Introduction to NeuroTheology

1. Introduction to NeuroTheology 授課老師：龔俊嘉 101.11.14

2. Outline • NeuroTheology • 歷史 • 主要課題 • Monk • Meditation • 未來展望

3. NeuroTheology • Neurotheology, also known as spiritual neuroscience, attempts to explain religious experience and behaviour in neuroscientific terms. • Dr. Andrew Newberg’s research has included brain scans of people in prayer, meditation, rituals, and various trance states. • He studied the brain activities of experienced Tibetan monks before and during meditation.

4. Andrew Newberg’s research • They had improvements of about 10or 15 percent. • The brain scans showed increased activities in the meditators’ frontal lobe, which is responsible for focusing and concentration. Meditation for eight weeks at 12 minutes a day

5. Monk is the world's happiest man • Richard J. Davidson’s team confirmed that Tibetan meditation can compassion and kindness and trained so even brain waves are influenced. Laden with electrodes, the monk MatthieuRicard sits in meditation. His brain waves exhibit "positive habits of mind," Davidson says. Preparing Buddhist monk MatthieuRicard for a functional MRI test.

6. Altering brain through meditation • It also showed excessive activity in his brain's left prefrontal cortex compared to its right counterpart, giving him an abnormally large capacity for happiness and a reduced propensity towards negativity. • They have been looking for 12 years at the effect of short and long-term mind-training through meditation on attention, on compassion, on emotional balance and found remarkable results.

7. Future prospect • Focusing on how the contemplative practice alters and sharpens the brain’s attention systems. • Mental training can bring the brain to a greater level of consciousness. • That opens up the possibility that the brain, like the rest of the body, can be altered intentionally.