Biol Res 36: 13-15, 2003 13 For : Explorer of the phenomenal world

ELEANOR ROSCH

Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. Fax: (510) 642.5293 e-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT

Francisco Varela was an innovative thinker and researcher as well as a pioneer in the present dialog between science and . In this essay, I will first speak briefly about some of Francisco’s contributions to the world at large and then relate a few vivid moments from my own interactions with him.

The relationship between science and the structure they called autopoiesis (self spirituality (in its broadest sense) may be organizing systems). The most radical aspect one of the most important open questions of autopoeisis is that neither environment in the world today, a question whose nor organism nor even the mind of the resolution will determine what sort of observing scientist was to be objectified; all world, if any, we are to have in the future. are seen as mutually self organizing Francisco Varela, my friend, colleague, interdependent systems. Autopoiesis was collaborator, and the person with whom I intended not only as of science have been most honored to have had in the phenomenological tradition, but as a vigorous debates about almost everything, framework and guide for research, as was an outstanding figure in the science- Francisco himself proposed in his work on spirituality dialog. What may we say about the immune system. that now that he is no longer with us? Francisco’s second effort was to establish One aspect of science is that it takes itself first-person experience as a legitimate to be objective. Hypotheses must be contributor to science. One way of doing verifiable by empirical observations. Those this was to introduce phenomenology and observations must be repeatable through encourage phenomenological discussion in time and shared across observers, and they other than entirely philosophical contexts. must conform to certain overt or assumed One such example was his editorship of rules of evidence. Spirituality, on the other The View from Within (a collection of papers hand, is generally held to be private and on first-person phenomenology published inner (or as a matter of the human as a special edition of the Journal of relationship to supernatural beings). Consciousness Studies) and his paper on Challenging the objectivity of science and Husserl’s treatment of time included in scientific evidence, attempting to reinstate that volume. Another strategy was to argue first-person experience as a source of that there was a centuries-old method of scientific knowledge, and opening scientific training the mind, Buddhist inquiry to methods such as meditation – meditation, which could render first person these were among Francisco’s lifelong reports authoritative for science, especially commitments, and, indeed, passions. science conceived in a non-objectivist Francisco’s challenges to science fall into framework. In this strategy meditation is three categories. The first was to develop, treated as the development of a skill, along with his great mentor Humberto somewhat like learning to play the piano. Maturana, a characterization of living beings Such a position is controversial, however, that did not separate them from their in the Buddhist traditions in which environment. Collaboratively they created meditation is viewed not as gaining but as 14 ROSCH Biol Res 36, 2003, 13-15 jettisoning expertise in order to discover teachings that wisdom is to be found in the the ‘beginner’s mind’ already present. stream of on-going experience itself and its Toward the end of his life, Francisco was consequent development of techniques to working on a conceptual scheme to try to investigate such experience. However reconcile these two views of meditation. Buddhism is more than this. The ‘awake Francisco’s final contribution is the wisdom mind,’ Buddhism teaches, has a significant role he played in establishing different mode of functioning than our the present dialog between science and limited consciousness, and the categories of Buddhism. In the late 1970s Francisco was Buddhist thought are designed to transmit one of the organizers of a series of Summer and awaken that wisdom mode of knowing Science Programs at Institute, a within the student’s own mind. Present day small college in Boulder, Colorado, founded science – even phenomenology – are quite by the Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chogyam different kinds of endeavors. Can the non- Trungpa . Naropa’s mandate was objectivist science that Francisco envisioned to combine the curriculum of a Western provide the missing connections? The university with the meditative and Embodied Mind was intended neither as an contemplative disciplines of the East, and act of scientific imperialism nor as a sermon, Francisco’s Science Program was a part of but as the tentative first steps in an that endeavor. Later, Francisco met and interaction whose outcome is presently open found rapport with His Holiness the Dalai and (one hopes inspiringly) unpredictable. . His Holiness, most widely known as The foregoing descriptions have dealt a world icon of non-violent spirituality, with Francisco’s public persona and also has great interest in and an affinity for accomplishments in the world. Much of my science. The outcome of his meetings with interaction with Francisco involved Francisco and others was the Mind and Life working together in that context. But when Institute, an organization whose mission it someone passes away, one tends to have is to generate communication between vivid memories of relatively trivial science and Buddhism. The Mind and Life moments, tableaux in time, that capture Institute has sponsored a series of something special and indefinable. I have conferences in which scientists from a several such ‘snapshots’ of Francisco. variety of fields have come to Dharamsala The first took place at the conclusion of to converse with His Holiness the Dalai one of the Summer Science Programs at Lama. Reports from these conferences are Naropa Institute (now Naropa University). gradually being published. The Institute I had joined Francisco and several other has also sponsored or encouraged research Naropa faculty members for a summer projects to study the effects of meditation session primarily dedicated to organizing a on the brain. Francisco remained involved conference on Buddhism and Cognitive with these projects. In the years following Science. The conference had just concluded. the first Mind and Life Conference, A number of my cognitive science Francisco, Evan Thompson, and I worked colleagues had attended the conference, on the book The Embodied Mind: Cognitive but they had found the presentations largely Science and Human Experience, a work incomprehensible and had, midway through intended to bring together Francisco’s and the program, revolted. Now Francisco and our interests and open communication I sat facing each other, alternately disputing between Buddhism, phenomenology, and (as was our habit) Merleau-Ponty and the human sciences. engaging in a rather feisty post mortem This is the point at which one might expect dissection of the conference. Suddenly there an evaluation of this endeavor. But was a shock of mutual recognition that left communication between these three great us speechless for several long moments – traditions is not a simple matter. To be we realized that we did not understand each sure, of the world’s major religions, other at all! Interestingly, it was out of this Buddhism is particularly well suited to that our future collaboration was born. interact with science because of its These days as I hear broadcasts of world ROSCH Biol Res 36, 2003, 13-15 15 news, how I wish upon the participants just not a fearsome experience; Francisco the such a shock! journeyer could feel at home anywhere. The next vignette is from a three-month Later, when all the well-immunized meditation and study intensive run by Americans at the conference (and only they) Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, at which became ill, Francisco showed another side: Francisco was teaching a science class. he looked upon his drooping charges with The atmosphere had become quite intense bemusement and with great kindness. – how else can meditation teachers get Perhaps to be at ease and accepting of life through to the deeper levels of the student’s in the body is also to be accepting of mind? And we were responding as pressured mortality. Francisco’s last days were people will. One day I was in the office reported to be profoundly peaceful. My struggling with an ill-functioning electric final story comes after that. Some time typewriter when Francisco happened by. after Francisco’s passing, I ran into a “That’s simple to fix,” said Francisco. It colleague in the cognitive science wasn’t. Then suddenly he changed the task community who also knew Francisco. He to a deadpan spoof of scientific method told this story: he and Francisco were not (“Pure Monty Python,” my laughing office especially close friends, and there were mates proclaimed). How memorable the long periods when he neither interacted moment of release that laughter brings! with nor thought of Francisco. One night Let us move now to the first of the Mind he had a vivid dream in which Francisco and Life conferences. The plan was for the was very ill. The next day, on impulse, he conference participants to meet in Delhi, telephoned Francisco in Paris who told him rest for a day, then travel together to that, yes, his final illness had just been Dharamsala. But that ‘day of rest’ turned diagnosed the day before. This kind of out to be October 27, 1987, the Black meeting of minds was not a possibility Monday of the world-wide stock market dreamt of in this good person’s philosophy crash. All day we heard disconnected (nor in any of the supposedly cutting edge snatches of dire news about the financial ‘paradigm shifts’ in cognitive science). As markets and wondered if there was still going he spoke of it, his eyes widened, and his to be a world to go home to. To add to the expression became gentle and deep. “It just mood, we were told that our gamma globulin blows my mind,” he said. Have the effects shots (routine inoculations in the U.S. for of Francisco’s life and work, perhaps, only anyone going to India) might put us at risk just begun? for the AIDS virus (since disproved). Coda: In the days when Chogyam Trungpa Furthermore, this was the period of a Sikh Rinpoche was alive and teaching and putting uprising and religious unrest in India, and on “ art exhibits,” groups of his that particular day was also the eve of Diwali, students would go out, in preparation for the Festival of Lights, at which both each exhibit, to search their city and fireworks and a certain amount of mayhem countryside for inspiring materials to use are customary. I remember our group sitting in the exhibit. These students were called in the lobby of the hotel that evening, the the Explorers of the Phenomenal World. jet-lagged and innocent American scientists Surely this title could also be given to bug-eyed as Francisco cheerfully identified scientists at their best, their most open. Let for us whether each explosion was a us present this title now to Francisco: firecracker or gunfire. It was then that it Francisco Varela, Explorer of the dawned on me: Francisco was perfectly Phenomenal World. Francisco, wherever comfortable. This was a person at ease and and whatever you are now, may you and all in harmony with both his body and the those you have influenced stay open and go environment of the larger world. To travel on exploring. around the globe, country to country, was