Dharma Talk: Roger Jackson “Mind, Meditation, Mahamudra, and MRIs: Some Reflections”

April 1, 2012
10:00 amto11:00 am

The talk will begin and end with the question: what is the value of the neuro-scientific study of the mind, and particularly of meditative states? To answer the question from a Buddhist perspective we will seek first to understand the multiple perspectives on the mind developed by Buddhists over the centuries, through exploring such topics as the place of mind in nature, the relation between mind and body, the structure and functions of mind, the ultimate nature of mind, and the various methods of training the mind that we broadly refer to as “meditation”—with special attention to the Indian and Tibetan tantric technique of “mind seeing mind” called Mahāmudrā, the Great Seal. With these perspectives in mind, we will assess the importance of “neural Buddhism” for the practice of the Dharma.

Workshop (2-1/2 hours): “Mind Seeing Mind: Meditations in the Great Seal Tradition”
This workshop will introduce the participants to a direct method for seeing the true nature of mind—Mahāmudrā, or the Great Seal—that arose in the tantric milieu of late Indian Buddhism and became immensely popular in Tibet. Although some background information on Mahāmudrā will be supplied, the primary activity will be guided instruction in the basics of Mahāmudrā meditation, followed by discussion of the experiences involved and their implications. Although Mahāmudrā developed in an esoteric context, it will be presented here in a form accessible to meditators of all levels of experience, including beginners.