Siddhartha's Brain: Unlocking the Ancient Science of Enlightenment

by James Kingsland

Overview

A groundbreaking exploration of the “science of enlightenment,” told through the lens of the journey of Siddhartha (better known as Buddha), by Guardian science editor James Kingsland.

In a lush grove on the banks of the Neranjara in northern India—400 years before the birth of Christ, when the foundations of western science and philosophy were being laid by the great minds of Ancient Greece—a prince turned ascetic wanderer sat beneath a fig tree. His name was Siddhartha Gautama, and he was discovering the astonishing capabilities of the human brain and the secrets of mental wellness and spiritual “enlightenment,” the foundation of Buddhism.

Framed by the historical journey and teachings of the Buddha, Siddhartha’s Brain shows how meditative and Buddhist practice anticipated the findings of modern neuroscience. Moving from the evolutionary history of the brain to the disorders and neuroses associated with our technology-driven world, James Kingsland explains why the ancient practice of mindfulness has been so beneficial and so important for human beings across time. Far from a New Age fad, the principles of meditation have deep scientific support and have been proven to be effective in combating many contemporary psychiatric disorders. Siddhartha posited that “Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think.” As we are increasingly driven to distraction by competing demands, our ability to focus and control our thoughts has never been more challenged—or more vital.

Siddhartha’s Brain offers a cutting-edge, big-picture assessment of meditation and mindfulness: how it works, what it does to our brains, and why meditative practice has never been more important.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062403872
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/28/2017
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	452,262
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

James Kingsland is a science and medical journalist with twenty-five years of experience working for publications such as New Scientist, Nature, and most recently the Guardian (UK), where he was a commissioning editor and a contributor for its Notes & Theories blog. On his own blog, Plastic Brain, he writes about neuroscience and Buddhist psychology.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 A Fool's Paradise 15

2 Child's Play 40

Guided Meditation: Only the Breath 56

3 The Cloud of Unknowing 59

4 The Second Dart 74

Guided Meditation: Open-Minded 93

5 The Man Who Disappeared 96

6 Golden Slippers 121

Guided Meditation: Three-Step Reboot 142

7 Fire Worshippers 144

8 A Drunk Elephant 167

Guided Meditation: The Warm Glow 192

9 The Fall 195

10 Wonderful and Marvelous 217

Guided Meditation: Body Scan 236

11 Mind Mirrors 240

Guided Meditation: Mindful Toast 272

12 The Deathless Realm 274

Acknowledgments 299

Notes 301

Index 325

Editorial Reviews

Fascinating. ... Whether you’re a skeptic or a true believer, exploring Siddhartha’s brain offers compelling insights and invites further questions about the potential of the human mind.” — Chicago Tribune

“Impressive. ... Even readers well steeped in the sutras will likely come away having learned something new.” — Tricycle: The Buddhist Review

“Reveals not only how mindfulness meditation can rewire the human brain and help us achieve a sense of spiritual fulfillment but also how we can easily integrate the practice into our daily lives.” — Scientific American

“[A] fascinating exploration of the neuroscience behind meditation. ... Kingsland skillfully dives in and out of various subjects — the neurological relaxation response to meditation, the difference between pain and suffering, emotional regulation — and effectively paints a neurological picture of the mind without devaluing Buddhism’s spiritual image of cognition.” — Publishers Weekly

“It’s a pleasure to read Siddhartha’s Brain. ... A smart, accessible balance of philosophical teachings and brain science and how meditation can relate to everything from addiction to Alzheimer’s disease.” — Lisa Ko, author of The Leavers

“Brain science and Buddhist lore combine in this compelling treatise on the benefits of meditation and mindfulness.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Kingsland expertly weaves the story and teachings of the Buddha with clinical and scientific research to engage in a highly readable examination of the benefits of mindfulness and meditation. ... A satisfying read.” — Library Journal (starred review)

“Fascinating. ... Masterfully connects core teachings of the Buddha to modern mental health concerns and emerging neuroscience findings.” — Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work

From the Publisher

Impressive. ... Even readers well steeped in the sutras will likely come away having learned something new.

Tricycle: The Buddhist Review

It’s a pleasure to read Siddhartha’s Brain. ... A smart, accessible balance of philosophical teachings and brain science and how meditation can relate to everything from addiction to Alzheimer’s disease.

Lisa Ko

Fascinating. ... Whether you’re a skeptic or a true believer, exploring Siddhartha’s brain offers compelling insights and invites further questions about the potential of the human mind.

Chicago Tribune

Reveals not only how mindfulness meditation can rewire the human brain and help us achieve a sense of spiritual fulfillment but also how we can easily integrate the practice into our daily lives.

Scientific American

Impressive. ... Even readers well steeped in the sutras will likely come away having learned something new.

Tricycle: The Buddhist Review

It’s a pleasure to read Siddhartha’s Brain. ... A smart, accessible balance of philosophical teachings and brain science and how meditation can relate to everything from addiction to Alzheimer’s disease.

