Zen and the Brain: The James H. Austin Omnibus Edition (Meditating Selflessly, Zen-Brain Horizons, and Living Zen Remindfully)

by James H. Austin

Three books on Zen and the brain by the celebrated Zen practitioner-neurologist James Austin.

This compilation in digital form of three books by the celebrated Zen practitioner-neurologist James Austin offers concrete advice about various methods of meditation, provides timeless wisdom of Zen masters, integrates classical Buddhist literature with modern brain research, and explores mindfulness (and remindfulness) training. In these books, Austin clarifies the benefits of meditative training, guiding readers toward that open awareness awaiting them on the cushion and in the natural world. He discusses different types of meditation, meditation and problem-solving, and the meaning of enlightenment; addresses egocentrism (self-centeredness) and allocentrism (other-centeredness) and the blending of focal and global attention; and considers the illuminating confluence of Zen, clinical neurology, and neuroscience. He describes an everyday life of “living Zen” while drawing on the poetry of Basho, the seventeenth-century haiku master, and illuminates the world of authentic Zen training—the commitment to a process of regular, ongoing daily life practice that trains and enables us to unlearn unfruitful habits, develop more wholesome ones, and lead a more genuinely creative life.

Genres: Science, Psychology, Buddhism, Zen, Philosophy, Neuroscience, Nonfiction

1161 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 1998

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This work is baffling, too large to approach in one go. It batters the reader with citations (over a hundred pages of footnotes alone!), hypotheses, studies, physiologies. It integrates broad categories of knowledge and experience. Ultimately, Zen is examined not in and of itself, but in light of its interrelationship with neurophysiology (Austin being both a student of Zen and an M.D.) - that is, what do these bodies of knowledge have to say to each other?

In fact, these two fields practically demand this treatment. Zen is a sort of science of the mind, a very old tradition having commonalities with mystic practices from all over the globe. Neurophysiology represents our current and best understanding of the mind's physical analogue, the brain. One would expect that deep insight into the nature of consciousness-as-experience that Zen provides could inform our physiological search for mind-brain correlations. This is precisely Austin's project.

Austin acknowledges the reality and validity of personal conscious experience, while simultaneously searching for physical— that is, material— correlation in the various substructures of grey matter. This subverts the traditional materialist / idealist dualism, recalling Searle's ontology in which the distinction between mind and body is illusory.

However, this comes at the price of feeling that Austin has done some violence to the mystical nature of Zen. So much of Zen refuses to be talked about. Discursive thought would seem to push one away from the path of Zen, and here is Austin trying to categorize, analyze, dissect his absorptions and samadhi ?! The concept frankly disgusted me, at first. Why waste so many words on that which is utterly beyond words, beyond thought?

Yet it would seem Austin is genuine. He uses his experiences of altered states of consciousness to propose physiological roots in the dropping-off of sensations or the subjective loss of a self. For the most part, these are testable hypotheses. Sometimes he even gives a brief sketch of a possible experimental setup before moving on. Above all, this is a work of science.

A book this long naturally spurs multiple potential entry points for essays (which I jotted in the back cover as they presented themselves). In the interests of brevity, I'll mention just one:
Austin constantly refers back to animal experiments, as they form most of the experimental basis of neurophysiology. He describes experiments in which animals have "lesions" "placed" at various points in their brain, with resulting changes in affect, behavior, memory, etc. These experiments are taken to be interesting because we can draw correlations with human brains, human subjects. Yet when we look at how these animal subjects are affected by having their brains cut— overwhelmingly confused, pained, terrified responses— how can we simultaneously say that this applies to human experience while discounting the animal's experience as of no consequence? That is, we assume that the humans and animals have the same responses to the same brain damage, but only the human subject's experience is worth considering— the animals are to be used and discarded.

All in all, this book was top-notch for content but quite dry in style. The middle portion (section III) reads like a physiology textbook and can probably be skimmed. Austin's approach to Zen feels clinical, western, use-oriented, but he apparently has gotten the point. Despite these gripes, I rate this book highly for presenting a strong case for a new science, introducing new readers to Zen in a scientifically sympathetic approach, and for addressing The Question.

