Gentle Bridges: Conversations With the Dalai Lama on the Sciences of Mind Book

What is the essence of the mind? Could computers ever have consciousness? Can compassion be learned? When does consciousness enter the human embryo? These are just some of the many questions that were discussed during a historic meeting that took place between several prominent Western scientists and the Dalai Lama. Gentle Bridges is a chronicle of this extraordinary exchange of ideas.

In 1987, Hayward, Varela, and several other Western scientists were invited to India to discuss the interface between the cognitive sciences and Buddhist psychology with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Now comes a clear presentation of the themes discussed at that meeting, including the mind and the brain, the self, perception, evolution, artificial intelligence, and much more.