Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom by Rick Hanson (PDF)

Description

If you change your brain, you can change your life.Great teachers like the Buddha, Jesus, Moses, Mohammed, and Gandhi were all born with brains built essentially like anyone else’s—and then they changed their brains in ways that changed the world. Science is now revealing how the flow of thoughts actually sculpts the brain, and more and more, we are learning that it’s possible to strengthen positive brain states.By combining breakthroughs in neuroscience with insights from thousands of years of mindfulness practice, you too can use your mind to shape your brain for greater happiness, love, and wisdom. Buddha’s Brain draws on the latest research to show how to stimulate your brain for more fulfilling relationships, a deeper spiritual life, and a greater sense of inner confidence and worth. Using guided meditations and mindfulness exercises, you’ll learn how to activate the brain states of calm, joy, and compassion instead of worry, sorrow, and anger. Most importantly, you will foster positive psychological growth that will literally change the way you live in your day-to-day life.This book presents an unprecedented intersection of psychology, neurology, and contemplative practice, and is filled with practical tools and skills that you can use every day to tap the unused potential of your brain and rewire it over time for greater well-being and peace of mind.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Buddha’s Brain by Rick Hanson with Richard Mendius is a guide that leads the reader through the fundamental pillars and practices of Buddhism, explaining the underlying and inner workings of the human brain along the way. Focusing on happiness, love, and wisdom, Hanson and Mendius, both neuroscientists, attempt to explain the known mechanisms of the brain behind these core ideals on the path to Enlightenment. Although I should have expected as much from title, Buddha’s Brain, I was surprised by the over all emphasis on Buddhist teachings and the overtly Buddhist perspective that Hanson uses to communicate his ideas. I expected a somewhat more direct (and perhaps more plain) explanation on how to practice contemplative techniques and the brain changes happening behind the scenes. Nevertheless, this is an excellent book on what I would classify as a difficultly nebulous topic, that does offer excellent suggestions and guides to quiet the mind and seek perhaps the most sought after innate human desires: happiness, love, and wisdom. Hudson lays out his practical work in four sections based on four concepts or ideals of classical Buddhist teachings: suffering, happiness, love, and wisdom. The concept of suffering and its neurological and evolutionary basis are presented. As explained by Hudson, suffering must be understood and avoided. Buddhism, at a basic level, teaches the minimization of suffering for one’s self and others. In the next two sections, Happiness and Love, Hudson discusses what happens in our brains when we are happy or are loving/loved. In each section, Hudson then presents how someone can pursue these brain states and strengthen the wiring that creates them. Lastly, Wisdom is outlined in the final three chapters. Discussing how wisdom is first understanding “what hurts and what helps”, Hudson then moves on to the power of meditation and how to concentrate the mind. Wisdom and the book are concluded with a lesson on reducing or relaxing the “sense of self”. Overall, the structure of the book is great; the four sections are broken up into distinct and unified chapters that are easy to look back on when desired. Even within each chapter, text is formatted and categorized into sub-headings with diagrams, charts, and tables as needed. This makes the book very easy to refer to when thinking about a particular topic. I naturally found certain parts of the book more interesting, and in trying to practice some meditation on these areas I often located and re-read a few of the meditation walkthroughs and their surrounding context. Stylistically I found the book at times wordy, confusing and overly nebulous. Usually the scientific backing and underlying knowledge was presented well. Hudson simplifies a complicated science into simpler terms most readers will be able to understand. The scientific presentation is for the most part very thorough and well researched. However, much of Hudson’s explanation of “the mind” was much more difficult to follow than his explanation of “the brain”. Although I acknowledge the difficulty on the subject, Hudson’s language is in my opinion to complex and airy. His diction can at times become a bit grandiose and it is sometimes easy to lose track of the underlying message. Much of this can be traced to word usage that to this reader seemed notably odd. Words like “truth”, “equanimity”, “stimulation” and many others