John Makransky will enter participants into two contemplative practices from his Sustainable Compassion Training (SCT) approach for developing stable care and compassion. In this contemplative session, we will do a meditation of receiving care as a kind of empowerment. We are empowered to participate in the perspective and flow of care and compassion first by …
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Indian classical music is rooted in the ancient philosophy of nada-yoga, or union through sound. Both theoreticians and practitioners appreciated the immediate appeal of music and song, but they also understood sound, particularly the elaboration of ragas, as a vehicle for spiritual growth and ultimately a path to moksha, or salvation. Ragas are unique melodic …
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Join two renowned leaders in the field of contemplative studies for a conversation reviewing a 15-year history of collaboration between contemplatives and neuroscientists, with perspectives from both traditions. The discussion will explore the philosophical and scientific issues germane to the investigation of well-being. The possibility of cultivating well-being will be considered, along with the underlying …
In this closing keynote, Jon will ask some hard questions about the mindfulness explosion and contemplative studies at the intersection and cutting edges of science, scholarship, society, and the larger world. As background, it might be helpful to read his paper, linked below.
Given the rising popularity of meditation and many scientific claims about its benefits, it seems important that we understand how and why contemplative practice works. Indeed, there are many wonderful, inspiring, and beautiful stories for why meditation is helpful, descriptions that often serve to justify a particular system of practice. Unfortunately, not all accounts agree …
This will be an experiential workshop that includes critical contemplative practice and dialogue through the lens of Radical Dharma (Kyodo williams, Owens, Syedullah, 2016). It will further expand one’s field of practice and develop the concept of a social justice orientation to extend more deeply into practice and related communities. The experience will highlight the …
Mawlana Rumi said, “Earth, water, fire and air are God’s servants. To us they seem lifeless but to God they are living.” The four elements are known in Sufism as shahid al-wujud, “witnesses of being.” In this session we will practice a time-honored Sufi method of inner purification involving the attunement of the body and mind …
What is transformative insight, what methods lead to it, and what results come from it? Beyond short term benefits, lasting transformation from contemplative practice appears to come from shifts in the way practitioners see themselves, their experiences, their world, and others. Has the time come for a broader approach to contemplative practice, one that builds …
At the heart of contemplative pedagogy is the cultivation of what psychologist DeWit (1991) and neurobiologist Varela (1996) have called “first–person inquiry,” a method that valorizes critical subjectivity in science and social science endeavors. This lecture briefly surveys diverse theoretical foundations of this method, with emphasis on application to higher education teaching and learning in …
