Buddha's Brain

Buddha’s Brain the practical neuroscience of happiness, love and wisdom was written by Rick Hanson and Richard Mendius. Rick Hanson is a neuropsychologist and a meditation teacher. Richard Mendius is a neurologist. They both graduated from the University of California and are founders of the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom. Hanson wrote most of the Buddha’s Brain but Mendius’s insights are seen within its pages. 

This book shows you how to become your own trainer- how to train yourself to be happy.

Buddha’s Brain is a book designed to show readers how to literally change their brains. It teaches readers how to become happy, loving, mindful and calm through shaping their brains. Buddha’s Brain connects the power of brain, thoughts and spirituality to help people have better relationships, feel more worthy and most importantly exchange sadness, sorrow and worry with joy, happiness, and peace. Hanson does not only show how to manipulate your brain, what to do, and when to do it but also explains (thanks to Mendius) how and why it works. If you want to make your life better using just your brain, you should definitely read this book.

Chapter 1 introduces the idea of the book, which is how to change your brain. It states some facts about brain. The brain contains 1.1 trillion cells, including 100 billion neurons, and uses 20-25% of body’s oxygen. Whatever happens in your mind changes your brain due to neurons wiring together; you can use your mind to change your brain. Changing negative thoughts into positive thoughts can help shape your brain and help you become happier and more satisfied with life.

Chapters 2 talks about suffering. Hanson states that when your body and mind become unstable your brain produces signals of threats. Everything around you changes constantly so these signals keep coming. People tend to pay a greater attention to the unpleasant experiences which keeps them stressed and sad, even angry. You should think about whether a good feeling is really that pleasurable or a bad feeling really that horrible. Humans tend to exaggerate and make up problems that don’t even exist. Feeling compassion towards yourself helps reduce the suffering.

Chapter 3 introduces the “first darts” of life which are according to Hanson are inevitable: physical and mental discomforts. The “second darts” are your reactions to the “first darts.” For example, sometimes when you receive a compliment, you instantly disagree with it instead of just accepting it. To be truly strike awaken and happy you have to just be there, in the moment and take in whatever life throws at you. You have to learn how to maintain the balance between self -esteem and a distance towards yourself.

Chapter 4 discusses happiness. It is important to take in the positive experiences, feel them inside and sense them sinking in. The authors suggests that even when you think about or experience something negative you should always think positively or try to remember a very positive experience. You should be aware of the things that make you upset or depressed and put an effort to stop them from reoccurring.

In chapter 5 Hanson discusses meditation. There is a short meditation guide in the middle of the chapter which the reader should do. Meditation along with balancing your heartbeat, relaxation and big exhalations, Hanson suggests, can help you feel safer which will control brain’s tendency to look for and overreact the threats.

Chapter 7 talks about Equanimity, which is the ability to not react to what is going on the outside. It sounds weird but it makes sense. According to Hanson when you’re equanimous you’re being present in the world but not upset by it. You don’t try to grasp only the positive experiences and push away the negative ones. Instead you have a space around experiences which helps you fully understand them and react in a proper way. Sometimes it means no reaction at all.

Love is the theme of chapters 8-10. According to Hanson, each of us has two wolves in the heart: the wolf of love and the wolf of hate. The wolf of hate gets more attention and has bigger effect on our daily lives; the wolf of love is bigger and stronger. We don’t see anyone besides our own selves and we start to group people: “us” and “them.” The wolf of hate shrinks “us,” we become more and more selfish and conceited. To become happy we need to acknowledge the wolf of hate but restrain from feeding it. Instead, we should feed the wolf of love, Hanson says.

Empathy is the key to becoming successful and happy in relationships. Empathy helps you understand others and help them with their problems. You should establish a code of relationship virtues and then live by this code. Hanson persuades that relationships will be much better. Humans can talk but not everyone knows how to talk effectively. You should speak the truth, not try to change anyone, stay empathetic and most importantly learn how to listen. That’s half of the conversation right there. Hanson reminds that you should also be kind to others. Sometimes it’s hard to stay kind when others treat you badly but you should try because it nurtures your wolf of love. Learn how to forgive and extend the circle of “us.” “Them” could be “us” even though we may not realize it.

Finally the last section of the book, chapters 11-13, talks about wisdom. What flows through your attention sculpts your brain. Therefore controlling your attention is crucial in shaping your brain for the better. There is a dopamine based “gate” which lets in or out the information you process.

Chapter 12 brings up meditation again because through mediation you can attain mindfulness and concentration. According to Hanson, you should relax the sense of self, become connected with others and let your life just flow. You will feel happy and satisfied. Ultimately to become happy by changing your brain, you should apply all the things listed above throughout your life or as needed.

In conclusion, Hanson and Mendius are trying to show readers the following lessons on happiness. One, you should be a realistic optimist. Two, you should know how to listen, not only to others but to the whole world around you. Three, talk to yourself, be in peace with yourself, and respect yourself. Four, learn how to let things go. And five, take care of your body (especially your brain) because your body takes care of you each second of your life.