24
Lectures
30
minutes/lecture
1.
Mindlessness—The Default Setting
Do you control your mind, or does your mind control you? Investigate how the mind operates and the condition of "mindlessness"—the pervasive swirl of thoughts and judgments that separate you from the world around you. Consider the possibility of cultivating the mind in ways conducive to deep well-being for yourself and others.
1.
Mindlessness—The Default Setting
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13.
Insight—Clearing the Mind
Practicing mindfulness over time prepares the mind for "insight," which in this tradition means seeing clearly into the fundamental nature of reality. Begin an inquiry into what Buddhism calls the three "marks" of existence with the notion of impermanence—the eternal arising and passing away of all phenomena.
13.
Insight—Clearing the Mind
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2.
Mindfulness—The Power of Awareness
Explore the notion of "mindfulness"—nonjudgmental attention to experience—as it occurs in everyday life and as a deliberate practice. Note the many benefits of mindfulness practice, from the freedom to choose how you respond to life, to releasing detrimental emotions and patterns of thinking, to its effects on your physical health.
2.
Mindfulness—The Power of Awareness
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14.
Wisdom—Seeing the World as It Is
Now investigate dukkha, the insatiable quality of human experience—seen in our endless pursuit of the symbols of well-being and achievement and avoidance of unwanted experience. Finally, contemplate not-self—penetrating the illusion of the "I" as an entity separate from the rest of reality, which must be bolstered, protected, and satisfied.
14.
Wisdom—Seeing the World as It Is
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3.
Expectations—Relinquishing Preconceptions
This lecture introduces the practice of meditation as a tool for developing mindfulness. Here, distinguish the true nature of mindfulness meditation from common preconceptions about it, revealing its capacity to instill a deeper connection to reality, as well as cultivating a wisdom based in empathy and compassion.
3.
Expectations—Relinquishing Preconceptions
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15.
Compassion—Expressing Fundamental Kindness
With relation to mindfulness practice, explore compassion—the desire to alleviate suffering—as an essential component of our nature as human beings. See how compassion allows us to look at suffering without aversion or attachment, and learn specific practices for developing empathy and deeply recognizing the inner experience of others.
15.
Compassion—Expressing Fundamental Kindness
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4.
Preparation—Taking Moral Inventory
In approaching meditation, consider the interconnections of ethical behavior with the development of mindfulness and the shaping of personal character. Drawing from the Buddha's teachings, explore five precepts of behavior that are conducive to the greatest benefits of meditation practice, based in the fundamental principle of not harming others or yourself.
4.
Preparation—Taking Moral Inventory
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16.
Imperfection—Embracing Our Flaws
Finding compassion for ourselves is greatly challenging for many of us. Consider the complex of beliefs, attitudes, and conditioning that underlie this; in particular, the thorny phenomenon of perfectionism. Learn how to embrace and accept both imperfection and perfectionism itself as an opening to freedom and deeper humanity.
16.
Imperfection—Embracing Our Flaws
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5.
Position—Where to Be for Meditation
Now learn about the most beneficial physical conditions for your meditation. First, consider the time of day and the physical setting that will best serve your practice. Then, study the most effective sitting postures on the floor, cushions, or chair and the optimum alignment of the body for mindfulness meditation.
5.
Position—Where to Be for Meditation
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17.
Wishing—May All Beings Be Well and Happy
The mindfulness tradition offers an additional practice that is highly effective in revealing and cultivating compassion. With Professor Muesse's guidance, experience metta meditation, a focused contemplation wishing well-being and peace for others. See how this practice works to relinquish alienation and hostility and to deepen solidarity with all humanity.
17.
Wishing—May All Beings Be Well and Happy
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6.
Breathing—Finding a Focus for Attention
Mindfulness meditation is based in the use of an anchor or focus of attention, allowing the mind to calm itself. Using your breathing as the focus, learn in detail about the fundamental elements of sitting meditation, focusing attention on the breath and returning to it when the mind strays, without judgment.
