The scientists who participate in Mind and Life have been intrigued by the ability of meditation masters to develop and sustain attention and visualizations, to work skillfully and consciously with powerful emotional states, to intentionally manipulate basic physiological processes, and to catalyze psychological and biological healing effects, all through the directed mental processes of meditation practices. How Buddhist masters attain these skills through the development of the mind is still a mystery. In 1990, Mind and Life scientists initiated research projects to investigate the neurobiological effects of meditation on long term meditators.
Paralleling the work of Mind and Life since 1990, Western researchers spanning disciplines as diverse as bio-behavioral medicine, philosophy of mind, the cognitive and affective neurosciences, and psychology, have begun to explore the embodied mind and consciousness. The Mind & Life Institute is uniquely positioned to contribute to the current revolution in our scientific understanding of the mind by creating the interdisciplinary bridges to deepen scientific understanding of meditative theory and practices. In recent years, Mind and Life scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of California-San Francisco, University of California-Berkeley, and Harvard University have conducted experiments and are developing in-depth research projects. These projects utilize the most recent advances in the neurosciences and psychology.
Currently the Mind & Life Institute is expanding our support for scientists interested in conducting research on meditation and the mind. We are fundraising to enhance our program for Collaborative Research among Contemplatives and Scientists.
