Sati Center for Buddhist Studies

Many of the Buddha’s teachings have close parallels in modern neuroscience. This half-day presentation will explore these parallels, with a particular focus on perception and memory. Early Buddhist teachings on emptiness and “situational awareness” (sampajañña) emphasize insights into the nature of perception that can be valuable supports for dharma practice. Similar insights emerge from studies of the perceptual circuits of the brain. Neuroplasticity, or how the brain is changed by experience, is viewed by neuroscientists as the basis of all forms of memory. Early Buddhist teachings on karma and the “storehouse” (alaya) emphasize how this principle affects our well-being. A similar perspective underlies the effectiveness of many modern psychotherapies.