Book description
A Buddhist monk and esteemed neuroscientist discuss their convergingâand divergingâviews on the mind and self, consciousness and the unconscious, free will and perception, and more.
Â
Buddhism shares with science the task of examining the mind empirically; it has pursued, for two millennia, direct investigation of the mind through penetratingâŚ
Why read it?
1 author picked Beyond the Self as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Matthieu Ricard, a Buddhist monk - molecular biologist, and Wolf Singer, a distinguished neuroscientist, discuss the concept of mind: our idea of self, the unconscious, the nature of free will, and the implications of neuroplasticity.
Although its methods differ, Buddhism, like science, aims to study the mind empirically. Buddhism tries to achieve this aim through focused introspection, while science analyzes the mind through observation and experiment. Beyond the Self presents a synthesis of Buddhismâs subjective experiences and neuroscienceâs experimental results.
Ricard and Singer draw on insights from Buddhism and neuroscience to help us live more compassionate and ultimately happier lives.
From Immaculata's list on The best books to better understand the science behind our current behavior and health.
If you love Beyond the Self...
December on 5C4
Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa storiesâall reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!
On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argueâŚ
Want books like Beyond the Self?
Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Beyond the Self.
Share your top 3 reads of 2026!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
170
readers submitted
so far, will you?
đ If you like Beyond the Self, you might also like...
Sexy Selfie Nation
The problem is not with the actions young women take but with the toxic, sexist conditions they are responding to.
Tanenbaum found, based on six years of interviews with young people ages 14-30, that young women are navigating a culture littered with gendered dress codes, revenge porn, and sexually explicitâŚ
In This Together
In This Together explores how we can harness our social networks to make a real impact fighting the climate crisis. Against notions of the lone environmental crusader, Marianne E. Krasny shows us the power of "network climate action"âthe idea that our own ordinary acts can influence and inspire those closeâŚ
