I thought this was a great introduction to both modern Buddhist thought and evolutionary psychology. Professor Wright is an excellent lecturer, and his office hours are informative as well as amusing.
I have been practicing meditation for two years already.In so far I have attended all Deepak Chopra meditation experiences which I found very helpful but not as helpful this course provided me so far.
By Anastasia A
•This course supplies you with more than enough information in many different learning styles. Any questions I had were answered and the vast system of peer contact improved the experience. Each students education can expand through the discussion board, FB and Twitter page as well as meaningoflife.tv and suggested readings. Thank you Professor Wright!
By DM
•Excelente ! Ofece una perspectiva diferente sobre lo que damos por sentado acerca del "yo", nuestra mente y la posibilidad de autoreflexividad sobre nuestros pensamientos y conductas "automáticas" asociadas a estos pensamientos o ideas. Esto con base en las enseñanzas de buda y su relación con investigaciones recientes en neuropsicología cognitiva.
By Jung H L
•Simply an excellent course! I'd like to thank everyone involved, specially Dr. Wrights and colleagues, in the creation of the content and the team of Coursera and Princeton University to facilitate this knowledge to of us for free in these times of need. I will definitely honour your time, resources and generosity by referring and sharing the course.
By Diana P
•I found this course very insightful and Dr. Robert Wright explained the lessons very clearly. I learned Buddhist principles that I now see myself applying to my daily life, making me a more mindful and thoughtful person. The office hours at the end of each week's lecture were also very entertaining and insightful. Highly recommend taking this course.
By una
•Honestly, one of the most interesting things I have listen in long time. I started course just to see whats it about, but it absolutely grasped me in. Very informative, great different views from different people in field, great assignments, and lovely light humour in office hours to lighten up rather difficult subject. Truly great course. Thank you
By Jean H
•Delightfully straightforward and easy to understand presentation on Buddhism and how Buddhist ideas on self and suffering intersect with current ideas in the field of psychology, particularly evolutionary psychology. The only thing I found odd is that Robert Wright seemed to put enlightenment in the league of something unobtainable for most people.
By Benoit B
•Exciting! Very good and condensed course. A rich and deep summary of all studies done and shared by Robert Wright about evolutionary psychology and Buddhism. My personal output of this MOOC is really great, I learned a lot and it changes the way I think and conceive the world. I recommended to my best friends, found of philosophy and spirituality.
By Daniel M C
•This is a very interesting topic, or combination of topics. Whether you're coming from psychology, evolution, Buddhism, or meditation, you'll get interesting new insights and interconnections. The lecturer and guest lecturers are excellent. This isn't a flashy new-age MOOC with lots of digital wizardry, but more of a traditional university course.
By Sridevi R
•I enjoyed Prof Wright's deep and accurate analysis of the Buddha's position on morality, human mind, consciousness and learning from him the positions of evolutionary psychology - a new subject for me. Fascinating journey, it gave me a deeper understanding of the Buddhist psychology which I had been studying for a while. Thank you Prof Wright.
By HUANG Y
•This course lends scientific support to Buddha's views about human mind, self, meditation, and builds a helpful connection between Buddhism and evolutionary psychology. It expands my knowledge of both Buddhism and psychology. Thanks to Mr Wright's efforts in preparing and sharing this course around the world and his great insights and teaching.
By Doug F
•Excellent course, I learned a lot about Buddhism and evolutionary psychology. The lectures were informative and entertaining. The course was well targeted to people like me, who are starting with a very limited knowledge of Buddhism. And yet we got into more advanced topics as well. Good use of short video interviews with experts in the field.
By MARIA D C L C G
•He concluido el curso ´Buddhism and Modern Psychology´Agradezco la oportunidad gratuita. ha sido un curso muy interesante que bien puede explicar los porqués de muchos de nuestros aspectos.
Agradezco especialmente a Robert Wright y a todos los entrevistados que dieron claridad a este curso.
Muchas Gracias
María del Carmen Lourdes Celorio Gaytán
By shanmugam
•Loved the course. I felt that it was a great western perspective of eastern doctrines. Loved the way the professor handles the course. I think he did a great job trying to fit this ancient doctrine into the logic and rationality that we build in the modern times. Strongly recommend it as a course that opens you up to understanding your mind .
By miguel f c v
•I liked the focus of the course as it allowed me to better understand the way the mind works from both a scientific and a Buddhist point of view. Professor Wright demonstrates a great knowledge of the topics covered and complemented it very well with the interviews and documents provided to the students. I am very grateful for this experience
By Ashish K
•This course was an eye-opener. The professor, in addition to being humble, has a great sense of humor. That makes digesting the concepts that much more easier. The Lessons are designed in consumable chunks. Don't miss the office hours as they are the most fun.
If you are serious about improving your life, take this course feel the difference!
By MARTIN P
•Thank you very much, Professor, and Coursera for this course. It has been very enriching to go through these lectures with great information and reflections about Buddhism and modern science links and supports. Wish you all the best in your work and projects, and I hope I can keep in touch with each of you.
Thank you again.
All the best
Martin
By Juan D G M
•Excellent course, easy to follow, very interesting. The videos are short enough to make a little progress every day or every now and then, without having to dedicate hours to one session. This course really helped me get interested in Buddhism, confirmed many thoughts I already had on meditation and made me discover new sides to it as well.
By Taylor H
•Robert Wright was an amazing professor who took the time to answer everyones questions, and was very open to different perspectives and ways of thinking. He also had a lot of great guests on as well. His dogs, Frasier and Milo during office hours were so fun, and all of Mr. Wright's examples were easy to resinate with. Loved this course!
By Maura M
•Very enjoyable and interesting course. The course was mentioned in Dr. Wright's book,
“Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment”, and am glad I signed up for it. The interviews in the course videos were very useful, as were the readings and Dr. Wright's commentaries. I highly recommend the course.
By Chrystall J
•This was an excellent course. I worked through this course and Positive Psychology from UPENN at the same time and think the courses really complement one another. I enjoyed the suggested readings and have a list of books to read. I also enjoyed the assignments along the way that allowed us to check our understanding of the material.
By Susanne W
•An intriguing and interesting look at the parallels between modern evolutionary theory of the mind and Buddhist concepts from thousands of years ago. Dr. Wright is knowledgeable, entertaining and provides valuable insight and examples to enforce the concepts of the course. Truly a delightful, thought-provoking look at the human mind.
By Dr. R S
•Good Evening Sir/Madam,
Greetings of the Day!
It is requested to your goodself, that I have completed the Buddhism and Modern Psychology earlier. I need Certificate of this Course, if you please provide me this course certificate it will help me to earn a job. My humble request to you please help me I am a unemployed youth.
thank you.
By Richie P
•This is a wonderful course that takes on the grand philosophy of Buddhism through mostly an evolutionary psychology lens. It covers several principles of Buddhism at relatively quick pace yet thorough in the time frame. I would recommend some basic information about psychology and Buddhism to really be able to thrive in this course.
By Fabio N
•Great overview of Buddhist philosophy and recent psychology research. Professor Wright invites several religious and academic figures to draw paralallels between the two in a very investigative, and curious way.
I recommend watching all the interviews and taking detailed notes as they are particulary useful in doing the assignments.
By Mohammed J A
•This course highlights the most interesting experiments within the field of psychology, discussing the implications of those studies for our understanding of the human mind and human behavior. We will explore the brain and some of the cognitive abilities it supports like memory, learning, attention, perception and consciousness.