{"title":"Evan Thompson","description":"\u003cp\u003eEvan Thompson’s works navigate the intricate intersections of mind, consciousness, and spirituality. Blending philosophy, cognitive science, and contemplative traditions, his writing invites readers to explore profound questions about the nature of experience and reality.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEngaging and thought-provoking, Thompson’s books challenge conventional views with clarity and depth, making them essential for anyone intrigued by the philosophy of mind and the spiritual dimensions of human life.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"why-i-am-not-a-buddhist-by-evan-thompson-9780300264678","title":"Why I Am Not a Buddhist","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhy I Am Not a Buddhist\u003c\/em\u003e is a provocative essay challenging the idea of Buddhist exceptionalism, from one of the world’s most widely respected philosophers and writers on Buddhism and science.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBuddhism has become a uniquely favoured religion in our modern age. A burgeoning number of books extol the scientifically proven benefits of meditation and mindfulness for everything ranging from business to romance. There are conferences, courses, and celebrities promoting the notion that Buddhism is spirituality for the rational, compatible with cutting‑edge science, indeed, “a science of the mind.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this provocative book, Evan Thompson argues that this representation of Buddhism is false.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn lucid and entertaining prose, Thompson dives deep into both Western and Buddhist philosophy to explain how the goals of science and religion are fundamentally different. Efforts to seek their unification are wrongheaded and promote mistaken ideas of both. He suggests cosmopolitanism instead, a worldview with deep roots in both Eastern and Western traditions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSmart, sympathetic, and intellectually ambitious, this book is a must‑read for anyone interested in Buddhism’s place in our world today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47428449042668,"sku":"9780300264678","price":30.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780300264678.jpg?v=1774496608"},{"product_id":"waking-dreaming-being-by-evan-thompson-9780231136952","title":"Waking, Dreaming, Being","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA renowned philosopher of the mind, also known for his groundbreaking work on Buddhism and cognitive science, Evan Thompson combines the latest neuroscience research on sleep, dreaming, and meditation with Indian and Western philosophy of mind, casting new light on the self and its relation to the brain.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThompson shows how the self is a changing process, not a static thing. When we are awake, we identify with our body, but if we let our mind wander or daydream, we project a mentally imagined self into the remembered past or anticipated future. As we fall asleep, the impression of being a bounded self distinct from the world dissolves, but the self reappears in the dream state. If we have a lucid dream, we no longer identify only with the self within the dream. Our sense of self now includes our dreaming self, the \"I\" as dreamer. Finally, as we meditate—either in the waking state or in a lucid dream—we can observe whatever images or thoughts arise and how we tend to identify with them as \"me.\" We can also experience sheer awareness itself, distinct from the changing contents that make up our image of the self.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eContemplative traditions say that we can learn to let go of the self, so that when we die we can witness its dissolution with equanimity. Thompson weaves together neuroscience, philosophy, and personal narrative to depict these transformations, adding uncommon depth to life's profound questions. Contemplative experience comes to illuminate scientific findings, and scientific evidence enriches the vast knowledge acquired by contemplatives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48147973701868,"sku":"9780231136952","price":43.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780231136952-waking-dreaming-being.jpg?v=1786454121"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/evan-thompson.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}