La Conciencia Jhana

This book is a remarkable investigation of sentience from the dual perspectives of Buddhism and contemporary neuroscience. The author-expert in both fields describes the first scientific study of jhana meditation and establishes a compelling consonance between the Buddhist model of interdependent origination and current formulations of neuroscience. Dennison offers many intriguing and foundational insights into the mind, the brain, and the illusory nature of the self. Perhaps most notably, certain brain states-usually associated with sleep, dreaming, and even epilepsy-can be invoked at will by skilled practitioners, confirming the human ability to control the brain's attentional processes. This is the holy grail of many psychotherapies, a holy grail that we now know exists, thanks to Dennison's brilliant synthesis. Beyond the profound therapeutic implications of this book, there are some revealing observations about the psychological self. Perhaps my favorite is that it could be argued that both Buddhist and scientific logic models support the view that the statement 'I am' is impermanent and has no ultimate reality. I am sure this is absolutely correct. -Karl Friston, professor of neuroscience, University College London.