This book addresses some of the most fundamental and troublesome questions that had driven a wedge between the realms of Western science ans religion for centuries. Consciousness at the Crossroads is the result of a series of meetings between the Dalai Lama and a group of eminent neuroscientists and psychiatrists. The Dalai Lama regularly dedicates several days out of his busy schedule to engage in these kinds of meetings, which resulted in more than a decade of fruitful dialogue between Buddhism and Western science. Is the mind nothing more than an ephemeral side-effect of the brain's physical processes? Are there forms of consciousness so subtle that science has not yet identified them? How does consciousness begin? How do we know what we know? Buddhism, with its emphasis on empircal observation of mental processes, offers insight into these thorny questions, while the Dalai Lama's own incisive, clear approach and open-minded pursuit of knowledge both challenges and offers inspiration to Western scientists.-

Consciousness at the Crossroads, H.H. Dalai Lama, Snow Lion Publications, 183pp, $15.95

The 14th Dalai Lama, born Lhamo Dhondrub on July 6, 1935 to a peasant family in Northeastern Tibet, was recognized as the reincarnation of the spiritual and temporal leader of his nation at the age of two and officially enthroned on February 22, 1940. He served as the leader of Tibet until 1959, when he and 100,000 followers fled the country following a revolt against the Communist Chinese forces that had occupied Tibet for almost a decade. Since that time, the Dalai Lama has met with world leaders and U. N. officials and traveled the world in a tireless effort to free his country. Although he remains in exile, living in India, he was rewarded for his efforts in 1989, when he received the Nobel Peace Prize. He accepted the award in the name of oppressed people everywhere. The Dalai Lama, spiritual & political leader of the Tibetan people & a Nobel Peace Laureate, has in the last decade become a global spiritual leader whose message of universal & individual responsibility has won worldwide acclaim.

	Contents: Consciousness at the Crossroads: Coversations with THE DALAI LAMA on Brain Science and Buddhism
	Introduction	7
1.	Opening Remarks: Brain Science as a Path to World Peace	11
2.	Toward a Natural Science of the Mind	17
	The Philosophical Roots of Science	18
	On Perception, Representation, and Conceptualization	19
	Mind and Brain: One and the Same?	22
	A Materialist Critique of Dualism	24
	The Technological Bias of Mind/Brain Metaphors	29
3.	A Buddhist Response	33
	A Middle Path between Dualism and Materialism	34
4.	The Spectrum of Consciousness: From Gross to Subtle	37
	When Does Consciousness Begin?	41
	On Specialization and Adaptation	44
	The Continuity of Subtle Consciousness	45
	Cosmology and the Origins of Consciousness	48
5.	Mapping Brain Functions: The Evidence of Damage to Specific Brain Regions	57
	Categorical Distinctions in Consciousness	61
	The Brain's Representation of Body Awareness	65
6.	Subliminal Awareness and Memories from Previous Lives	69
7.	Steps toward an Anatomy of Memory	77
	Memory Reenacts Perception	78
	Isolating Memory: The Evidence of Damage	79
	Different Types of Memory	82
8.	Brain Control of Sleeping and Dreaming States	87
	Measuring Sleep and Dream Cycles	89
	Neuronal Controls of Sleeping, Dreaming, and Waking	91
	What is the Purpose of Dreaming?	97
	Lucid Dreaming	99
9.	Manifestations of Subtle Consciousness	103
10.	What Constitutes Scientific Evidence?	109
11.	Psychiatric Illnesses and Psychopharmacology	121
	Noninvasive Imaging: A Window on the Brain	123
	Classifying Mental Illnesses	126
	Advances in Psychopharmacology	127
	The Genetic Inheritance of Mental Illness	131
12.	The Limits of Intervention	135
13.	A Buddhist Deconstruction of the Mind's Self	139
14.	In Conclusion: Building Bridges	149
15.	Afterword: Buddhist Reflections by B. Alan Wallace	153
	Appendix: About the Mind and Life Institute	175
	Notes	181