SLEEP & UNCONSCIOUSNESS
Our Last Sundays Science & Buddhism discussion in September will be on Sleep and Unconsciousness, investigating the connections between sleep and pain, and why sleep is vitally important. Lack of sleep is epidemic in the US and a leading correlate with incidence of most major diseases. We'll also look at sleep in relation to meditation and Zen. Some related sources included:
Book: "WHY WE SLEEP, Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams", by Matthew Wlaker, PhD, is a recent advocacy and a warning from the science of sleep and medicare care.
Online: Falling for sleep: "When wakefulness is seen as the main event, no wonder so many have trouble sleeping. Can we rekindle the joy of slumber?", is a recent advocacy of the wonder and art of sleep.
Online: Down with the larks: on the virtues of sleeping like a sloth, by Joel Frohlich, a very brief summary.
Buddhadharma magazine Fall 2018, Dreaming Ourselves into Existence by Joseph Goldstein, article, pp. 60- 69.
Online: On going on and on and on, by Paul Sagara. Sleep's sister, Death, is our final unconsciousness. Amending a famous dictum, Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution, and Death.
Magazine: National Geographic Aug 2018, “SLEEP, Inside the new science of slumber”, pp. 40-77, mostly graphic and pictorial.
Online: Are we all multiple personalities of universal consciousness? by Robby Berman, returns to the hard problem of consciousness.
Scientific American article September 2018 p. 48 by Susan Blackmore, The Hardest Problem, decoding the puzzle of human consciousness.
Scientific American article June 2018 p. 60 by Christol Koch, What is Consciousness? summarizes the results of his decades of leadership in research on the neural correlates of consciousness.
YouTube Video: Giulio Tononi Why is Consciousness so Baffling?, 10 minutes. followed by another video, Is Consciousness Entirely Physical? 8 minutes
As always, the discussion will be quite open and informal with all invited to participate.
All are welcome. No prior experience with science, Buddhism, or meditation is necessary. Hope to see you there!
Sunday Program: We also invite you to join us that Sunday morning for our 10 am Sunday Program, Dharma Talk, and social lunch, ahead of our 2 pm Science & Buddhism session.
About Cliff: Cliff Isberg PhD is a Jikoji teacher, an electrical engineer, and Jikoji's Administration Oversight Manager (AOM.) He received Dharma transmission from Shoho Michael Newhall in 2015. His recent experience includes several workshops on sleep, pain, and exercise.