Neuroscience, Ecological Psychology, Social Psychology
Buddhism, Daoism, Hinduism
Both Eastern Philosophies and the Cognitive Sciences aim at furthering our understanding of our selves...
There are many differences in approach. There are differences in working with the term 'understanding'.
But there are many commonalities. Some are of long standing; others are only coming to light as the sciences of the mind grow.
To develop a conversation. In this little website, I will initially develop a collection of links to publicly available discussion of similarities that have struck others.
I do not aspire to turning neuroscience onto Buddhism, or vice versa. I simply think that there is something to be gained all around here, if we acknowledge insights and experiences garnered within distinct traditions.
I am going to assume that the reader has a basic familiarity with some metaphysics, some neuroscience, has a vague notion of what cognitive psychology is about, and has sometimes felt resonance with ideas seen in the Eastern religions. If that doesn't fit, there's probably not too much to interest you here.
For now, you will find links on the right that point to videos, papers, weblogs, discussions and anything else I can find that appears pertinent to my topic. I will endeavour to organize them so that they are searchable by theme, personalities, etc.
Once sufficient content has been collected, I will see about introducing more interactivity, e.g. through a discussion forum or the like. As this grows, so too will the conversation. I hope. My own thoughts on things are enunciated somewhat in the blog.
If you have suggestions, relevant pointers, comments, or critique, feel free to email me at fred dot cummins at gmail dot com.
That will become clear in time (though the blog provides some clues). Ultimately, understanding our selves should, I believe, lead us to improve conditions for our bodies. Are our bodies our selves? Let the conversation begin....