6.
Breathing—Finding a Focus for Attention
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18.
Generosity—The Joy of Giving
Here, study the mindfulness tradition's insights concerning attachment to "things," our culture's dominant emphasis on possessions, and the psychological roots of greed. Learn about the Buddhist tradition of dana (sharing with others) and specific practices that reveal the life-giving effects of generosity on the giver and receiver.
18.
Generosity—The Joy of Giving
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7.
Problems—Stepping-Stones to Mindfulness
Here, explore difficulties often encountered in meditation and ways of working with them that are also useful in the larger context of living. Consider physical discomfort and the specific use of mindfulness itself in working through it. Look also at ways to strengthen concentration and to counter frustration and discouragement.
7.
Problems—Stepping-Stones to Mindfulness
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19.
Speech—Training the Tongue
Mindfulness practice brings focus to the critical link between speech and behavior. Consider the ways in which both inner experience and outward action are influenced by our use of language. Reflecting on four Buddhist principles of skillful communication, explore mindful attention to speaking and the use of language in genuinely beneficial ways.
19.
Speech—Training the Tongue
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8.
Body—Attending to Our Physical Natures
Building on your work with mindfulness practice, learn another technique that augments and supports meditation. The "body scan" directs focused attention to different areas of the body, promoting deeper sensory awareness, relaxation, and concentration. With Professor Muesse's guidance, experience a 20-minute body scan meditation, a fundamental practice of self-compassion.
8.
Body—Attending to Our Physical Natures
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20.
Anger—Cooling the Fires of Irritation
This lecture discusses the challenges of dealing with anger and ways to disarm it using the skills you've studied. Reflect on our cultural predisposition to either suppress anger or to express it thoughtlessly, and a third way offered by mindfulness, of nonjudgmental observation, acceptance, and the mental spaciousness to choose your response.
20.
Anger—Cooling the Fires of Irritation
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9.
Mind—Working with Thoughts
The mindfulness tradition has much to say on the nature of thoughts and their power to shape personality and character. Here, learn specific ways to identify detrimental thoughts and a variety of methods to work with them, demonstrating that you can influence the conditioned mind through conscious and deliberate response to your own thoughts.
9.
Mind—Working with Thoughts
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21.
Pain—Embracing Physical Discomfort
The skills of mindfulness offer powerful means to work with physical discomfort of all kinds. Consider the crucial distinction between pain and suffering as it directly affects our perceptions. Then experience two meditations for alleviating physical suffering—first, focusing on observing the exact sensation itself, then, on your response to the sensation.
21.
Pain—Embracing Physical Discomfort
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10.
Walking—Mindfulness While Moving
Walking meditation, another core element of the mindfulness tradition, allows you to practice mindfulness wherever and whenever you go. Learn walking meditation in detail, including beneficial conditions for practice, the method of mindful walking, where to focus your attention, and advanced variations on the practice.
10.
Walking—Mindfulness While Moving
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22.
Grief—Learning to Accept Loss
In reflecting on the universality of loss, take a deeper look at the notion of impermanence and how refusal to embrace life's transience affects our experience of living. Learn how mindfulness approaches grief through centering focus in the present moment and fully experiencing what grief brings to us without fear or aversion.
22.
Grief—Learning to Accept Loss
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11.
Consuming—Watching What You Eat
When approached with mindfulness, eating offers heightened awareness and undiscovered depth of experience. This lecture takes you on a rich exploration of mindful eating, beginning with an eating "meditation," using all five senses. Then contemplate mindful eating in daily life and detailed suggestions for sharing a fully mindful meal with others.
11.
Consuming—Watching What You Eat
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23.
Finitude—Living in the Face of Death
The mindfulness tradition considers reflecting on death to be both liberating and essential to living a full and satisfying life. Contemplate the ways in which our culture conditions us to avoid and deny death, and learn four meditations that deepen both the awareness of life's transience and our ability to live freely.
23.
Finitude—Living in the Face of Death
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12.
