Siddhartha's Brain: Unlocking the Ancient Science of Enlightenment

A groundbreaking exploration of the amp;#8220;science of enlightenment,amp;#8221; told through the lens of the journey of Siddhartha (better known as Buddha), by Guardian science editor James Kingsland.

In a lush grove on the banks of the Neranjara in northern Indiaamp;#8212;400 years before the birth of Christ, when the foundations of western science and philosophy were being laid by the great minds of Ancient Greeceamp;#8212;a prince turned ascetic wanderer sat beneath a fig tree. His name was Siddhartha Gautama, and he was discovering the astonishing capabilities of the human brain and the secrets of mental wellness and spiritual amp;#8220;enlightenment,amp;#8221; the foundation of Buddhism.

Framed by the historical journey and teachings of the Buddha, Siddharthaamp;#8217;s Brain shows how meditative and Buddhist practice anticipated the findings of modern neuroscience. Moving from the evolutionary history of the brain to the disorders and neuroses associated with our technology-driven world, James Kingsland explains why the ancient practice of mindfulness has been so beneficial and so important for human beings across time. Far from a New Age fad, the principles of meditation have deep scientific support and have been proven to be effective in combating many contemporary psychiatric disorders. Siddhartha posited that amp;#8220;Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think.amp;#8221; As we are increasingly driven to distraction by competing demands, our ability to focus and control our thoughts has never been more challengedamp;#8212;or more vital.

Siddharthaamp;#8217;s Brain offers a cutting-edge, big-picture assessment of meditation and mindfulness: how it works, what it does to our brains, and why meditative practice has never been more important.