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 …
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Keynote: To Be of Benefit: The Promise of Contemplative Research and Practice
In 2002, His Holiness the Dalai Lama wrote, “The desperate state of our world calls us to action…We all are responsible for creating a better future.” Over 15 years later, those words inspire and alarm. Enormous suffering exists in our world today. Mental health problems and adversity are prevalent and impairing, including among children and …
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Contemplative Session: Awakening the Presence Body
In the Kabbalah tradition, the human body is understood to be a microcosm of the totality. As such, coming into deeper contact with our flesh is seen to be the primary vehicle through which we experience the living presence that animates all of reality. In this session, we will explore an ancient technique of sensing …
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Dinner & Dialogue hosted by The Fetzer Institute: Consciousness and Contemplative Studies: Worldview Matters
Join Ed Sarath, University of Michigan, and Mohammed Mohammed, Program Director of Research at the Fetzer Institute, as they guide you through a provocative dinner dialogue critically exploring the significance of worldview in contemplative development. What might contemplative studies, with its emphasis on epistemology “how we know” learn from consciousness studies and its ontological quest …
Contemplative Session: Putting the Mind in the Heart: Centering Prayer and the Christian Contemplative Tradition
This two-part workshop will explore the practice of centering prayer from both a theological and neurological perspective, with an emphasis on how this no-frills method of meditation in the Christian tradition differs from the standard ‘entry-level’ mindfulness practice with which it is often confused. Each session will include teaching and a short practice.
Master Lectures: Contemplative Studies Panel: Contemplating the Future of “Contemplative Studies”
This master lecture roundtable panel brings together eminent scholars in the field to explore the very idea of Contemplative Studies and its future. Panelists will explore critical questions and probe the importance of collaborative research processes that involve first, second and third-person perspectives and span the disciplines. They will explore questions such as: What is …
Master Lectures: Social Justice Panel: “From Awareness to Embodied Change: A Conversation Toward Contemplative Justice”
In her Keynote at ISCS 2016, Rhonda Magee posed the idea of “creating science that resonates with the suffering of the world” by considering how colorblindness and implicit bias impact contemplative research and practice communities. We are called to consider the ways in which it is necessary to move beyond identifying these individual factors toward …
Keynote “Toward A Transformed Vision of Contemplative Education Centering Social Justice”
Our world is currently being confronted with chilling social issues which call for a framework of contemplative education that fosters what Latina feminist theorist, Gloria Anzaldúa, called “conocimiento,” a high level of enlightenment fostered through creative contemplative practices such as art, poetry, dance and meditation. The path toward enlightenment connects inner work with public acts …
Contemplative Session: Ancient Hebrew Sound Meditation
In the ancient Hebrew tradition, sacred sound is utilized as a primary contemplative practice to shift consciousness into a state of greater presence and expansion. In this session, we will explore the contemplative dimensions of the “Shema”, an ancient Hebrew chant that comes from the Hebrew Bible and that serves as one of the most …
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Standing Meditation and Qigong
These sessions will explore Daoist (Taoist) standing meditation, Yangsheng (nourishing life) and movement practices. Also referred to as Qigong (ch’i-kung; qi Exercises), Yangsheng is a form of health and longevity practice. Each session will begin with formal instruction on quiet standing (jingzhan) and then explore specific movement practices. While some attention will be given to …