Driving—Staying Awake at the Wheel
As a familiar and potentially hazardous activity, driving provides a perfect "laboratory" for practicing mindfulness. Assess your own approach to driving and bring the principles of meditation to bear on the road; in particular, giving focused attention to the present moment, to your sensory experience and emotions.
12.
Driving—Staying Awake at the Wheel
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24.
Life—Putting It All in Perspective
Finally, consider various possibilities for continuing your practice through the methods you've learned, further study, and retreats. Professor Muesse concludes with reflections on his own path and on the very real capacity of mindfulness practice to profoundly alter our perceptions of self, the world, and our place in it.
24.
Life—Putting It All in Perspective
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24
Lectures
30
minutes/lecture
1.
A New Perspective on Ancient Questions
For many, science and religion address two fundamentally distinct realms of human experience, but scientists and theologians are increasingly discovering that these realms intersect. Learn how neuroscience is tackling some of life’s biggest questions while shedding new light on humanity’s most ancient and enduring beliefs and practices.
1.
A New Perspective on Ancient Questions
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13.
Transmitters to God
Messages of the mind are relayed through brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. Uncover the mental connections involved in humanity’s religious experiences and follow the hidden pathways through which human beings may be connecting with the divine.
13.
Transmitters to God
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2.
Why Do We Have a Spiritual Brain?
We humans possess highly evolved brains that enable us to create sophisticated systems of religious beliefs and practices. Examine the theories that seek to explain the development of this astounding organ, showing how and why we have such a powerful inclination to search for a spiritual realm.
2.
Why Do We Have a Spiritual Brain?
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14.
Stimulated States and Religious Experiences
Changes in brain activity that occur from natural or internal conditions seem to track closely with artificial methods produced by electrical or chemical stimulation. Grasp how stimulated states give us insight into the nature and meaning of spiritual experiences.
14.
Stimulated States and Religious Experiences
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3.
Brain Function and Religion
The brain is structured in several sections, governs a variety of systems and functions, and is the central processing unit of the human body. Delve into the inner workings of this elusive organ by means of modern neuroscience to determine how various brain processes may be involved in religious and spiritual experiences.
3.
Brain Function and Religion
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15.
Near-Death Experiences and the Brain
Even at the point of death, our cerebral circuitry is quite active. In fact, the neural activity of these extreme states contributes to phenomena that some claim as evidence of life beyond death. Come to appreciate how neuroscience is broadening our perspective on the riveting reports associated with near-death experiences.
15.
Near-Death Experiences and the Brain
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4.
How Does Science Study Religion?
Pursuing knowledge by means of science requires a disciplined methodology. This methodology is based in experimental approaches to its subject. Dissect the various ways in which science attempts to investigate religious phenomena, allowing you to better understand these spiritual experiences in an effort to determine their ultimate nature and makeup.
4.
How Does Science Study Religion?
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16.
The Believing Brain
Your brain works hard to interpret your experiences, making sense of your world through creating and adopting belief systems about it. In a manner of speaking, your brain is essentially a belief-generating machine. Master the mechanics by which your brain constructs your beliefs—including those that may prove demonstrably false.
16.
The Believing Brain
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5.
Believers and Atheists
Religion has been a fundamental part of human culture for many millennia. If the human brain is hard-wired for religious activity, then why do some people’s brains reject the notion of the divine altogether? Analyze the current neuroscientific evidence for the differences between the brains of believers and nonbelievers.
5.
Believers and Atheists
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17.
The Brain’s Influence on Religious Ideas
Whether you are thinking about the here and now or about the abstract notion of a spiritual realm, your thoughts are governed by the nature and capabilities of your brain. Ponder the ways that the structure and function of your brain shape and limit your religious and theological conceptions.
17.
The Brain’s Influence on Religious Ideas
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6.
Spiritual Development
Human brains are capable of producing complex spiritual thoughts and states. At what age does this capacity begin? How does this capacity change throughout a lifetime? Trace the development of the brain from infancy into adulthood and see how this physiological transformation corresponds to progressive stages of religious belief.