are used in unfamiliar ways, making comprehension difficult. I can only guess that this word usage and abstract language stem from Buddhist teachings and beliefs that, due to the authors’ bias, are quite pervasive throughout the book. Hudson does use allegorical language, at times, to try and simplify the message, but more often than not adds more complexity and does not ease comprehension. In short, for a book seemingly targeted for a wide range of readers as a practical guide for many Buddhist teachings, it was rather cryptic in its language. I would have preferred a slightly more simple and easily navigable guide, so that I may have understood the lessons with fewer rigors. Perhaps, a more plain beginning that ramps up to a more nebulous style would have been more effective.Opinions on Specific PartsMeditations Perhaps, my favorite aspect of this book were the meditation guides. Hudson provides many “walkthroughs” for simple meditations that deal with the topic he is discussing at the time. I found these guides to be very practical and interesting. I have never intentionally meditated before reading this book but I found myself wanting to try it out. Hudson slowly introduces meditation and its use throughout the course of the book. The first walkthrough does not come until Chapter 5 in the Happiness Section. Chapter 5, entitled “Cooling the Fires”, focuses on relaxation and the parasympathetic nervous system. Here Hudson explains what meditation is, and many neurological and other scientific findings tied to meditation. Although I question some of the scientific results mentioned (such as meditation boosting immune system capabilities), I found this first meditation very interesting as I practiced it. These meditation guides become more and more frequent throughout the rest of the book and when time allowed, I earnestly tried to go through them. Hudson does an excellent job breaking down the steps so that I, a very new practitioner, could easily follow along.Evolutionary Explanations As somewhat of a budding scientist (biomedical engineering undergraduate), I greatly appreciated the evolutionary explanations of how the brain developed and theories as to why. The biggest example of this, mentioned in the opening chapters of the book, explain that the neural mechanisms behind suffering were what helped prehistoric man survive. Hudson explains how early man, and even now, your body and brain are programmed to try to handle threats, including remembering threatening and negative experiences well. This makes sense for early man, such negative and harmful experiences need not happen again if man wanted to survive; the prehistoric world was a much harsher one than it is today. This strong connection to and remembrance of negativity is the basis of suffering Hudson argues. Hudson also explains how these trends in evolution are still present in humans today, citing the functions of the pre-frontal cortex, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and others.Sense of self/”Us and them” One important pillar of Buddhism I learned from this book is the value in not only reducing suffering and increasing happiness for one’s self, but of others too. In fact, the “relaxation of one’s sense of self” is emphasized throughout the book, but especially in the last chapter. Earlier, when discussing compassion, Hudson points out the “us and them” mindset we inherently create. Again, the evolutionary foundation for this way of thinking, competition for resources, is presented. However, Hudson stresses the importance and value of extending “us” to include as many people as possible, if not the entire planet. In the final chapter, the concept of “I” or “self” is challenged. According to Buddhist ideology, this sense of self should be dissolved as much as possible. Hudson connects this to science by presenting how the brain’s concept of self is not as important and extraordinary as one might think, and not necessary to drive thought or action. Literally, the number of neurons and the circuit that forms the “sense of self” is relatively small, according to Hudson.Review Summary and Recommendation Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is very well organized and can be used as guide, picked up and put down as needed. I had some stylistic complaints that I feel form a small barrier to a wide audience, however this book was still incredibly thought provoking and interesting. From the neuroscience foundation to the Buddhist teachings to the practice of mindfulness, I found Buddha’s Brain to be a very complete and thorough book. I would definitely classify this book as a must read for anyone interested in Buddhism not already familiar, anyone interested in how the brain works, or anyone who wants to seek happiness, love, and wisdom through contemplative practices. It will continue to be a regular read of the many neuroscience books on my shelf.

