Ed, Below the question is asked:
"So the challenge then became: which few facts among the many in this explosive field of the neurosciences are relevant to Zen, and vice versa?" My answer is NONE and NONE! Scientific facts are not relevant to zen. Science is based on dualism, faith (in the concept of cause-and-effect) and logic. Zen is non-dualistic, based on experience (not faith) and alogical. Any 'facts' that are attributed to zen are 'facts' superimposed on zen by some other worldview - like science or religion. There are no zen originated 'facts'. There is Just THIS! Bill! From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of ED Sent: Saturday, October 23, 2010 11:48 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [Zen] A different path to Zen INTERVIEW: James H. Austin, M.D. discusses 'Zen and the Brain' Q. You came to Zen as medical doctor and a practicing scientist. What attracted you to it? Thank you for this opportunity to respond to your questions. I encountered Zen during my first sabbatical in Japan. What first attracted me to it? I think it was the natural beauty of the Zen temples in Kyoto. I was also drawn to it because I saw that Zen had shaped the cultural life of Japan in many influential ways. Finally, there was the crucial factor: the opportunity to learn from Kobori-roshi, a remarkable master whose presence communicated the essence of Zen, and with whom I could also converse in English. Q. Did Zen largely challenge or corroborate what you knew from science? It did both, at different times. At the outset, nothing in my previous medical or neuroscience training had prepared me for Zen. The challenge stimulated me to learn more -- both about Zen and about the rapidly expanding frontiers of brain research. Before long, it was clear that whenever I could interrelate Zen and the brain, each field was capable of illuminating the other. So the challenge then became: which few facts among the many in this explosive field of the neurosciences are relevant to Zen, and vice versa? <snip> http://mitpress.mit.edu/books/AUSZP/austin/interview.html __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 5558 (20101023) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 5558 (20101023) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 5558 (20101023) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com ------------------------------------ Current Book Discussion: any Zen book that you recently have read or are reading! Talk about it today!Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