6.
Spiritual Development
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18.
Revelation, Salvation, and the Brain
Your experiences are processed by your brain to determine both their immediate importance and their connection to your life as a whole. While many experiences are dismissed as largely insignificant, others have the ability to profoundly transform us. Test two widely experienced religious experiences with the tools of modern neuroscience.
18.
Revelation, Salvation, and the Brain
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7.
The Myth-Making Brain
From the first campfires of our ancient ancestors, storytelling has been an essential part of our human experience. Stories communicate important ideas meant to illuminate and inspire us. Harness the power of myth to appreciate how it is used by your brain to make sense of an often puzzling universe.
7.
The Myth-Making Brain
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19.
The Brain’s Influence on Religious Behavior
Ethical behavior is close to the heart of all religious traditions. Find how neuroscience is shedding new light on the processes that make possible religiously motivated behavior such as altruism, empathy, and forgiveness.
19.
The Brain’s Influence on Religious Behavior
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8.
The Brain and Religious Rituals
Habitual activity is the key to internalizing behavior, and religious ritual is a clear example of this phenomenon. Observe how the rhythm of repetitive routine changes your neural network by imprinting the precepts of religious worldviews in transformative and visceral ways.
8.
The Brain and Religious Rituals
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20.
How the Brain Changes God
Given the fact that your brain interprets experience to construct a picture of reality, how does this shape your concept of God? Size up the various ways we tend to envision God as our brains work to formulate ideas of divinity, ranging from the overly humanized to the esoterically abstract.
20.
How the Brain Changes God
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9.
The Biology of Spiritual Practices
Two of the most common forms of religious behavior are prayer and meditation. Although these practices seem to be a pathway to another, more spiritual realm, learn how they can also be measured by the physiological changes that the practitioners exhibit, not only while engaged in them but long afterward.
9.
The Biology of Spiritual Practices
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21.
How God Changes the Brain
Your brain is constantly changing in response to your shifting thoughts and experiences. This ongoing neural transformation recreates your brain to adjust to everything from your routine activity to thoughts and experiences of extreme enlightenment. Consider the ways in which these spiritual practices and religious beliefs actually modify your brain.
21.
How God Changes the Brain
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10.
Religion and Health
Do prayer and meditation increase your physical well-being? Can regular church attendance contribute to an increased life span? Consider the emerging evidence that shows that increased involvement in a religious lifestyle may offer many additional health benefits.
10.
Religion and Health
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22.
Why God Won’t Go Away
Despite the prophesied death of God and demise of religion, both are alive and well over a decade into the 21st century. Moreover, they are gaining ground in many spheres of modern life. Discover how the two most basic functions of the brain allow for religion’s ongoing durability.
22.
Why God Won’t Go Away
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11.
Religion and Mental Health
Explore the complex relationship between religious conviction and disorders like anxiety, depression, and substance abuse, and determine what role, if any, religion should play in medical therapy.
11.
Religion and Mental Health
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23.
The Mystical Mind
Religion and spirituality can be said to be very important aspects of human life, but what about people who take it much further? Transcend the religious ego to experience mystical frames of reference in which distinctions between the self and other, as well as the past, present, and future, simply disappear.
23.
The Mystical Mind
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12.
Religion and Brain Dysfunction
Some scientists have linked religious conversion with a physical pathology, while others have associated intense spiritual practices, such as speaking in tongues, with brain dysfunction, but are these perspectives too reductionist to be accurate? Test these experiences to determine whether they speak to mental disorders or to supernormal brain functioning.
12.
Religion and Brain Dysfunction
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24.
Reality and Beyond
Having explored how our brains construct and interpret reality, we have yet to address why we assume our mental constructions are correct. Test the boundaries of your worldview and probe the possibility that spiritual experiences may speak to an underlying reality that is hidden from us in our everyday lives.
24.
Reality and Beyond
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