Thursday, April 16, 2015

Science of the mind: Buddhism v Behaviorism

Observing the behavior of other people and animals may give us insights into their thinking process but the true science of the mind come from observing the only mind we truly have access to- our own.  There is where meditation comes in.  As Buddhism has been studying the mind through meditative practice and describing and analyzing the results for thousands of years, it’s fair to say it is the true science of the mind.  There is no other school of thought that has put as much time and effort into understanding the mind.

Modern, “scientific” methods are based on observation of behavior, not the mind directly, or on observation of the brain which is also not the mind.  Therefore, any of the methods of understanding the person are limited and are not dealing with the true primary reality we all experience- the mind, which is not the same as the body, although it works through it.

Sharka Todd

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