⭐Buddha’s Brain the practical neuroscience of happiness, love and wisdom was written by Rick Hanson and Richard Mendius. Rick Hanson is a neuropsychologist and a meditation teacher. Richard Mendius is a neurologist. They both graduated from the University of California and are founders of the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom. Hanson wrote most of the Buddha’s Brain but Mendius’s insights are seen within its pages. This book shows you how to become your own trainer- how to train yourself to be happy.Buddha’s Brain is a book designed to show readers how to literally change their brains. It teaches readers how to become happy, loving, mindful and calm through shaping their brains. Buddha’s Brain connects the power of brain, thoughts and spirituality to help people have better relationships, feel more worthy and most importantly exchange sadness, sorrow and worry with joy, happiness, and peace. Hanson does not only show how to manipulate your brain, what to do, and when to do it but also explains (thanks to Mendius) how and why it works. If you want to make your life better using just your brain, you should definitely read this book.Chapter 1 introduces the idea of the book, which is how to change your brain. It states some facts about brain. The brain contains 1.1 trillion cells, including 100 billion neurons, and uses 20-25% of body’s oxygen. Whatever happens in your mind changes your brain due to neurons wiring together; you can use your mind to change your brain. Changing negative thoughts into positive thoughts can help shape your brain and help you become happier and more satisfied with life.Chapters 2 talks about suffering. Hanson states that when your body and mind become unstable your brain produces signals of threats. Everything around you changes constantly so these signals keep coming. People tend to pay a greater attention to the unpleasant experiences which keeps them stressed and sad, even angry. You should think about whether a good feeling is really that pleasurable or a bad feeling really that horrible. Humans tend to exaggerate and make up problems that don’t even exist. Feeling compassion towards yourself helps reduce the suffering.Chapter 3 introduces the “first darts” of life which are according to Hanson are inevitable: physical and mental discomforts. The “second darts” are your reactions to the “first darts.” For example, sometimes when you receive a compliment, you instantly disagree with it instead of just accepting it. To be truly strike awaken and happy you have to just be there, in the moment and take in whatever life throws at you. You have to learn how to maintain the balance between self -esteem and a distance towards yourself.Chapter 4 discusses happiness. It is important to take in the positive experiences, feel them inside and sense them sinking in. The authors suggests that even when you think about or experience something negative you should always think positively or try to remember a very positive experience. You should be aware of the things that make you upset or depressed and put an effort to stop them from reoccurring. In chapter 5 Hanson discusses meditation. There is a short meditation guide in the middle of the chapter which the reader should do. Meditation along with balancing your heartbeat, relaxation and big exhalations, Hanson suggests, can help you feel safer which will control brain’s tendency to look for and overreact the threats.Chapter 7 talks about Equanimity, which is the ability to not react to what is going on the outside. It sounds weird but it makes sense. According to Hanson when you’re equanimous you’re being present in the world but not upset by it. You don’t try to grasp only the positive experiences and push away the negative ones. Instead you have a space around experiences which helps you fully understand them and react in a proper way. Sometimes it means no reaction at all.Love is the theme of chapters 8-10. According to Hanson, each of us has two wolves in the heart: the wolf of love and the wolf of hate. The wolf of hate gets more attention and has bigger effect on our daily lives; the wolf of love is bigger and stronger. We don’t see anyone besides our own selves and we start to group people: “us” and “them.” The wolf of hate shrinks “us,” we become more and more selfish and conceited. To become happy we need to acknowledge the wolf of hate but restrain from feeding it. Instead, we should feed the wolf of love, Hanson says.Empathy is the key to becoming successful and happy in relationships. Empathy helps you understand others and help them with their problems. You should establish a code of relationship virtues and then live by this code. Hanson persuades that relationships will be much better. Humans can talk but not everyone knows how to talk effectively. You should speak the truth, not try to change anyone, stay empathetic and most importantly learn how to listen. That’s half of the conversation right there. Hanson reminds that you should also be kind to others. Sometimes it’s hard to stay kind when others treat you badly but you should try because it nurtures your wolf of love. Learn how to forgive and extend the circle of “us.” “Them” could be “us” even though we may not realize it.Finally the last section of the book, chapters 11-13, talks about wisdom. What flows through your attention sculpts your brain. Therefore controlling your attention is crucial in shaping your brain for the better. There is a dopamine based “gate” which lets in or out the information you process.Chapter 12 brings up meditation again because through mediation you can attain mindfulness and concentration. According to Hanson, you should relax the sense of self, become connected with others and let your life just flow. You will feel happy and satisfied. Ultimately to become happy by changing your brain, you should apply all the things listed above throughout your life or as needed.This book is one of the best books I have read so far. I would rate it 5/5 stars. It is a very pleasurable and rich read but sometimes the vocabulary involving the nervous system and brain makes it hard to follow. Aside from this it is astonishing that Buddha’s Brain can convey such fundamental facts in such obvious and easy to understand way. This book shows where the key to the happiness is hidden- within ourselves. Many people search for happiness elsewhere, usually in materialistic things. Buddha’s Brain supplies its readers with, in my opinion, basic but easily missed lessons.In conclusion, I think that Hanson and Mendius are trying to show the readers the following lessons on happiness. One, you should be a realistic optimist. Two, you should know how to listen, not only to the others but to the whole world around you. Three, talk to yourself, be in peace with yourself, and respect yourself. Four, learn how to let things go. And five, take care of your body (especially your brain) because your body takes care of you each second of your life.

