Visions of compassion: Western scientists and Tibetan Buddhists examine human nature / edited by Richard J. Davidson & Anne Harrington.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

pt. 1. Historical and philosophical background. Training the mind: first steps in a cross-cultural collaboration in neuroscientific research / Zara Houshmand ... [et al.] ; A science of compassion or a compassionate science? What do we expect from a cross-cultural dialogue with Buddhism? / Anne Harrington ; Is compassion an emotion? a cross-cultural exploration of mental typologies / Georges Dreyfus ; Kindness and cruelty in evolution / Elliott Sober ; Understanding our fundamental nature / His Holiness the Dalai Lama ; Dialogues, pt. 1: fundamental questions -- pt. 2. Social, behavioral, and biological explorations of altruism, compassion, and related constructs. Toward a biology of positive affect and compassion / Richard J. Davidson ; Empathy-related emotional responses, altruism, and their socialization / Nancy Eisenberg ; Emergency helping, genocidal violence, and the evolution of responsibility and altruism in children / Ervin Staub ; Altruism in competitive environments / Robert H. Frank ; Dialogues, pt. 2. Pragmatic extensions and applications.

(Publisher-supplied data) This book examines how Western behavioral science--which has generally focused on negative aspects of human nature--holds up to cross-cultural scrutiny, in particular the Tibetan Buddhist celebration of the human potential for altruism, empathy, and compassion. Resulting from a meeting between the Dalai Lama, leading Western scholars, and a group of Tibetan monks, this volume includes excerpts from these extraordinary dialogues as well as engaging essays exploring points of difference and overlap between the two perspectives.