James Kingsland – författare

Guardian science editor James Kingsland unlocks the ancient science of enlightenment through the journey of Siddhartha—better known as Buddha.In a lush grove on the banks of the Neranjara in northern India—400 years before the birth of Christ, when the foundations of western science and philosophy were being laid by the great minds of Ancient Greece—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 “enlightenment”—the foundation of Buddhism.Framed by the historical journey and teachings of the Buddha, Siddhartha’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 “Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think.” As we are increasingly driven to distraction by competing demands, our ability to focus and control our thoughts has never been more challenged—or more vital.Siddhartha’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.

WINNER OF THE GOLD PRIZE FOR RELIGION / SPIRITUALITY OF EASTERN THOUGHT AT THE 2016 NAUTILUS BOOK AWARDS. Can meditation and mindfulness exercise make us sharper, smarter, healthier, happier? In Siddhartha's Brain, James Kingsland reveals that a complete scientific theory of how these practices work is now within our grasp and may be the key to treating a wide range of afflictions of the human mind. Some twenty-five centuries ago, an Indian sage called Siddhartha Gautama - the man who would become known as the Buddha - developed a programme for improving mental well-being which has been passed down to us by generations of monks and nuns. Today, secular mindfulness courses are proving their worth for tackling many of the problems associated with the demands of our frenetic, technology-driven modern world. Research has shown that mindfulness can be used to treat stress, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, hypertension and drug addiction, as well as improving concentration, empathy, emotion regulation and the quality of interpersonal relationships. There have even been hints that it could enhance immune function, slow cellular ageing and help keep dementia at bay.Taking us on a journey back to the time of the Buddha to track changes in his brain as he travels the path leading to enlightenment, Siddhartha's Brain explains how meditation and mindfulness transform the human mind.

A scientific travel guide to altered states of consciousness - and what we can learn from them

'Wonderful' Philosophy Now__________________________When a computer goes wrong, we are told to turn it off and on again. In Am I Dreaming?, science journalist James Kingsland reveals how the human brain is remarkably similar. By rebooting our hard-wired patterns of thinking - through so-called 'altered states of consciousness' - we can gain new perspectives on ourselves and the world around us.From shamans in Peru to tech workers in Silicon Valley, Kingsland takes us on a dazzling tour of lucid dreams, mindfulness, hypnotic trances, virtual reality and drug-induced hallucinations. A startling exploration of perception and consciousness, this is also a provocative argument for using altered states to boost our mental health.'Read this book and take part in one of the greatest intellectual adventures of all time.'Professor J. Allan Hobson