The Mind & Life International Symposium for Contemplative Research (ISCR) is the flagship conference for interdisciplinary investigations of the mind, meditation, and other contemplative practices. We are teachers, researchers, scientists and scholars. We are activists, politicians and business leaders. We are parents, students, social workers and first responders. We are instructors, writers, filmmakers and philosophers. We are all change-makers.
Program Sessions
THURSDAY
2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session
Keynote Panel “Contemplative Practice Enters the Digital Age”
Moderators: Zindel Segal
Panel: Acacia Parks, Jack Kornfield, Darnell Lamont Walker, Zindel Segal
Topics: Body-based Practices | Compassion & Empathy | Contemplative Wisdom | Education | Interconnection | Mindfulness | Social Change
FRIDAY
2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session
Yoga
Mary Taylor, Richard Freeman
Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom
2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session
Contemplative Session: Watching the Breath
Pir Zia Inayat-Khan
Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom | Mindfulness
2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session
Standing Meditation and Qigong
Louis Komjathy
Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom | Mindfulness
2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session
Contemplative Session: Ancient Hebrew Sound Meditation
Zvi Ish-Shalom
Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom | Mindfulness
2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session
Keynote “Toward A Transformed Vision of Contemplative Education Centering Social Justice”
Laura Rendón
Topics: Contemplative Wisdom | Education | Social Change
2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session
Master Lectures: Social Justice Panel: “From Awareness to Embodied Change: A Conversation Toward Contemplative Justice”
Moderators: Dominique A. Malebranche
Panel: Helen Weng, Oliver Hill, Rhonda Magee, Dominique A. Malebranche
Topics: Contemplative Wisdom | Self & Other | Social Change
2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session
Master Lectures: Contemplative Studies Panel: Contemplating the Future of “Contemplative Studies”
Moderators: Erin McCarthy
Panel: Amishi Jha, Harold Roth, Ed Sarath, Erin McCarthy
Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Contemplative Wisdom | Education | Self & Other
2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session
Master Lectures: Mindfulness Training in High Demand, Time-Pressured Real-world Settings: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Amishi Jha
Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Mindfulness
2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session
The Ceremony of Art: Mindfulness In Indigenous Art and Vision
Gregory Cajete
Topics: Education | Mindfulness | Self & Other
2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session
Contemplative Session: Putting the Mind in the Heart: Centering Prayer and the Christian Contemplative Tradition
Cynthia Bourgeault
Topics: Body-based Practices | Brain & Cognitive Science | Contemplative Wisdom | Mindfulness
2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session
Dinner & Dialogue hosted by The Fetzer Institute: Consciousness and Contemplative Studies: Worldview Matters
Ed Sarath, Mohammed Hamid Mohammed
Topics: Contemplative Wisdom | Interconnection | Self & Other
2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session
Contemplative Arts Evening Performance
Srinivas Reddy, Robert Kaplan, Ed Sarath, Patricia Wallace
Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom | Interconnection
SATURDAY
2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session
Yoga
Mary Taylor, Richard Freeman
Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom
2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session
Contemplative Session: Putting the Mind in the Heart: Centering Prayer and the Christian Contemplative Tradition
Cynthia Bourgeault
Topics: Body-based Practices | Brain & Cognitive Science | Contemplative Wisdom | Mindfulness
2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session
Contemplative Session: Awakening the Presence Body
Zvi Ish-Shalom
Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom | Mindfulness
2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session
Keynote: To Be of Benefit: The Promise of Contemplative Research and Practice
Sona Dimidjian
Topics: Contemplative Wisdom | Education | Interconnection | Mental Health | Self & Other | Social Change
Audio AvailableVideo Available
2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session
Master Lectures: Integrating First–person Inquiry in the Higher Education Classroom
Judith Simmer-Brown
Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Compassion & Empathy | Contemplative Wisdom | Education | Mindfulness | Self & Other
2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session
Master Lectures: The Neural and Physiological Mechanisms Supporting Mindfulness–induced Pain Relief
Fadel Zeidan
Topics: Body-based Practices | Brain & Cognitive Science | Mindfulness | Stress & Resilience
2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session
Master Lectures: Seeing Reality: Interdependence, Relationality and the Expansion of Contemplative Practice
Chikako Ozawa-de Silva
Topics: Contemplative Wisdom | Interconnection | Mindfulness | Self & Other
2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session
Master Lectures: Mindfulness to Meaning: Healing Hedonic Dysregulation in Addiction, Stress, and Pain with Mindfulness–Oriented Recovery Enhancement
Eric Garland
Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Mental Health | Mindfulness | Stress & Resilience
2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session
Contemplative Session: The Four Elements
Pir Zia Inayat-Khan
Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom
2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session
Bridging Contemplative Science and Business: An Emerging Global Industry, Innovation Panel co-hosted by The Eagle and The Hawk Foundation and the Aetna Foundation
Moderators:
Panel: Acacia Parks, Cyd Crowse, Charlie Hartwell, Hamet Watt, Mark Bertolini
Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom | Interconnection | Mental Health | Mindfulness
2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session
Social Justice Breakout Session
angel Kyodo williams
Topics: Contemplative Wisdom | Self & Other | Social Change
SUNDAY
2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session
Yoga with Mary Taylor and Richard Freeman
Mary Taylor, Richard Freeman
Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom
2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session
Catherine Kerr Award Ceremony and Lectures: “Education for Peace: Transforming our Schools with Mindfulness and Compassion”
Patricia (Tish) Jennings
Topics: Compassion & Empathy | Education | Mindfulness | Stress & Resilience
2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session
Catherine Kerr Award Ceremony and Lectures: “How to Choose Between Beautiful Stories”
Norman Farb
Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Contemplative Wisdom | Self & Other
2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session
Closing Keynote “Where Is This All Going, and What’s Love—and Insight, Embodied Wisdom, and Community—Got to Do With It?”
