Buddha’s Brain
by Rick Hanson
Hanson, with a neurologist, explains how contemplative practice changes the brain and offers exercises for mindfulness, compassion, equanimity and calm. It is a bridge between neuroscience and Buddhist practice, more detailed than his later books, and useful for readers who want the why with the how.
Read it if…
you want the brain science behind meditation and self-compassion.
Skip it if…
you want pure practice; the neuroscience sections are substantial.
Three things you will actually use
- Calm the body to calm the mind; the vagus nerve is a lever.
- Practice kindness toward yourself as a skill.
- Rest in the present; the brain settles with repetition.
Do this first
Practice the book's 'taking in the good' and a short loving-kindness exercise this week.
Our verdict
Substantive and warm; neuroscience in service of practice.
Compare with other Health books
The Brain's Way of Healing
Norman Doidge · Health
Hopeful and uneven; read with a clinician.
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