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Zen and the Brain: Toward an Understanding of Meditation and
Consciousness is a book authored by James H. Austin
</wiki/James_H._Austin> . First published in 1998, the book's aim is to
establish links between the neurological </wiki/Neurology> workings of
the human </wiki/Human> brain </wiki/Brain> and meditation
</wiki/Meditation> . For example Austin presents evidence from EEG
</wiki/Electroencephalography> scans that deep relaxed breathing
reduces brain activity.
The publishers described their book as a "Comprehensive text on the
evidence from neuroscience </wiki/Neuroscience> that helps to clarify
which brain mechanisms underlie the subjective states of Zen </wiki/Zen>
, and employs Zen to 'illuminate' how the brain works in various states
of consciousness </wiki/Consciousness> ".
Austin is an MD </wiki/Doctorate> and has also practiced Zen over many
years. Later Austin wrote a follow-up, Zen-Brain Reflections.
[edit </w/index.php?title=Zen_and_the_Brain&action=edit§ion=1> ] See
also
* Neurotheology </wiki/Neurotheology>
* Rational mysticism </wiki/Rational_mysticism>
[edit </w/index.php?title=Zen_and_the_Brain&action=edit§ion=2> ]
References
* James H. Austin, Zen and the Brain: Toward an Understanding of
Meditation and Consciousness. Reprint edition July 2, 1999. MIT Press.
ISBN 0-262-51109-6 </wiki/Special:BookSources/0262511096>
* James H. Austin, Zen-Brain Reflections. First edition February 14,
2006. MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-01223-5
</wiki/Special:BookSources/0262012235>
[edit </w/index.php?title=Zen_and_the_Brain&action=edit§ion=3> ]
External links
* Your Brain on Religion: Mystic visions or brain circuits at work?
<http://www.cognitiveliberty.org/neuro/neuronewswk.htm> (Newsweek
</wiki/Newsweek> article on Austin and neurotheology, May 2001)
* Interview with the author
<http://mitpress.mit.edu/books/AUSZP/austin/interview.html> (James H.
Austin, M.D. discusses Zen and the Brain)
* Excerpts from the book
<http://mitpress.mit.edu/books/AUSZP/austin/excerpt.html>