Jon Kabat-Zinn
Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Contemplative Wisdom | Education | Interconnection | Mindfulness
Video Available
Keynote Speakers and Panelists
Sona Dimidjian, PhD
Renée Crown Wellness Institute
Board Member
Sona Dimidjian, PhD is Director of the Renée Crown Wellness Institute and Professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her current research … MORE
Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD
University of Massachusetts
Fellow, Founding Steward
Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. is Professor of Medicine emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, where he founded the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society (in 1995), … MORE
Jack Kornfield
Spirit Rock Center
Board Member
Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India and Burma. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to … MORE
Darnell Lamont Walker, PhD
Darnell Lamont Walker, Ph.D., is an award-winning writer and filmmaker, currently traveling and living around the globe collecting stories to share. He is a native of Charlottesville, Virginia, and a … MORE
Acacia Parks
Dr. Parks’ research focuses on self-help methods for increasing well-being via books and digital technology. She is Chief Scientist for tech startup Happify, which brings the cutting edge in research-based … MORE
Laura Rendón, PhD
University of Texas, San Antonio
Fellow, Mentor
Laura I. Rendón, PhD, is a renowned advocate, scholar, and educator. As a speaker with SpeakOut-The Institute for Democratic Education and Culture, she has addressed audiences worldwide on education and … MORE
Zindel Segal, PhD
University of Toronto-Scarborough
Convening Faculty, Fellow, Planning Committee Member
Zindel Segal, PhD is Distinguished Professor of Psychology in Mood Disorders at the University of Toronto Scarborough. He pioneered the use of mindfulness meditation for promoting wellness in the area … MORE
Catherine Kerr Lecturers
Norman Farb, PhD
University of Toronto Mississauga
Fellow, Grantee, Reviewer
Norman Farb, PhD is an Associate Professor in Psychology at the University of Toronto Mississauga, where he directs the Regulatory and Affective Dynamics laboratory (www.radlab.zone). A Fellow at the Mind … MORE
Patricia (Tish) Jennings, MEd, PhD
University of Virginia
Convening Faculty, Fellow, Grantee, Reviewer
Prof. Jennings is a Professor of Education at the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. She is an internationally recognized leader in the fields of social and … MORE
Master Lecture Speakers and Panelists
Gregory Cajete
University of New Mexico
Eric Garland, PhD, LCSW
University of Utah
Oliver Hill, PhD
Virginia State University
Amishi Jha, PhD
University of Miami
Convening Faculty, Fellow, Grantee, Planning Committee Member, Research and Programs Council Member
Erin McCarthy, PhD
Research Consultant, Mind & Life Institute; St. Lawrence University
Convening Faculty, Fellow, Planning Committee Member
Chikako Ozawa-de Silva, PhD
Emory University
Ed Sarath, PhD
University of Michigan
Fadel Zeidan, PhD
University of California San Diego
Convening Faculty, Fellow, Grantee, Planning Committee Member, Research and Programs Council Member, Reviewer
Contemplative Faculty
Cynthia Bourgeault
Center for Action and Contemplation
Robert Kaplan
Arizona State University
Pir Zia Inayat-Khan, Pir of the Inayatiyya
Pir of the Inayatiyya and founder of Sulūk Academy
Convening Faculty, Discussant
Zvi Ish-Shalom, PhD
Kedumah Institute, Naropa University
Louis Komjathy, PhD, CSO
University of San Diego
Special Sponsored Events Panelists
Mark Bertolini, MBA
Aetna
Cyd Crowse
InteraXon, Meditation Studio
Charlie Hartwell
Bridge Builders Collaborative
Hamet Watt
Upfront Ventures
Program Planning Committee
Erin McCarthy, PhD
Research Consultant, Mind & Life Institute; St. Lawrence University
Convening Faculty, Fellow, Planning Committee Member
Zindel Segal, PhD
University of Toronto-Scarborough
Convening Faculty, Fellow, Planning Committee Member
Eboni Bugg, LCSW
Mind & Life Institute
