Filmed during Mind & Life Institute’s “Mind & Life XXX: Perception, Concepts, and Self” on December 14, 2015. Project Prakash: Merging Science and ServiceSPEAKER: Pawan Sinha All scientists harbor the hope of merging their personal desire to be good Samaritans with their professional desire to be good researchers. This aspiration to braid science and service …
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Mind & Life XXX – Session 1
Filmed during Mind & Life Institute’s “Mind & Life XXX: Perception, Concepts, and Self” on December 14, 2015. Perception, Concepts and the Self: Perspectives from Western Science and PhilosophySPEAKERS: His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Richard J. Davidson & Jay Garfield We introduce the central themes of this meeting, discussing from scientific and philosophical perspectives the …
The Mind & Life Institute
Francisco J. Varela Research Awards
Neuroscientist, philosopher, and Mind and Life co-founder Francisco Varela (1946-2001) believed that contemplative training offers modern science novel methods for investigating the depth of human experience. In his vision, contemplative training such as meditation not only provides a new domain for scientific study, but it also offers resources for advancing scientific models of consciousness, emotion, …
The contemplative path: How do we learn?
In my own experience with meditation, I’ve often wondered about the difference between reading a thoughtful analysis or set of instructions, listening to an inspiring teacher, and sitting on the cushion to practice. These varied activities represent different ways of integrating information into our minds and bodies—in short, different ways of learning. Is one mode …
The Contemplative Development Mapping Project: A new model for interdisciplinary investigation
This past winter, it was my honor and pleasure to participate in a Mind & Life Research Workshop convened by the Contemplative Development Mapping Project (CDMP). The CDMP is a group of scholars, scientists, and practitioners who are personally and professionally committed to enriching our understanding of contemplative practices and experiences. This interdisciplinary “think tank” …
Fear and Trust in the Laboratory
This breakout session will be part lecture and part discussion. We will focus on ways in which fear is conceptualized and operationalized in experimental psychology. I will begin by providing detailed examples from my own research in which we use virtual environments to place participants in physically or socially threatening situations. I will also describe …
Fear in Action: Fear of Movement (Kinesiophobia) and Falling and their Treatment with Mind-Body Therapies
This breakout session will begin with a brief introduction to two very pragmatic and embodied ways that ‘fear’ manifests in the human experience: Pain-related fear of movement (kinesiophobia) and fear of falling in older adults. An introduction will include data on the surprisingly high prevalence, individual suffering, and public health burden of these conditions, the …
Fear, Acceptance, and Compassion: Perspectives from Contemplative Neuroscience
This presentation will highlight what we know about the neuroscience of fear and anxiety and discuss its antidotes in compassion and related qualities. Distinctions will be made between fear as a state and trait. The impact of different forms of contemplative practice on the neuroscientific bases of fear and anxiety will be highlighted. Particular attention …
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The ReSource Project: Fear, Trust, and the Effects of Mental Training
The ReSource Project is a large-scale, interdisciplinary study on the effects of mental training on the brain, subjective experience, health, and behavior. Over an eleven-month period, participants practice a variety of mental exercises aimed at cultivating attention, interoceptive awareness, perspective-taking on self and others, meta-cognition, compassion, empathy, and prosocial motivation. These exercises include meditative techniques …
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