[Bernie Gourley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Austin’s 900-page book looks at what the brain does during (and as a result of) the practice of Zen, and is a great resource for those interested in the science of meditative practices. It’s easy to sum up the strength and weakness of this book. With respect to the book’s greatest strength, it’s that the author—like the book—straddles two widely divergent worlds. He is at once a scientist and a practitioner of Zen. This gives him rare insight into both halves of the equation. This isn’t one of those books written by a spiritual seeker who uses the word “science” and “scientific” very loosely (and in a manner that shows a lack of understanding of the central premise of science.) On the other hand, it’s not one of those books by a scientist who got all of his understanding of meditation from other books.

As for the weakness, it’s that the book was written in the late 1990’s. Ordinarily, I would say that wouldn’t matter much, but concerning our understanding of the brain, it might as well have been the Stone Age—hyperbole duly noted. One doesn’t put together a book of almost 1000 pages overnight, and so much of the references for “Zen and the Brain” are actually from papers from the 1980’s and earlier. The fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machine didn’t even come out until the early 1990’s, but—of course—it took a while for the studies featuring this powerful technology to reach publication.

The book is arranged into a whopping 158 chapters divided amongst 8 parts. Some of the chapters are pure neuroscience, and there are detailed descriptions of the brain and the functions of its various parts. Other chapters are designed to give one an insight into the practice of Zen and aren’t technical at all. The author has a reasonably engaging writing style when he’s not conveying the minutiae of brain science. He tells stories of his experience as a practitioner of Zen, and passes on the wisdom of past Zen masters.

I have an unconventional recommendation for this book, which I got so much out of. I recommend you first check out the book “Zen-Brain Horizons” put out by the same author and press (MIT Press) in 2014. While I haven’t yet read that book, it seems to hold three advantages. First, it’s only one-third as long and seems to cover similar material. Obviously, it goes into far less detail. (But you may find that a plus.) Second, the 2014 book is reasonably priced. “Zen and the Brain” is one of the most expensive books I’ve bought in recent years. I’m not saying I regret paying as much as I did, because it was a useful book, but cheaper would be better. Finally, the 2014 has the benefit of access to a lot of great research from the past couple decades. If you read the 2014 book and think you need more detail about the brain, then—by all means—get this book.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea what to expect from this book, other than a friend was reading it and it had something to do w/ zen and the brain, both of which I have interests in.

I knew next to nothing about neuroscience at the start, and can now say I know a bit more than that. The book pieces together the relevant areas from neuroscience to compose new hypothesis to test regarding the changes in the brain that occur during zen meditation. I found this to be one of the more valuable topics of the book. There seems to be much that neuroscience can't yet explain.

Additionally Austin generally discusses how the brain operates; the nature of psychedelics vs. zen meditation; and the long and elaborate process of zen. I found the discussion of these topics useful, and my appetite has been whet for now.

His discussion of how the brain operates is particularly orthodox and while citing a number of studies directly, does not go into great detail (as this would probably bore the reader). Additionally this book reads like a textbook with personal anecdotes until the experiences of his absorption at the end. The beginning chapters (300 or so pages) seem to justify the plausible mechanisms related to his quickening experiences. I felt that the book was extremely balanced, and is a daunting monolith, to be absorbed as a whole.

The end message that I retain is that there needs to be more work done in the field to understand these truly different mental states. The author proposes intensive monitoring, in line with the animal experimentation he frequently cites (opinion: disturbing). The scientist inside of me wants others to probe deeper, but I have dissonance that research of this kind will be incredibly intrusive to subjects, human subjects, and therefore highly unrealistic as proposed.

There is a "sequel" to this book, published just recently by the MIT Press, but reading Zen and the Brain has not immediately compelled me to pick it up. There is still hope for another day...

[Vicy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brain Bible. Awesome book. I've been reading it, off and on, since grad school in 2002-2003 - first of a library copy in Durham, then in Asheville, then a used copy I finally got for myself in 2005. Just getting through this opus is an accomplishment and the reward is that you learn A LOT. (It's also a great resource if you're writing .on anything having to do with philosophy of mind in almost any tradition, but certainly in comparing Eastern and Western general views on the mind and the brain.) Finished last year.... and by finished I mean I finally read the last chapter, not that I'm done with the book. James H. Austin is one of many researchers in the growing field that is uniting Buddhism (in the Mahayana tradition) with various fields of science and mathematics. Just last month, he was one of the presenters and participants in a conference called "Outline of Compassion and Selflessness: Zen, Neuroscience, and Complexity Theory."

