The primary methods of the modern cognitive sciences for investigating the mind are interrogation of others concerning their subjective experience, behavioral studies, and brain research. All these methods are indirect methods for understanding the mind by way of its verbal and behavioral expressions and neural correlates. Although the direct observation of mental states and processes was prevalent in late 19th-century psychology, introspection has been marginalized since the early 20th century. Nevertheless, without relying on first-person report, studies of behavior and the brain alone would yield little if any insight into the nature of mental phenomena. While Buddhism lacks any quantitative behavioral science or neuroscience, it has developed highly sophisticated methods of introspective inquiry based on the refinement of attention and metacognitive skills. These methods allegedly result in reliable, replicable observations regarding the origins, nature, and potentials of consciousness, as well as the inner causes of mental suffering and genuine happiness. There is therefore a potential for these methods of refining and utilizing introspection to be integrated into the scientific study of the mind in ways that may enrich both Buddhism and modern science. Questions to be discussed include: can introspec tionism complement more “third-person” views in the science of meditation? What are some of the challenges and promises of such an integration? 

• Dialogue 18
  14 sessions
• April 6, 2009
  Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India
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