Buddha Brain – Meditation, Religion, and Science

Seventh pre-trip event:

Thursday, May 7, 7:30-9:30 pm, Arroyo Lounge. Science and Spirituality. Film: What the BLEEP Do We Know? (2004, 108 minutes, ZDVD 9431). From the website: “Starring Marlee Matlin and 14 Scientists and Mystics. Exploring the worlds of Quantum Physics, Neurology, and Molecular Biology in relation to the spheres of Spirituality, Metaphysics and Polish weddings. Part documentary, part drama, part animation. How does it all fit together???”

Sixth pre-trip event:

Friday, May 1, 7-9 pm, Arroyo Lounge. Philoso-tea: What Do You Believe and Why? Share Your Religious and/or Spirtual Beliefs. This event is an opportunity to learn about the spiritual and religious approaches of other students. Attendees will be asked to share their religious and/or spiritual beliefs with the group and to discuss the principles most important to them. By comparing different spirtual approaches, students will gain a broader perspective as well as a better understanding of what makes their own views unique. Host: Aaron Qayumi.

Fifth pre-trip event:

Thursday, April 30, 7:30-9:30 pm, Arroyo RF Cottage. Meditation, Neuroscience, and Psychology. Two films: (1) Monks in the Laboratory (2006, 52 minutes, ZDVD 19226). “Monks in the Laboratory is first and foremost a human and scientific adventure. Why is science interested in meditation? Why do Buddhist monks willingly lend their brains and their bodies to scientific examination? Buddhists have studied the nature of the mind for 2,500 years, without tools. They have developed meditation techniques to sustain attention and to transform the emotions. These practices were for a long time not known about in the West. Today they interest scientists who are also asking age-old questions – What are emotions? What is the mind? Thanks to scientists working on the ‘Mind and Life’ project, who started up this astonishing dialogue with Tibetan Buddhism 20 years ago, this film takes us to the edge of new territory, attempting to redesign the relationship between body and mind.” (2) Changing from Inside (1998, 43 minutes, ZVC 13212). Examines the use of Vipassana (insight) meditation at the North Rehabilitation Facility in Seattle.

Fourth pre-trip event:

Friday, April 24, 7:30-9:30 pm, Arroyo RF Cottage. Zen and Enlightenment. Film: The Principles and Practice of Zen (1988, 117 minutes, ZVC 2227). Describes the rigorous process through which a student-priest must go to attain “satori” (enlightenment).

Third pre-trip event:

Monday, April 20, 7:30-9:30 pm, Arroyo RF Cottage. Different Perspectives on Meditation. Three films: (1) Tibetan Buddhist Meditation (1992, 30 minutes, ZVC 12998 ). From the “Thinking Allowed” series. Host Jeffrey Mishlove discusses Tibetan Buddhist meditation with Ole Nydahl, a trained Tibetan Buddhist meditation master. They explore what Tibetan Buddhist meditation is, and compare and contrast it with other types of meditation. (2) A Guide to Walking Meditation (1987, 30 minutes, ZVC 2219). Discussion of Buddhist walking meditation with Thich Nhat Hanh. (3) Zen: The Best of Alan Watts (1994, 60 minutes, ZVC 16978). Distillation of seven films about Buddhism featuring Alan Watts, produced between 1965 and 1973. Parts: Mood of Zen — Zen and now — Buddhism, Man and Nature — The art of meditation.

Second pre-trip event:

Friday, April 17, 7:30-9:30 pm, Arroyo RF Cottage. History of Buddhism. Two films: (1) Buddha Realms (2007, 55 minutes, ZDVD 19224). “Buddhism, a religion that started in India, has shown a remarkable ability to adapt across race, language and cultural barriers. What became the dominant spiritual tradition of the East has now taken root and is flourishing in the West. Buddha Realms captures this contemporary spiritual phenomenon which sometimes manifests itself in massive edifices and gargantuan crowds of worshippers.” (2) Mountains and Rivers: Mystical Realism of Zen Master Dogen (1996, 45 minutes, ZVC 16980). A 20th century interpretation of the Mountains and rivers scripture by 13th century Zen Master Eihei Dogen (founder of the Soto Zen tradition of Buddhism represented at Tassajara) , a symbolic verification of the interpenetration and mutual non-hindrance of phenomenal existence and the absolute enlightenment.

To comment on this event, click on comments.

First pre-trip event:

Thursday, April 16, 9-11 pm, Arroyo RF Cottage. Zen Philosophy. Film: Zen: In Search of Enlightenment (1993, 120 minutes, ZVC 15666). Presents the philosophy of Zen.

To comment on this event, click on comments.

This is the blog for Symbolic Systems 17, led by Todd Davies at Stanford University.

You can either comment on each post without logging in, or create an account and then log in. To create an account, go to the Edublogs homepage.