Skip to content
Mind & Life Institute
  • About
    • Mission and Values
    • Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
    • 35 Years
    • Strategy
    • History
    • People
    • Careers
    • Contact
  • Events
    • Dialogues and Conversations
    • Summer Research Institute
    • Mind & Life Connect
    • Inspiring Minds
  • Grants
    • Varela Grants
    • PEACE Grants
    • Contemplative Changemaking Grants
    • Awards
    • Mentoring
  • Online Learning
    • Insights Essays
    • Mind & Life Podcast
    • Online Courses
    • Digital Dialogues
    • Academic Papers
  • Media
    • Blog
    • Documentaries
    • Books
    • Videos
  • Support
    • Why Give
    • Ways to Give
    • Annual Reports
  •  
Event History
2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies

International Symposium for Contemplative Studies 2016

The Mind & Life Institute’s International Symposium for Contemplative Studies (ISCS) seeks to encourage and help shape a cohesive interdisciplinary field of contemplative studies in which basic and applied science, scholarship, education, the arts, and contemplative traditions collaboratively develop an integrated way of knowing.

In 2016 we gathered the most innovative thought leaders and present their ground breaking research in neuroscience, psychology, clinical science, the humanities, philosophy, and education – all with the goal of advancing our understanding of the mind, reducing human suffering, and enhancing our well-being.


Program Sessions

THURSDAY

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Opening Keynote: Opening Welcome and Meditation

Amishi Jha, Sharon Salzberg, Harold Roth

Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Opening Keynote, Contemplative and Neuroscientific Perspectives on Personal and Social Well Being: A Conversation with Matthieu Ricard and Richard J. Davidson

Richard J. Davidson, Matthieu Ricard

Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Contemplative Wisdom | Mental Health | Self & Other

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Yoga of Sound: Indian Classical Music as Contemplative Practice

Srinivas Reddy, Ferhan Najeeb Qureshi

Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Sustainable Compassion Training—Extending Care Mode of Practice

John Makransky

Topics: Compassion & Empathy | Self & Other

FRIDAY

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Yoga with Mary Taylor and Richard Freeman

Mary Taylor, Richard Freeman

Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Practicing the Presence of Compassion: Contemplative Christian Traditions

Andrew Dreitcer

Topics: Compassion & Empathy | Contemplative Wisdom | Mindfulness

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Modern Interpretations of Zen Buddhist Teachings

Takafumi Kawakami Osho

Topics: Compassion & Empathy | Contemplative Wisdom | Self & