Neuropsychology & buddhism?

[Admiral]

Hi pals (:

I'm seriously thinking about starting neuropsychology studies at university...
But is neuropsychology really far from what Buddha taught?
I don't want to study something that's absolutely against what's taught in the dhamma.

What do you think of it? :s

[PeterB]

Neuropsychology is in no way contrary to Dhamma. Anymore than anatomy and physiology is contrary to Dhamma.
It is a different view of one part of the functioning of the temporary combination of conditions that we call a human being.
And it is a view which has the potential to reduce the suffering of human beings.
It is a good thing.
And a good thing that those interested in Buddhadhamma should contribute to the study of neuropsychology.

[Modus.Ponens]

Great! You can do research in meditation, a good contribution to society.

[Donuts Dad]

Dear Admiral,

I've had to deal with a lot of doctors and I've never met one who wouldn't have benefited professionally from exposure to the Dhamma.

One of my sons is autistic and has epilepsy. Our choices for treatment were always either neurology or psychology, neither of which is especially effectual on it's own. A neuropsychologist dealing with both the physical and emotional at the same time would have been a great help to him.

Best of luck

[Monkey Mind]

I studied neuropsychology at the same time I was taking Buddhist Study classes. I found a lot of material to be consistent rather than contradictory. I was amazed that Buddha drew some of the same conclusions 2600 years ago as neuroscientists today, without the benefit of a microscope. Of course, not every thing was a perfect match, but I was still very impressed.

I agree with Modus.Ponens. Some of my favorite meditation factoids:
When a person is exposed to an obnoxious but predictably repeating noise, their brain waves eventually habituate to the sound. Experienced Zen meditators, however, never habituate to the sound.
Neural density in the prefrontal cortex of the brain naturally declines with age. Meditators demonstrate a significantly reduced rate of decline.
Meditation and chanting look similar on brain imaging, with two exceptions. With chanting, obviously the vocal and hearing centers of the brain light up. The interesting difference is that emotional centers are cool with meditation and light up like a Christmas tree with chanting.

[Nibbida]

I am a neuropsychologist. I trained clinically and teach in academia. This is really an interesting time to be studying neuroscience and be involved in Dhamma practice, given the dialog and collaborations going on between meditators and scientists.

The Buddha really didn't talk about the brain much, if at all. But in studying neuropsychology, you will find much that echoes the Dhamma. Take for example anatta. There is no part of the brain in which the self resides. Sure if you damage the brain, it can alter the sense of self, but there's no place you can point to and say, "Yup, there it is." Rather, the self is a mental construct, and there are several systems in the brain whose activity reflects the construction of a sense of self. But it's not a thing, an object, it's an activity, a process.

When the Buddha said that repeated actions wear a groove in the mind. In the Dvedhavitakka Sutta, he said that "Whatever a monk keeps pursuing with his thinking & pondering, that becomes the inclination of his awareness." Neuropsychologists call this neuroplasticity. Repeated actions and thoughts reinforce synaptic pathways, which makes it easier to repeat that action or thought in the future.

Pretty interesting stuff.

[Admiral]

Thanks a lot for all these answers

I think I'll definitly choose this path.
I'm afraid it will be difficult to work as a neuropsychologist in France, but I'll do my best

[Goedert]

Hi Friend,

You can do academic studies about meditation and contribute for the wellfare of many pacients also.

It is a very good one, give it a try.


True happiness to you.

[Nibbida]

I just posted this about an article in Scientific American Mind about the self from psychological and neuroscience findings:

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=4848

The highlights from the article:

* "We perceive the “I” as stable, but the self is actually a construct that the brain works constantly to maintain.
* Self-knowledge involves both simple mental processes, such as knowing where one’s body is in space, and complex ones, such as fabricating a life story out of past events.
* A critical aspect of self-awareness is the ability to recognize and temper one’s emotions."

Sounds awfully Dhamma-like to me.

[Admiral]

Thansk for the link, it's really interresting