Bridging the gap between the world of science and the realm of the
spiritual, B. Alan Wallace introduces a natural theory of human
consciousness that has its roots in contemporary physics and Buddhism.
Wallace's "special theory of ontological relativity" suggests that
mental phenomena are conditioned by the brain, but do not emerge
from it. Rather, the entire natural world of mind and matter, subjects
and objects, arises from a unitary dimension of reality that is more
fundamental than these dualities, as proposed by Wolfgang Pauli and Carl
Jung.
To test his hypothesis, Wallace employs the Buddhist meditative practice
of samatha, refining one's attention and metacognition, to create a
kind of telescope to examine the space of the mind. Drawing on the work
of the physicist John Wheeler, he then proposes a more general theory in
which the participatory nature of reality is envisioned as a
self-excited circuit. In comparing these ideas to the Buddhist theory
known as the Middle Way philosophy, Wallace explores further aspects of
his "general theory of ontological relativity," which can be
investigated by means of vipasyana, or insight, meditation. Wallace
then focuses on the theme of symmetry in reference to quantum cosmology
and the "problem of frozen time," relating these issues to the theory
and practices of the Great Perfection school of Tibetan Buddhism. He
concludes with a discussion of the general theme of complementarity as
it relates to science and religion.
The theories of relativity and quantum mechanics were major achievements
in the physical sciences, and the theory of evolution has had an equally
deep impact on the life sciences. However, rigorous scientific methods
do not yet exist to observe mental phenomena, and naturalism has its
limits for shedding light on the workings of the mind. A pioneer of
modern consciousness research, Wallace offers a practical and
revolutionary method for exploring the mind that combines the keenest
insights of contemporary physicists and philosophers with the
time-honored meditative traditions of Buddhism.
