Mind in the Balance: Meditation in Science, Buddhism, and Christianity

This book was born as an answer to a personal question: how to transform and fill our lives with genuine meaning. Alan Wallace does not limit himself to a few simple recommendations about psychopractice or thoughts on how to be a good person. This book brings together the insights of three traditions: Buddhism, Christianity, and modern science—yet it is not devoted to comparing their most interesting ideas. Instead, it offers a step-by-step contemplative penetration into the deep nature of reality. The working hypothesis that Dr. Wallace puts forward is that each of us is capable of directly understanding the nature of existence and of our own mind. Of course, this requires a systematic, diligent meditation practice, which may be inspired by many of the scientific conclusions described in the first part of the book. Just as important is the well-ordered strategy laid out in the practical sections of the work, and the essential guidance of qualified teachers. Those who want to try the methods described in the book on their own can use numerous audio practices guided by the author—they will be useful in the early stages of meditation and help you absorb the instructions more deeply. Russian-language audio recordings with meditations and additional explanations are available on the site contemplative.ru, while English-language ones are on media.sbinstitute.com. The author, Dr. B. Alan Wallace, is a lecturer, a scientist, and one of the best-known Western authors and translators working in the field of Tibetan Buddhism. He tirelessly searches for innovative ways to combine Buddhist contemplative practices with Western science, so as to promote deep study of the mind. The book was translated into Russian and read aloud by a Buddhist monk of Russian origin, the venerable Lobsang Tenpa. He is known as an instructor of mindfulness practices, and also as co-founder, lecturer, and coordinator of the Contemplative Research Foundation and the Russian Shravasti Abbey Friends community.