Neuroscience and Meditation

"If you can't measure it, it isn't real. That's a view that has always divided science and religion. But now, new technologies in neuroscience are forcing researchers to take the effects of spiritual practice seriously."

- excerpt from the article The Lama in the Lab.

In The Lama in the Lab, a Tibetan Monk participates in a meditation practice as scientists scan his brain with sophisticated brain imaging equipment. The purpose of the study is to accumulate research into the connection between disciplined mental strategies and their effect on brain function. The team of scientists studies various meditative states to compare their influence on the monk's brain activity, including one based on generating compassion. The results reveal a brain shift in the monk to a greater sense of well-being within oneself and yields scientific support to the Dalai Lama's view, "that the person doing a meditation on compassion for all beings is the immediate beneficiary".

In the field of Neuroscience, the attitude was that the brain was limited by its original neuron makeup and life experiences were not germane. However, brain science has evolved and paved the way for neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity refers to the nervous system's ability to rewire itself and that the brain continually changes based on our experiences through greater neural connections or through new neural generation.

When the Dalai Lama was asked what broader benefit he hoped for from this research, he replied, "Through training the mind people can become more calm - especially those who suffer from too many ups and downs. And there is a saying, the true mark of being learned is humility and mental discipline; the true mark of a meditator is that he has disciplined his mind by freeing it from negative emotions."

To read the entire article and research study, visit The Lama in the Lab.