Jon Kabat-Zinn – Sharing MBSR with the Dalai Lama

In a video clip from 2022, Mind & Life Founding Steward Jon Kabat-Zinn remembers sharing the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program with the Dalai Lama at the Mind & Life Dialogue in Dharamsala, India in 1990. We shared this video in 2022 as part of our 35th anniversary celebration.

Matthieu Ricard – A Meditation on Courageous Compassion

Mind & Life Founding Steward and Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard leads a meditation on courageous compassion, from our 2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research. We shared this video in 2022 as part of our 35th anniversary celebration.

Planting Seeds for a New Research Field: Lessons from the Early Days of Mind & Life

The first Mind & Life Dialogue with the Dalai Lama took place in Dharamsala, India in October 1987 on the theme of Buddhism and the cognitive sciences. Five scientists gathered with His Holiness in what was described as a ‘living room conversation.’ For seven days, they explored topics ranging from cognitive psychology, perception, memory, and …

Embracing Hope in Times of Crisis: 6 Lessons from the Dalai Lama and Leading Scientists

Data on the state of mental health in the world today paints a stark reality. According to a recent survey, 75% of young people globally feel the future is frightening in the face of climate change, and as a result of the Covid pandemic, an estimated 129 million more people have experienced anxiety and depression …

Documenting Mayan Milpa biocultural heritage through embodied ethnoecology

Milpa is a millennia-old agricultural polycrop system from Mesoamerica that continues to be widely used in México. Milpa includes maize, beans, and squash, often mixed with other crops. This agroecological system has many sustainable properties, including the ability to support large crop yields without requiring pesticides or fertilizers, even in nutrient poor soil. Lineage holders …

2021 Mind & Life Conversation

Our December 2021 conversation with the Dalai Lama features Elissa Epel, Michelle Shiota, and John Dunne. The program asks: What is the role of activating hope in pursuing a positive vision of the future? Can action come with a heavy heart, and before we have a clear vision of the radical changes needed? How can we cultivate joy amidst adversity?

Inspiring Minds – February 2022

This conversation features Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela and Aaron Stern, with artist Hawah Kasat sharing innovative programs and approaches designed to nurture meaningful dialogue, break down barriers, and facilitate personal transformation aimed at healing the harmful legacies of the past.

Science & Wisdom of Emotions Summit

Co-hosted with The Awake Network, the Science & Wisdom of Emotion Summit explored the research and insights catalyzed 20 years ago by the Mind & Life Destructive Emotions Dialogue with the Dalai Lama,