Ten Zen Questions

The calming and de-stressing benefits of practicing Zen have long been known, but now scientists are also considering its huge potential to influence our ability to understand and experience consciousness. However, until now few scientists would publicly admit this because of the taboo surrounding the supposed conflict between scientific and 'spiritual' practices, a taboo that was responsible for the medical profession's previous dismissal of successful alternative therapies such as acupuncture. Susan Blackmore is about to change all that: she’s a world expert in brain science who has also been practising Zen for over twenty-five years. In Ten Zen Questions, she doesn’t push any religious or spiritual agenda but simply presents the methods used in Zen, such as meditation, as an aid to help us all think about things in a deeper and clearer way. Each chapter takes as its starting point one of Zen’s - and science's - most intriguing questions such as, "Am I conscious now?" and "How does thought arise?" Dr Susan Blackmore is a writer and broadcaster. She lives in Bristol, UK.