From the author of "Perceiving Ordinary Magic, " this book proposes that both science and Buddhism offer powerful insights into human nature that can help to bring about profound changes in our lives and our society.
Jeremy Hayward argues that a radical uprooting of our beliefs about reality is necessary if we are to resolve our confusion about our world and ourselves. Only a profound examination of human perception--a process by which worlds and selves are created and re-created ever moment--will provide the clarity and confidence we seek.
"Shifting Worlds, Changing Minds " is an in-depth, non-technical analysis of the perceptual process, drawing on the latest data from cognitive science--the "new science of mind." Added to these are insights gained from the Buddhist practice of mindfulness-awareness meditation. The results of this analysis and practice can free us from dependence on belief systems. We are presented with a genuine revolution in the understanding of consciousness, and the possibilities for awareness and compassion are revealed.

This book offers penetrating insight into the nature and process of perception through a skillful interweaving of the concepts of the new physics, evolutionary biology, and cognitive psychology with the profound insights of meditative traditions. We are shown how we may go beyond the harsh and narrow limits of beliefs and habitual patterns of thought and behavior to awaken fresh perception that is fearless and compassionate, experiencing the sacredness of the ordinary world.

This book is based on a week-long series of daily meetings between Western scientists and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the political and spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, who was awarded the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize. The discussions took place in the meeting room of the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India, in the relaxed atmosphere of a living room conversation. Topics ranged widely over mind and brain, the self, perception, memory, evolution, artificial intelligence, and the sources of knowledge in science and Buddhism. The various themes have been woven into clear and accessible presentations and dialogues that convey the lively flavor of the original meetings.

The world we inhabit is enchanted--every tree, rock, and star, and even "empty" space itself, is teeming with living energy and awareness. And it's all nearer to us than our own breath. Why, then, can't we see it? Because, according to Jeremy Hayward, we are taught not to. And because our cultural conditioning keeps us in denial about the fact that a strictly scientific worldview provides only a partial, and unsatisfactory, view of reality. Letters to Vanessa is the guidebook for a generation caught in the eunuch between the hard realities of science and the genuine yearning for an experience of the sacred. In a series of letters addressed to his teenage daughter, Dr. Hayward points the way past the limits of science and shows how we can connect with the magical, multidimensional universe of soul. Along the way he presents the most recent findings of neuroscience, cognitive psychology, new biology, and physics in a most engaging and understandable way. He also provides practical meditation instructions that will enable everyone to reconnect with the joyous reality of ordinary life.