Mind and Life ─ Discussions With the Dalai Lama on the Nature of Reality

For over a decade, a small group of scientists and philosophers---members of the Mind and Life Institute---have met regularly to explore the intersection between science and the spirit. At one of these meetings, the themes discussed were both fundamental and profound: can physics, chemistry, and biology explain the mystery of life? How do our philosophical assumptions influence science and the ethics we bring to biotechnology? And how does an ancient spiritual tradition throw new light on these questions?

Pier Luigi Luisi not only reproduces this dramatic, cross-cultural dialogue, in which world-class scientists, philosophers, and Buddhist scholars develop a holistic approach to the scientific exploration of reality, but he also adds scientific background to their presentations, as well as supplementary discussions with prominent participants and attendees. Interviews with His Holiness the Karmapa, Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard, and actor and longtime human rights advocate Richard Gere take the proceedings in new directions, enriching the material with personal viewpoints and lively conversation about such topics as the origin of matter, the properties of cells, the nature of evolution, and the ethics of genetic manipulation.

"An excellent presentation of what can happen when intelligent, open minds sit down together with the goal of mutual understanding and betterment."-Psycritiques

"Stimulating." -Nature

"A pleasure to read." -Buddhadharma

Pier Luigi Luisi is professor of biology at the University of Roma 3 and the author of The Emergence of Life: From Chemical Origins to Synthetic Biology.