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  • Sleeping, Dreaming, and Dying

  • An Exploration of Consciousness with the Dalai Lama
  • By: Francisco J. Varela PhD
  • Narrated by: Fajer Al-Kaisi
  • Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (13 ratings)

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Sleeping, Dreaming, and Dying

By: Francisco J. Varela PhD
Narrated by: Fajer Al-Kaisi
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Publisher's Summary

This is an absorbing account of a dialogue between leading Western scientists and the foremost representative of Buddhism today, the Dalai Lama of Tibet.

For modern science, the transitional states of consciousness lie at the forefront of research in many fields. For a Buddhist practitioner, these same states present crucial opportunities to explore and transform consciousness itself. This book is the account of a historic dialogue between leading Western scientists and the Dalai Lama of Tibet. Revolving around three key moments of consciousness - sleep, dreams, and death - the conversations recorded here are both engrossing and highly listenable. Whether the topic is lucid dreaming, near-death experiences, or the very structure of consciousness itself, the listener is continually surprised and delighted.

Narrated by Fajer Al-Kaisi, the book begins with insightful remarks on the notion of personal identity by noted philosopher Charles Taylor, author of the acclaimed Sources of Self. This sets the stage for Dr. Jerome Engel, Dr. Joyce MacDougal, and others to engage in extraordinary exchanges with the Dalai Lama on topics ranging from the neurology of sleep to the yoga of dreams.

Remarkable convergences between the Western scientific tradition and the Buddhist contemplative sciences are revealed. Dr. Jayne Gackenbach's discussion of lucid dreaming, for example, prompts a detailed and fascinating response from the Dalai Lama on the manipulation of dreams by Buddhist meditators. The conversations also reveal provocative divergences of opinion, as when the Dalai Lama expresses skepticism about near-death experiences as presented by Joan Halifax. The conversations are engrossing and highly listenable. Any listener interested in psychology, neuroscience, Buddhism, or the alternative worlds of dreams will surely enjoy Sleeping, Dreaming, and Dying.

©2002 Mind and Life Institute (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

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Brilliant communication between science and spirituality

Wry important dialogue between science and culture based knowledges. I highly recommend this book for anyone undertaking a path towards science studies as a means of keeping your mind open and curious.

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