Perception, Concepts, and Self: Contemporary Scientific and Buddhist Perspectives

Western science has advanced our understanding of many foundational issues in cognition, and has expanded psychological and philosophical explorations of the mind. Among the central topics addressed in this scientific endeavor are perception, concept acquisition, the nature of conceptual thought, and the role of language in cognition, and the origins and content of our sense of self. These topics, so central to contemporary cognitive science, have also been an important focus of classical Indian and Tibetan thought, especially in the Buddhist Abhidharma accounts of mind and in the epistemological tradition of Dignāga (fifth century) and Dharmakīrti (seventh century).

This Mind & Life Dialogue, co-organized with the Dalai Lama Trust, India, was held at Sera Monastery in Bylakuppe with an aim to advance both the project of scientific education in the monastic universities, as well as the developing dialogue between the Tibetan and Western academic communities.

LOCATION: Bylakuppe, India

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