21.11.2012Zen and the Neurosciences: When body and spirit come closer together

Dipl. Phys. Sebastian Thomas Philipp, Neuroinformatics, LMU München & Ruhr-Universität Bochum

Meditative practices have been at home in almost all cultures of the world for thousands of years; their common core is a visibly present lifestyle in the here and now, and their common practice is “sitting still.” Outwardly, nothing really happens during meditation, but within the body much can be happening. Sebastian Philipp wants his talk to impart that the inner conditions during meditation have the potential to initiate learning processes in the brain, and that meditation can thus radically change our perception of ourselves and of the world. The basis for the talk is composed of research findings from a collaboration project between the LMU München and the Institute for Neuroinformatics at the RUB.