Buddhism is often considered a religion, but it also encompasses a rich psychological system, as thoroughly described in the Abhidharma. In this short course, we will explore how some key concepts in Buddhism can fruitfully be related to topics in contemporary Psychological Science. I propose that Buddhism provides a three-part structure consisting of (1) philosophical and conceptual foundations, (2) moral and ethical principles, and (3) a set of practices. The three support each other. We will examine how critical Buddhist concepts such as interdependence and impermanence both support and are supported by the moral and ethical principles, and how the pracitices — both meditative and non-meditative — allow us to change our minds and brains accordingly. I will relate these changes to a contemporary psychological understanding of perception, attention, learning, decision-making, and neuroplasticity. 

Marcia Grabowecky is a cognitive neuroscientist. She received a PhD in Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and is currently a Research Associate Professor and Adjunct Lecturer at Northwestern University. She runs a laboratory in the Department of Psychology and studies visual and multisensory perception and attention. She also investingates how specific Buddhist meditation practices change attention abilities. She has been a student of Buddhism for about 40 years. She has taught a popular undergraduate course in Buddhist Psychology at Northwestern since 1999. She is a Senior Fellow of the Mind and Life Institute and has participated in the Mind and Life Summer Research Institute, a program to advance the training of scientists, clinicians, and contemplative scholars and practitioners who are exploring how Buddhist contemplative practices affect mind, behavior, and brain function. Since 2018, she has volunteered with the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative to teach neuroscience to Tibetan Monastics both in India and at Northwestern University.

Free class. Donations welcome.