Contemplative Science: where Buddhism and neuroscience converge

Science has long treated religion as a set of personal beliefs that have little to do with a rational understanding of the mind and the universe. In Contemplative Science, B. Alan Wallace attempts to bridge this gap by launching an unbiased investigation into the history and practices of science and Buddhist contemplative disciplines. His surprising findings show that the two are actually quite compatible.

Contemplative traditions - in particular, Buddhism-believe the mind is intimately linked to the physical universe, creating a rich inner world that informs the development of personal ethics and virtue. So why has the West never developed a science of consciousness? Wallace examines how both Christianity and science came to regard the inner sanctum as inaccessible and how a strict distinction between the objective, material world and the subjective, immaterial mind was developed. By examining these historical roots, Wallace is led toward a possible reconciliation between the two modes of inquiry. Just as scientists make observations and conduct experiments with the aid of technology, contemplatives have long tested their own theories with the help of highly developed meditative skills and an elastic imagination.

Wallace demonstrates how contemplative science, which integrates these two methods, has the potential to be of enormous benefit by successfully combining the strengths of each. In this book, he outlines the dimensions of this discipline, showing how it can help us achieve a deeper knowledge of our physical and spiritual existence.