[Buddha-l] buddhism and brain studies

[Alberto Todeschini]

Dear Erik and list-members,

> Go to a gym and ask people there if they're
> happy, most of them will say 'yes' and then listen to them groaning en
> and grasping for air when they do their workouts. Is that happiness? If
> we tell ourselves that we're happy, we're just lying.

If you are interested, there's a fascinating chapter on a similar
topic in Gregory Berns' _Satisfaction_. I can't remember what chapter
it is, but anyway in it the author discusses ultra-marathon runners,
whom he also assisted in a marathon. We are talking about people who
run 100 or even 125 miles (yes, about 200 kilometers) non-stop in
15-30 hours running from the lowest to the highest point in
California. As you can imagine the experience produces a lot of
physical pain (bad knees and ankles, massive blisters as well as
danger of various injuries) and is psychologically challenging and it
is interesting in so far as it requires an enormous physical and
emotional investment but goes way beyond what every doctor will tell
you is sufficient for aiding good cardiovascular health. So one
question is, if it's such a grueling experience, why do people do it?
(you can discard monetary remuneration from the possible answers, I
got the impression that they are all amateurs. It doesn't seem to be a
professional sport.)

The book discusses other interesting topics regarding the relationship
between pain, suffering, happiness, satisfaction, etc.

Unfortunately, the author is a scientist and even (gasp!) provides
data. It's probably safer to leave matters such as these to arm-chair
philosophers.

Best,

Alberto Todeschini