Francisco J. Varela, PhD, was Fondation de France Professor of Cognitive Science and Epistemology at the École Polytechnique and the Institute of Neuroscience of Paris. He is also the author of Principles of Biological Autonomy. Jeremy Hayward is the international education director of Shambhala Training. He is the author of Letters to Vanessa: On Love, Science, and Awareness in an Enchanted World and Shifting Worlds, Changing Minds: Where the Sciences and Buddhism Meet. He teaches warriorship retreats around the world.

What is the essence of the mind? Could computers ever have consciousness? Can compassion be learned? When does consciousness enter the human embryo? These are just some of the many questions that were discussed during a historic meeting that took place between several prominent Western scientists and the Dalai Lama. Gentle Bridges is a chronicle of this extraordinary exchange of ideas.