Mind & Life XIII--Day 2 Interlude by Alan Wallace

That afternoon, His Holiness met with President Bush and Condoleezza Rice. Although we didn’t learn anything about the visit, we were entertained in the meantime by Allan Wallace, who gave a beautiful lecturette on the development of Buddhist and scientific thought systems.

He noted that Western scientist attempted to study the mind through introspection for about thirty years, at which point they realized “they sucked” at it. People (especially untrained people) simply aren’t able to provide data about their internal states; behavioral and cognitive approaches rose to prominence instead.

Meanwhile, over centuries of advanced introspection and dissection of the elements of consciousness, Buddhism never developed a theory of the brain as the seat or the source of anything. The senses were thought to reside in the sense organs themselves, and the heart was the seat of the apparent “soul.” In other words, said Wallace, Buddhists are accepting neuroscience on faith. That got a good laugh.

He defined the metaphysical as “that which science hasn’t been able to study yet,” At one time, atomic theory was metaphysical; there was no way to study such minute phenomena. The Buddhist science of mind brings 2500 years of study to a “metaphysical” discipline.

By the same token, Wallace noted, a “theory” is a cognitive framework, a way of viewing the truth that both supports and stems from one’s own views. Theories are certinaly useful, but to ignore the limtations of a knowledge system is both shortsighted and occasionally dangerous.

Mr. Wallace also explored the notions of “eudaimonic well-being” as a target state distinct from gratification. He quoted His Holiness as saying, “The very motion of our life is towards happiness.” Eudaimonic well-being was defined as “the integrated pursuit of inner happiness, truth and virtue.” It’s not contingent upon material things or pleasant stimuli.

The ancient Buddhist university of Nalanda embodied the interdisciplinary cultivation of eudaimonic well-being. Broadly, the realms of poetry, rhetoric, logic, philosophy, music, &c. studied there are, in fact, “dharma”, the disciplines that foster eudamonia.

In the conversation that followed, the ideal of openhearted engagement with one’s life was echoed by Ajahn Amaro, who oted the four requirements for success (which apply to anything):
-Interest
-Energy
-Contemplation
-Feedback (evaluation/indication of success from outside)