Sunday Book Recommend: The Universe In a Single Atom
There is a difference between the study of human thought and behavior, and the actual experience of living. Even the most objective scientist has to live and socialize, otherwise he might be considered a sociopath. This is an extreme example of course, but the point is that we can find the experience of life, thought, and human behaviour to be a fascinating work of study without conflicting with a faith or religion. This is accomplished by integrating our experience of human interaction with the framework of whichever faith you hold.
We can learn about others in the context of living ourselves, even though the neurology of our brains include a tendency toward illusions and our motivations can often filter how we see the actions of others. The trick is, instead of placing the another person within the framework of your own faith and drawing judgement, keep an objective view of their actions while you consider how the experience falls within your own path of learning. Then choose your actions accordingly.
The book I am recommending is a somewhat technical view of the integration of psychology and the Buddhist philosophy. Buddhist philosophy is not an argument against any view of God. This book examines how the empirical evidence of science can be considered and integrated with spiritual experience. The first third or so describes in general terms how the Buddhist philosophy accomplishes this, and the rest of the book provides some compelling concepts about how our senses interact with the world around us and provide an infinite number of spiritual puzzles in the process.
The title of the book comes from the view that in any small situation, the greater meaning can be experienced. In technical classes I often enphasize the importance of breaking a challenge down to a manageable level, then after solving it, blow it back up to scale. This is the key to dealing with anything larger than ourselves, and you will be astonished by what you can grasp if you practice this approach.
Purchase this book from the outlet of your choice:
The Universe In A Single Atom: The Convergence of Science And Spirituality
In Print ISBN: 076792066X
CD Audiobook: 0739322656
Also available at http://www.audible.com
We can learn about others in the context of living ourselves, even though the neurology of our brains include a tendency toward illusions and our motivations can often filter how we see the actions of others. The trick is, instead of placing the another person within the framework of your own faith and drawing judgement, keep an objective view of their actions while you consider how the experience falls within your own path of learning. Then choose your actions accordingly.
The book I am recommending is a somewhat technical view of the integration of psychology and the Buddhist philosophy. Buddhist philosophy is not an argument against any view of God. This book examines how the empirical evidence of science can be considered and integrated with spiritual experience. The first third or so describes in general terms how the Buddhist philosophy accomplishes this, and the rest of the book provides some compelling concepts about how our senses interact with the world around us and provide an infinite number of spiritual puzzles in the process.
The title of the book comes from the view that in any small situation, the greater meaning can be experienced. In technical classes I often enphasize the importance of breaking a challenge down to a manageable level, then after solving it, blow it back up to scale. This is the key to dealing with anything larger than ourselves, and you will be astonished by what you can grasp if you practice this approach.
Purchase this book from the outlet of your choice:
The Universe In A Single Atom: The Convergence of Science And Spirituality
In Print ISBN: 076792066X
CD Audiobook: 0739322656
Also available at http://www.audible.com
