Investigating the Mind-Body Connection

2008|Dialogue 16|Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

The Science and Clinical Applications of Meditation

Can medicine and science benefit from a collaborative bi-directional dialogue with Buddhism and other contemplative traditions about mind/body interactions, the nature of pain and suffering, the cultivation of compassion and self-compassion, and the potential for the training of human faculties for learning, growing, healing and emotion regulation across the lifespan?

The assembled scholars, clinicians, and contemplatives engage in a collective inquiry about what is known within their investigative and contemplative traditions that might be relevant to a deeper understanding of mind-brain-body connections, improved clinical interventions, and future directions for research. They also explore potential biological mechanisms through which mental training, as reflected in brain circuits, might influence peripheral biology in ways that are beneficial for health.

Dialogue Sessions

session 1|Dialogue 16

The conference brings together the Mayo Clinic and the Mind & Life Institute to examine how meditation, mindfulness, and compassion may contribute to health, healing, and human flourishing. Matthieu Ricard argues that well-being depends not only on external circumstances but also on cultivating inner qualities such as loving-kindness, compassion, and emotional resilience; he presents meditation …

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session 2|Dialogue 16

Linda Carlson presents research showing that mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) can help cancer patients and their families cope with the psychological, physical, and existential challenges of cancer, with studies reporting reductions in mood disturbance, stress, depression, anxiety, sleep problems, blood pressure, and inflammatory activity, alongside improvements in quality of life, spirituality, and coping. Roshi Joan …

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session 3|Dialogue 16

This session focuses on the practical role of compassion in medicine, with the Dalai Lama emphasizing that trust between patients and clinicians depends not only on medical expertise but also on genuine concern, affection, responsibility, and a compassionate attitude that can help patients cope with pain and illness. He describes health care itself as an …

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session 4|Dialogue 16

This closing dialogue at Mayo Clinic explores compassion, mindfulness, dying, resilience, and the relationship between contemplative practice and medicine. The Dalai Lama emphasizes that a “good death” involves helping a dying person remain calm and peaceful, with family and caregivers creating a supportive atmosphere suited to the individual, while clinicians caring for difficult patients may …

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