⭐I truly loved reading this book. It’s one I shall pick up again and again and refer to. Hanson writes in an engaging style, both scientific yet has the ability to make it interesting. I must admit I did find the workings of the brain, and the acronyms he uses quite confusing at times but this is saved by the summary at the end of each chapter. I really like the way he uses Buddhist practices to reinforce scientific thinking and vice versa. Rather than science and spirituality being at odds, they complement one another wonderfully.This book has really opened my eyes to how the brain works, its evolutionary factors and how they impact on every one of us today. Not only that, Hanson describes lovely ways of getting the mind to work for us instead of against us.Well worth the read. Don’t let the scientific part daunt you.

⭐I loved this book. The only reason I gave it 4 out of 5 is that there is a substantial amount of complex scientific detail about brain processing. Although I have psychology degree and diploma in CBT I will still need to read it a few times to absorb everything. I would still highly recommend it though. It’s fascinating.

⭐This book answers all of the questions I have asked myself: what is happiness? Is it an internal or external thing? How do we achieve it? Where does our mind get in the way of the brain?I was already aware of many of the answers because of my study of Buddhism. This book, however, laid it all out brilliantly, convincingly, and concisely. It also verifies them with as much scientific proof as you could ever need. Finally, it also answers some of the niggling questions that I think come with being a Westerner introduced to a completely antithecal viewpoint of the world, as outlined by the Buddha. What about the pleasures we already have? Where is “the Middle Way” exactly?In short, I will always be grateful to this book for potentially voiding the need for me to go study neuroscience and find out the mysteries of the brain for myself.Read this book if you want happiness, want to understand how the brain works, AND to develop a completely new take on life, ranging from our smallest thoughts, to our day-to-day activities, to finally the way our societies are shaped.And if you aren’t already, start meditating.

⭐Nice introduction. Super interesting views and scientific explanations relating to meditation. Great read. Easy read. Beautiful

⭐This book clearly outlines how the reader might achieve and maintain optimum brain/mind health and well-being, and describes key brain/mind dynamics which both support and hinder optimumim brain/mind functioning, e.g., the inner conflict between the pull towards stability and constancy on the one hand, and pull towards growth and change on the other. The author supports the material with clear examples throughout, and punctuates key passages and concepts with practical exercises. While the book is a useful resource I found the audio version more engaging as is enables the reader to relate to the material at a deeper level. For instance, I found that the audio version helped with applying the insights and practices while travelling (e.g., walking or driving). I also found Rick Hanson’s Only One Thing a useful companion to Buddha’s Brain as it is a purely practical book and develops key ideas contained in Buddha’s Brain (e.g., taking in the good), although it makes better reading than listening. My minor criticsm with Buddha’s Brain is the frequent reference to the author’s life and life experience which I found a bit indulgent and self-promoting and somewhat jarring with the central theme of cultivating non-attachment and humility.

Keywords

Free Download Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom in PDF format
Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom PDF Free Download
Download Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom 2009 PDF Free
Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom 2009 PDF Free Download
Download Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom PDF
Free Download Ebook Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom