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Buddha
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In his
new book, Destructive Emotions, Daniel Goleman describes these discoveries,
delving into the methodologies that allowed meditative techniques to
be studied, and recounting discussions between the Dalai Lama and the
scientific community.
Modern research into the effects of meditation relies on medical technology
such as functional MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to evaluate changes
in brain activity. In an experiment conducted on one advanced meditator,
brain imaging clearly revealed an increase in activity in the left middle
frontal gyrus, when he meditated on compassion. This area of the brain
is a locus for positive emotions. At the same time as the activity in
this area was increasing, there was a corresponding reduction in activity
in the right hemisphere of the brain, in the areas associated with negative
emotions such as depression, sadness and anxiety. There is tremendous
implication to this research: if we can consciously reshape the neural
circuitry of our brain activity, this will in turn have tremendous psychological
and physical benefits.
Of course, Goleman is not oblivious to the irony implicit in his work,
attempting to prove what thousands of people have known and practiced
for millennia. In a recent interview, he commented that “classic
Buddhist psychology teaches that the more you practice, the less you
should experience destructive emotions, and the more you should experience
the positive ones. Lo and behold, 2,500 years later science is saying,
Hey it looks like that's what happens.”
This spring we have a rare opportunity to explore this process more
deeply with one of the greatest living masters of the Buddhist science
of mind. Geshe Palden Drakpa, who lives and teaches at Drepung Loseling
Monastery in India, will offer a course in which he will present the
key features of the Buddhist mind sciences. The approach will be one
of looking at the mind from the perspective of transformative models,
with the emphasis on providing students with an understanding of how
to make inner quantum leaps in their own spiritual  lives.
This course will be held at Drepung Loseling Institute on Wednesdays
beginning April 2 from 7:30 – 9:00 p.m.
The central hypothesis of Buddhism is that we can consciously reshape
our minds by transforming and diminishing unhealthy emotions and promoting
healthy emotions, which then leads not just to spiritual development,
but also to the very physical, emotional and social well-being of the
individuals who undertake the practice. For centuries the Buddhist tradition
has emphasized inner transformation through meditation. This has especially
been the focus for the past 1,300 years in Tibet. Or, in Daniel Goleman's
words, “It's beginning to look like the Buddha just might have
had it right.”
Lobsang
Negi, Ph.D. is the director of Drepung Loseling Institute in Atlanta,
GA, and a professor at Emory University. For information on events at
the Loseling Institute, please contact institute@drepung.org.
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Science