Introduction 1:00 - 1:10

1:10 to 1:40: Charles Goodman, assistant professor of philosophy, Binghamton University, "Tibetan Buddhism and its Encounter with Modernity."

Abstract: Buddhism sees the universe as a web of interconnected phenomena, affirms commonalities between people and animals, regards the world as inconceivably old, and endorses an attitude of unprejudiced inquiry into the nature of reality.  Thus, many aspects of the Buddhist religious tradition seem quite harmonious with science.  Yet ancient and problematic views about cosmology and the nature of matter are woven into the doctrines and rituals of Tibetan Buddhism.  When science shows these views to be incorrect, the tradition can and should change; we will explore some forms that change might take.

Bio: Charles Goodman is an Assistant Professor in the Philosophy Department and the Asian and Asian-American Studies Program at Binghamton University.  He has a B.A. in Physics from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Michigan.  Charles is the author of several published articles about Buddhist philosophy, and of a book manuscript on Buddhist ethics.

1:40 to 2:10: Vic Mansfield, professor of physics and astronomy, Colgate University, "Causality in Tibetan Buddhism and Quantum Mechanics: Irreconcilable Conflict or Golden Opportunity?"

Abstract: The sophisticated view of causality in Tibetan Buddhism is central to both its theory and practice.  Quantum mechanics, the most exquisitely verified theory in the history of physics, tells us that elementary quantum processes have no specific causes.  After briefly reviewing causality in Tibetan Buddhism and the lack of causality in quantum mechanics, we address the seriousness of the conflict and explore possible resolutions.  Any potential resolution is likely to involve significant modifications to the current formulation of both science and Buddhism.  This discussion assumes no technical knowledge of Buddhism or physics.

Bio: Vic Mansfield is a professor of physics at Colgate University with a forty-year involvement in Buddhism.  Along with a wide range of physics courses, for two decades he has been teaching a popular course on Tibetan culture and Buddhism.  He has written three interdisciplinary books and scores of papers.  His most recent book, Tibetan Buddhism and Modern Physics: Toward a Union of Love and Knowledge (Templeton Foundation Press, February 2008) will be translated into Tibetan and Chinese by the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama who will also write a preface to the book.  He warmly invites you to his website: www.lightlink.com/vic.

2:10 to 2:25 Break and refreshments

2:25 to 2:35 Meditation

2:35 to 3:05 Craig Preston, visiting professor of Asian Studies at the University of Buffalo, "Looking at a Cup of Coffee: The Buddhist Epistemology of Perception Meets Neural Science."

Abstract: During the second to seventh centuries, Buddhists and the other Indian schools of philosophy engaged in a spirited, prolonged dialogue about what constitutes valid sources of knowledge. Buddhist epistemologists developed their perceptual theory against this backdrop of the give and take among competing philosophical traditions. In the twenty-first century, traditional Buddhist perceptual theory is challenged by an entirely different discipline: modern neuroscience. We will look at areas where Buddhists may need to reevaluate the pseudoscience of medieval scholasticism and make adjustments to their perceptual theories in light of modern scientific understanding. The discussion assumes no technical knowledge of Buddhism or neuroscience.

Bio: Craig Preston is a visiting professor of Asian Studies at the University of Buffalo, where he teaches classical Tibetan and researches Tibetan legal codes. He is the author of Buddhist Philosophy, an annotated translation of a seventeenth century Tibetan philosophical treatise, and two books for language students of classical Tibetan.

3:05 to 3:35 Dr. Deana Bodnar, social worker, "From Neurons to Behavior: Influence, Confluence and Divergence Between Views of Mind in Buddhism and Western Science."

Abstract: The dialogue between Buddhists and Western Scientists in the fields of neurobiology and psychology has stimulated collaborations in research, new clinical interventions and heated debates related to the nature of mental/neural phenomena.  We will examine the key areas where these two views of mind inform each other, meld together and remain diametrically opposed.  We will first explore how meditation and mind training techniques relate to basic neural principles and identified neural structures in the brain and then explore point at which Buddhist and Neuroscience views of consciousness diverge and currently appear irreconcilable.  The discussion assumes no technical knowledge of Buddhism or neuroscience.

Bio: Deana Bodnar formerly was a Senior Research Associate in Neurobiology and Behavior at Cornell University with a PhD in Neurobiology from UC Berkeley.  During her career in neuroscience her research focused the neural encoding of animal communication signals.  In her second career as a social worker, Deana routinely reads research literature on clinical interventions and the neural basis of behaviors related to health, mental health and substance abuse.

3:35 to 3:50 Break and refreshments

3:50-4:00 Meditation

4:00 to 4:30 Concluding panel and discussion