Columbia series in science and religion. 

211 pages ; 24 cm; Principles of contemplative science -- Where science and religion collide -- The study of consciousness, east and west -- Spiritual awakening and objective knowledge -- Buddhist nontheism, polytheism, and monotheism -- Worlds of intersubjectivity -- Śamatha : the contemplative refinement of attention -- Beyond idolatry : the renaissance of a spirit of empiricism.; "Science has long treated religion as a set of personal beliefs that havelittle to do with a rational understanding of the mind and the universe. However, B. Alan Wallace, a respected Buddhist scholar, proposes that the contemplativemethodologies of Buddhism and of Western science are capable of being integratedinto a single discipline: contemplative science. The science ofconsciousness introduces first-person methods of investigating the mind throughBuddhist contemplative techniques, such as samatha, anorganized, detailed system of training the attention. Just as scientists makeobservations and conduct experiments with the aid of technology, contemplatives havelong tested their own theories with the help of highly developed meditative skillsof observation and experimentation. Contemplative science allows for a deeperknowledge of mental phenomena, including a wide range of states of consciousness, and its emphasis on strict mental discipline counteracts the effects of conative(intention and desire), attentional, cognitive, and affectiveimbalances."--Jacket.; 

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