We will introduce the central themes of this meeting, discussing from scientific and philosophical perspectives the key questions in the study of perception, concepts and the self that will be considered this week.

We will introduce the central themes of this meeting, discussing from scientific and philosophical perspectives the key questions in the study of perception, concepts and the self that will be considered this week.

This presentation will situate Buddhist epistemology in its historical context, and focus on two points: 1) how perception is defined, and 2) how the insistence on perception being free of conceptuality raises important tensions within Buddhist epistemology, especially for the key question of how our perception and thought interact in creating an integrated cognitive experience of the world.

This presentation will describe Project Prakash as a prototype of what such initiatives might look like in the confluence of a crucial humanitarian mission and a fundamental scientific quest.

In this presentation, Catherine Kerr will discuss work by her lab and others that shows how focused mental attention rapidly shapes perception of body sensations by influencing neurons in the basic somatosensory processing network in the brain.

This presentation focuses on concept formation as articulated in the Buddhist epistemological tradition following Dharmakīrti (seventh century). According to realist accounts, concepts correspond to real, extra-mental universals that allegedly constitute real categories or classes in the world.

Lera Boroditsky discusses research conducted around the world and focus on how language shapes the way we think about color, space, time, causality, and agency.

This is a Q&A session with the audience at the conclusion of Day 2.

In order to understand Buddhist accounts of the person, one must first identify the object of negation-the thing whose existence is to be refuted. That is the atman, or the unchanging, partless core self that is distinct from mind and body, and is what is reborn.

In this presentation, Jay Garfield will describe the range of positions in Western and in Buddhist philosophy regarding the self and the person, what motivates each, and what problems each view confronts.

At birth, infants are quite able to discriminate self from non-self, distinguishing their own from others’ touch, and interested in connections between what they feel and what they see. The self develops relationally, in engagement with the world; a process which needs the infant to be open, the world to recognize this, and the infant to recognize this recognition.

This is a Q&A session with the audience at the conclusion of Day 3.

This is the discussion session with the audience at the conclusion of Day 3.

This presentation delves into the intersection of Buddhist philosophy and Western science regarding the nature of the self, exploring how our understanding of self-construction and interdependence influences our interactions with others and behavior in the world, advocating for the adoption of altruism as a means to enact both individual and societal change towards a more compassionate and sustainable existence.

This presentation delves into the intersection of Buddhist philosophy and Western science regarding the nature of the self, exploring how our understanding of self-construction and interdependence influences our interactions with others and behavior in the world, advocating for the adoption of altruism as a means to enact both individual and societal change towards a more compassionate and sustainable existence.

Incorporating Buddhist contemplative practices and Western scientific methods, this session explores the integration of science education into Tibetan monastic curricula under the guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, emphasizing perspectives from both cultures and reflecting on the challenges and opportunities of teaching Buddhist ideas in Western academic settings.

Incorporating Buddhist contemplative practices and Western scientific methods, this session explores the integration of science education into Tibetan monastic curricula under the guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, emphasizing perspectives from both cultures and reflecting on the challenges and opportunities of teaching Buddhist ideas in Western academic settings.

Incorporating Buddhist contemplative practices and Western scientific methods, this session explores the integration of science education into Tibetan monastic curricula under the guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, emphasizing perspectives from both cultures and reflecting on the challenges and opportunities of teaching Buddhist ideas in Western academic settings.

In this final session, we will seek to integrate the material that has been presented across the week, examining the implications for both scientific theory and investigation, as well as for Buddhist epistemology and philosophy.