We continue our discussion with Buddhist teacher and author, B. Alan Wallace, on the impact of the recently completed Shamatha Project. Dr. Wallace shares the astounding levels of concentration that were achieved during the 3-month retreats he led and tells us more about the achievement of shamatha. Find out how deep the students on this retreat went, and why nearly %20 of them decided to continue on with intensive retreat practice after it was over!

Dr. Wallace also discusses the potential impact that a study of this magnitude could have on the scientific community as well as the culture-at-large. Questions that the study aimed to answer included, “Is it possible to train attention?” & “Does meditation have an effect on ethics?”. While the answers may be obvious to meditators, having them scientifically validated could have a major impact on the fields of education, mental health, and psychology.

This is part 2 of a two-part series. Listen to Part 1: Reverberations from The Shamatha Project.

Episode Links:

• The Attention Revolution: Unlocking the Power of the Focused Mind ( http://bit.ly/HIW1o )
• Embracing Mind: The Common Ground of Science and Spirituality ( http://bit.ly/1at9hH )
• Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies ( http://www.sbinstitute.com )
• AlanWallace.org

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