A renowned philosopher of the mind, also known for his
groundbreaking work on Buddhism and cognitive science, Evan
Thompson combines the latest neuroscience research on sleep,
dreaming, and meditation with Indian and Western philosophy of the
mind, casting new light on the self and its relation to the
brain.
Thompson shows how the self is a changing process, not a static
thing. When we are awake we identify with our body, but if we let
our mind wander or daydream, we project a mentally imagined self
into the remembered past or anticipated future. As we fall asleep,
the impression of being a bounded self distinct from the world
dissolves, but the self reappears in the dream state. If we have a
lucid dream, we no longer identify only with the self within the
dream. Our sense of self now includes our dreaming self, the "I" as
dreamer. Finally, as we meditate -- either in the waking state or
in a lucid dream -- we can observe whatever images or thoughts
arise and how we tend to identify with them as "me." We can also
experience sheer awareness itself, distinct from the changing
contents that make up our image of the self.
Contemplative traditions say that we can learn to let go of the
self, so that when we die we can witness the dissolution of the
self with equanimity. Thompson weaves together neuroscience,
philosophy, and personal narrative to depict these transformations,
adding uncommon depth to life's profound questions. Contemplative
experience comes to illuminate scientific findings, and scientific
evidence enriches the vast knowledge acquired by
contemplatives.
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