Buddhism and Science: Dialogue, Debate, and Discovery MTA
Critical perspectives on the intersection of Buddhism, cognitive science, and empirical research

About this book:

The book undertakes a critical examination of the dialogue between Buddhist traditions and cognitive science, moving beyond mere affirmation to scrutinize claims, concepts, and methods. It begins by carefully defining "Buddhism" as a diverse family of traditions with soteriological aims and "science" as cognitive and empirical research, emphasizing the importance of avoiding category errors. The text traces historical encounters from Orientalism and Buddhist modernism to contemporary collaborations like the Mind & Life Institute, highlighting how power dynamics and cultural context shape the exchange. Foundational chapters explore Buddhist epistemology, particularly the emphasis on direct experience and valid cognition (pramāṇa) through perception and inference, and its dialogue with scientific ways of knowing.

The core of the book investigates specific domains of mind where Buddhist thought and science intersect. Detailed analyses compare Abhidharma taxonomies of mental factors (cittas and cetasikas) with cognitive science constructs, examining attention, volition, feeling, and ethical factors like mindfulness and compassion. Meditation phenomenology is explored through first-person methods such as micro-phenomenology to capture fine-grained experience. Chapters on mindfulness critically assess definitions, measures, and replication challenges, while attention and metacognition are discussed as cultivated skills linking Buddhist samatha with cognitive models of executive control. The discussion of self and no-self engages Buddhist anattā with predictive processing models, and emotion/compassion research bridges karuṇā with affective science. Ethical considerations, including adverse effects, researcher-practitioner dual roles, cultural appropriation, and responsible conduct, are woven throughout, alongside investigations into mechanisms of change, clinical applications of mindfulness-based interventions, and the neuroscience of pain and suffering.

Further chapters expand the dialogue to encompass comparative philosophies of mind (Yogācāra and Madhyamaka) engaging analytic philosophy, Buddhist conceptions of time, impermanence, and the stream of consciousness, and the embodied, ritual dimensions of practice through enactive cognition. The text addresses structural inequities in the science–Buddhism interface, issues of translation and construct validity across languages and cultures, and the imperative for open science practices like preregistration, data sharing, and reproducibility. Emerging frontiers include computational models of mindfulness and insight, Buddhist perspectives on artificial intelligence and consciousness, and technology-enhanced practice via apps, wearables, and VR. The book concludes with future research agendas emphasizing mechanism-focused, individualized, long-term studies, equitable collaboration, and a continued commitment to rigorous, responsible inquiry that respects both traditions' strengths while confronting limitations and biases.

What You'll Find Inside:

• The book critically evaluates the Buddhism–science dialogue, separating genuine empirical discoveries from metaphorical projections and cultural biases.
• It outlines methodological frameworks for integrating first‑person phenomenological reports with third‑person behavioral and neural data, emphasizing construct validity and multi‑method designs.
• Historical analysis reveals how colonialism, Orientalism, and power dynamics have shaped which Buddhist practices are studied and how findings are interpreted.
• Chapters detail mechanisms of meditation—attention, metacognition, self‑no‑self, emotion regulation—and how to move from correlation to causal inference via RCTs, mediation analysis, and computational modeling.
• Ethical guidance covers adverse effects, safety protocols, cultural humility, and responsible collaboration between scientists and contemplative practitioners.

Who's It For:

This book is intended for scholars and researchers in cognitive science, neuroscience, psychology, and Buddhist studies who seek a rigorous, critically informed perspective on contemplative science. It will also benefit clinicians, meditation teachers, and practitioners interested in the empirical foundations and ethical implications of mindfulness‑ and compassion‑based interventions. Graduate students and advanced undergraduates designing interdisciplinary research will find concrete methodological guidance, while science‑engaged readers curious about the limits and promise of dialogue between Buddhism and science will gain a nuanced, evidence‑based overview.