousness 71
10. Th eory: Exploring the Nature of Consciousness 75
11. Practice: Probing the Nature of the Observer 87
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12. Th eory: Th e Ground State of Consciousness 89
13. Practice: Oscillating Awareness 97
14. Th eory: Consciousness Without Beginning or End 99
15. Practice: Resting in the Stillness of Awareness 119
16. Th eory: Worlds of Skepticism 121
17. Practice: Th e Emptiness of Mind 137
18. Th eory: Th e Participatory Worlds of Buddhism 139
19. Practice: Th e Emptiness of Matter 151
20. Th eory: Th e Participatory Worlds of Philosophy and Science 153
21. Practice: Resting in Timeless Consciousness 167
22. Th eory: Th e Luminous Space of Pristine Awareness 169
23. Practice: Meditation in Action 187
24. Th eory: Th e Universe as a Whole 189
25. What Shall We Become? 197
Notes 201
Bibliography 221
Index 233

[VIII] CONTENTS
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PREFACE
In the fall of 2006, my stepdaughter, Sarah Volland, wrote to me
with a request. She began by commenting that she was utterly con-
tent with her life as a whole, including her level of material prosper-
ity. What she really wanted now was to improve the quality of her
interior life and her mind, and she asked me to write a book that
would off er guidance in this regard, and that she could eventually
share with her son. She wanted a book that would benefi t her family
and anyone else seeking knowledge in order to bring their life to a
whole new level.
She put this request to me not only because of our close rela-
tionship but also because of my unusual background in Eastern and
Western approaches to understanding. Over the past thirty-eight
years, I have been blessed with many profound personal teachers,
including the Dalai Lama and other extraordinary contemplatives
and masters of meditation. Ordained as a monk by the Dalai Lama,
I trained for fourteen years in Buddhist monasteries in India, Tibet,
Sri Lanka, and Switzerland. During my time as a monk and since, I
have devoted years to solitary meditation in the Himalayan moun-
tains, Buddhist monasteries, deserts, and in my home in Califor-
nia. In addition, I received my undergraduate education at Amherst
College in physics and the philosophy of science, earned my doctor-
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