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Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Selflessness is Learned Behavior

There's hope!

Data from a study by a neuropsychologist at the U of Missouri supports a neuropsychological model that proposes spiritual experiences associated with selflessness are related to decreased activity in the right parietal lobe of the brain.

The full story is at the Science Daily site. Here's an excerpt:
This study, along with other recent neuroradiological studies of Buddhist meditators and Francescan nuns, suggests that all individuals, regardless of cultural background or religion, experience the same neuropsychological functions during spiritual experiences, such as transcendence. Transcendence, feelings of universal unity and decreased sense of self, is a core tenet of all major religions. Meditation and prayer are the primary vehicles by which such spiritual transcendence is achieved.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The best book on issues like this is _A Critique of Impure Reason_ by Peter Munz.

I can't strongly recommend this book to you enough.

Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0275963845

Words and mental states are not in the brain.

Unknown said...

Matt - Thanks for the reference. I've read a little of his discourse, and if time, will read it all. But it seems contrary and yet at the same time, agreeable to the newest study mentioned in my blog. Interesting...