[Ericstiens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very large, very dry, very dense book. (even with the much needed breaks for the author's personal anecdotes of his Zen practice and experiences) It took me nearly a year to get through it. It works well as an overview of not only the physiology of the brain, but an introduction to theories of consciousness. If you are interested in kensho as well as glutamate pathways, this one is for you.

[Sumanth Ƀharadwaj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book in a Neuroscience class about Zen @ UCSD. How lucky and thankful for it I have been ever since. I can not describe in words the perspective it provided. The vista is something like a Peruvian jungle with a backdrop of a majestic lake shimmering in the equatorial sun just enough to have all your senses enamoured. Read the latest version of this book as it has more up-to-date research from the field.

[Murray Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've not completed the book but I've finished as much as I care to read. I quite enjoyed the introductory chapters on the history and philosophy of Zen, and the art of meditation, which offered an interesting perspective from one who's been trained in Western medicine and studied in Japan. However, about a third of the way into the book the neurophysiology became a bit too deep to hold my interest.

[Tessa]

This is an academic textbook, and is probably by now a bit dated. I'm not rating it with stars because I'm not a student with enough background to really judge it for what it's for.

However, there's plenty of information in well-organised chapters of interest to a curious/interested layman interested in Zen, or neurology, or both.

[Junrain · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most comprehensive book I've read on the neuro/biological/psych effects of meditation. Although the focus is on zazen, other meditations are included in some of the quoted studies. Highly recommended if you are curious about meditation's more concrete and measurable effects on humans.

[Cigdem · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me forever to read. While I found the authors Zen experience interesting and its connection to neuroscience mind-boggling, this book was not my cup of tea. By tying everything spiritual to some action/non-action in brain, I ended up feeling like a machine with many valves and no soul.

[lyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Perfection. This is the second quality investing kensho. Everything is seen as ultimately right. Anything that exists is already intrinsically correct. Alexander Pope must have understood this, for he went on to affirm the point in the ringing line: 'One truth is clear, whatever is, is right.' The implications of this particular line are substantial. In literature, however, Pope's next sentence would be the one most often quoted.
Immanence. This third property of kensho registers at about the same time. The term comes from the Latin, immanere, to remain in. Dictionary definitions of immanence describe it as the presence of the ultimate reality principle embedded entirely within and throughout the whole physical universe. Immanence goes beyond the second statement of perfection. For it implies that the highest and most sacred principle, Deity if you will, is manifest in all things right down here, ourselves included. It is inherent within this world. Right under our nose, and in our nose. Not up there, on some separate higher level, taking the form of a distant overarching creative principle."

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional! This book takes difficult scientific research and translates it into real measurable data. Just brilliant. I loved it!

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A review from a reader at Amazon:
By K.S.Ziegler (Seattle)

This very detailed and voluminous book delves into two subjects, which at times appear very different and not easily connected. On the one hand, the author provides an excellent description of his experience with Zen Buddhism. He describes how Zen is a very rigorous practice and recounts his own progress. Perhaps the strongest aspect of the book is the careful use of terms. Concepts such as "emptiness" and "suchness" are explained in detail. There is an interpretation of the Freudian concepts of ego and id, and a distinction made between the egocentric "I" and the pragmatic "I". The egocentric "I" is further defined as "I-Me-Mine" - different aspects of the selfish and limiting ego, driven by cravings.

I was struck by the author's announcement that he considers consciousness to be brain-bound. As a neuroscientist, he clearly and repeatedly indicates a distrust for mystical speculation, and indeed, there is very little on such subjects as karma (explained as circumstances beyond control). But announcing that consciousness is local to the brain is, in my view, a sort of mysticism in itself, a jumping to a conclusion that he uses as a premise. The philosophy that underlies Buddhism maintains that the material world is a delusion and that the only escape from inevitable suffering (since everything eventually dissolves) is to turn consciousness back into itself, back to it's origin. Perhaps I am missing something, but herein lies the central paradox of this book.

The tendency of science is to treat the brain as an isolated unit, whereas the brain functions within a larger, more fundamental system - the energy system of the body. Human beings can be thought of as fields of energy. Early in the book, there is an analogy that connects the wind through bamboo leaves with the "ripples of excitement [that] sweep back and forth over dendrites." The energy of this "wind" as manifested by the electrical signals is subtle and difficult to measure. "The brain is no power plant. Even when researchers amplify its faint potential up to 50 microvolts, its output amounts to only 50 millionth of a volt". The neuroscientist, then, faced with the difficulty of studying the brain as part of an energy system has concentrated on the brain in terms of chemical reactions within neural pathways. Consciousness is not thought of as being fundamental, as linked with energy; but rather as a result of chemical reactions.