Associated Press Staff

03/14/2016
Guardian science editor Kingsland presents a fascinating exploration of the studies of enlightenment—where the experience of meditative spiritual practice meets the rigors of scientific research. Kingsland suggests that the ubiquitous presence of psychiatric illnesses may be alternatively understood as an "extreme manifestation of ordinary human condition," and if this is the case, the practice of meditation should (in theory) alleviate afflictions caused by a mental apparatus gone haywire. To fix the errant mental system, Buddhism prescribes meditation: one pays attention to the breath, practices non-judgmental awareness, and calmly observes the landscape of thoughts. Kingsland skillfully dives in and out of various subjects—the neurological relaxation response to meditation, the difference between pain and suffering, emotional regulation—and effectively paints a neurological picture of the mind without devaluing Buddhism's spiritual image of cognition. Science shows that meditation reworks neurological networks to better regulate and manage the emotions; in short, being a good, contented human being is a skill that can be learned. Based on this idea, Kingsland offers guided practices at the end of every chapter, ranging from attention to the breath to metta (loving-kindness) meditations. Kingsland's book is a cursory but fascinating exploration of the neuroscience behind meditation, and he offers a wonderful starting point for further research and practice. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Fascinating. ... Masterfully connects core teachings of the Buddha to modern mental health concerns and emerging neuroscience findings.

Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work

Fascinating. ... Whether you’re a skeptic or a true believer, exploring Siddhartha’s brain offers compelling insights and invites further questions about the potential of the human mind.

Chicago Tribune

★ 04/01/2016
In this work, Kingsland (science editor, Guardian) expertly weaves the story and teachings of the Buddha with clinical and scientific research to engage in a highly readable examination of the benefits of mindfulness and meditation. The author applies Buddhism and science to illustrate how humans' complex "neural machinery" hardwires us for suffering. With chapters devoted to the discussion of depression, chronic pain, and addiction, he employs case studies to highlight the effectiveness of various mindfulness-based therapies, although he doesn't shy away from presenting the challenges to and limitations of those investigations. While intended for a lay audience, the work adeptly incorporates Buddhist and scientific terminology in such a way that concepts are easily understood through the context of the narrative. Several guided meditations are included to provide readers an opportunity to try the practices discussed. VERDICT Both skeptics and believers of the mental and physical benefits of mindfulness and meditation will find this to be a satisfying read. Those who are struggling with their own form of suffering might also appreciate the discussion of alternative therapies.—Amanda Folk, Univ. of Pittsburgh Lib., Greensburg

Library Journal

This audiobook is chock-full of scientific experiments proving that the Buddhist state of enlightenment founded by Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, works just as well as antidepressants to alleviate suffering from mental illness, addiction, and anxiety. Narrator Steven Crossley has the unenviable task of making clear both Siddhartha’s history of perfecting enlightenment and the contemporary scientific experiments that show a statistically significant improvement for people with specific illnesses after they practice enlightenment, now reborn as mindfulness. Crossley delivers the material with aplomb. However, as illuminating as this audiobook may be, the average listener may find the depth of the scientific data to be daunting. One’s own enlightenment might be better achieved by listening to less theory and more methodology. E.E.S © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

NOVEMBER 2016 - AudioFile

2016-02-18
A Guardian science editor and self-proclaimed skeptic analyzes "the ancient science of enlightenment." Some 2,500 years ago, Siddhartha Gautama abandoned his princely life to follow an ascetic path in search of spiritual truths. Kingsland explores the history and science of mindfulness with the story of Siddhartha, the Buddha, as a backdrop. Tracing Western scientific research on the subject of meditation from the 1960s to the present day, the author details studies demonstrating the efficacy of mindfulness in battling chronic pain, mental illness, addiction, and even aging while emphasizing that the benefits of mindfulness have been enjoyed for centuries without the help of modern science. Positing that the first humans to learn to quiet their minds at will may have been hunter-gatherers staring into the flames of their fires at night, Kingsland draws attention to the ubiquity of meditative practices with examples from the world's major religions, noting Buddhism as being exceptional for having removed supernatural beings from the equation. Juxtaposing science with Buddhist lore, he conjures Siddhartha meditating in a lush grove beneath a fig tree, imagines his followers, ascetics who renounced all worldly things, and depicts the enlightened Siddhartha addressing a crowd of angry fire worshipers and calming a rampaging elephant. Kingsland draws his readers' attention to mindfulness success stories: Jon Kabat-Zinn's Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction work with sufferers of chronic pain, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for the treatment of mental illness, and the proven use of meditation to treat drug addiction. The author also points to the proven ability of meditation to increase activity in parts of the brain responsible for regulating emotion as evidence that anyone can benefit from this cultivation of awareness to observe and quell the flames of negative emotions. Brain science and Buddhist lore combine in this compelling treatise on the benefits of meditation and mindfulness.

Kirkus Reviews