How can the isolated brain, to which consciousness is bound, escape the inevitable suffering of the material world? How does the materialism of a neuroscientist fit with Zen Buddhist practice and experience? This is the paradox of the book, and as far as I see, this paradox deepens as the book proceeds.

But this particular paradox does not appear to matter from the author's perspective. The author's Zen practice is aimed at stripping away all the egocentric (I-Me-Mine) diversions until the subject arrives at pure awareness, the way things really are. The author's Zen experiences, in which he experiences a mystical breakthrough (not his term), certainly were very real to him, and he tries to explain them in the concrete terms of neuroscience. These explanations become very speculative, but in any event, the brain could well manifest every single meditative state that is described.

[T Dower]

This is an academic textbook, and is probably by now a bit dated. I'm not rating it with stars because I'm not a student with enough background to really judge it for what it's for.

However, there's plenty of information in well-organised chapters of interest to a curious/interested layman interested in Zen, or neurology, or both.

[Keith · Rating 2 out of 5]

At its core, this book is supposed to be about the examination of what impact meditation has on consciousness, and what various empirical methodologies for observing that impact can tell us (and equally if not more important), and what they cannot.

Unfortunately, the author, who is a neurologist by trade and a practitioner of meditation, makes multiple forays into areas that go beyond the scope of his expertise (mysticism, religion, cultural history, etc.), which results in a sprawling and often disorienting corpus. If you have the patience to navigate through the fluff and make your way to the parts where the author discusses the impact of meditation states on brain activity and biochemistry, i.e. the stuff where he is competent to say something meaningful, he has some interesting insights.

To be fair, the author forwarns the reader of the book's peripatetic nature in the introduction. You would do well to take him at his word.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A huge book that frustrated me in the end despite all of its many insights, learnings and vast erudition. The author relays an enormouse amount of Western learning about the brain, and deep insight into Zen and his own Zen meditation. But all too often the book seemed to possess two warring vocabularies that never really talked to one another. We can learn all about the chemical pathways of the brain. Or, we can learn that Zen meditation quiets the mind and allows it to experience reality directly. But what do the two ideas have to say to one another? Astonishly little, in the end. This is two very good books, but not one.

[Saturnina · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enlightening journey into the brain and consciousness. Part III was quite a challenge for me, as I've never gotten that closely into the physiology of the brain, so it was lots of new information and lots of it is already forgotten. It was still however extremely interesting to find out how meditation works in the brain and eventually changes it, even if I didn't get all the little details. And it was also nice to read the author's own experiences of meditation and zen, without which this book would never have been written.

[Andrew Cutler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on Zen and neurology. Both the expert and the amateur neurologist can read this since he lets us amateur skip technical passages and still understand. Some awesome topics covered are: how finding a quarter makes us more altruistic, the 'bump' on Buddha statue heads is actually a neurological growth, and what happens when you give someone intravenous LSD when they are asleep!

[Shannon Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

to say that I've read this cover to cover would be untrue; it is not really structured to be read in that way. Most likely, it is a book I will read throughout my life and intend to keep it on my shelf always. Quite fascinating, and most helpful.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not for everyone! Very technical in the neuroscience parts and very tedious in the zen meditation parts, but I am preparing for a talk on the effects of meditation on the brain, so it's got all the information in it.

[Damian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great resource for both zen and and science. It's a huge book (over 800 pages), but worth the read (I'm half-way through.)

[Edgar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brilliant ideas, but this is a textbook not a light read.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

all i can say is i hope everyone in the world reads this book im waiting !!!

[Crissman Loomis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Overly academic with not much interesting information on Zen itself. A hard slog.

[Richard Doell]

This is definitely a must read for someone interested in the connections between neuroscience and zen meditation.

[Jake Bittle · Rating 4 out of 5]

God, this book was hard.

[David Ravicher · Rating 5 out of 5]

insightful from the mechanistic sense but not the other - James needs more journey yet.

[Cagey B · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome scientific take on meditation without the woo. Written by a neuroscientist.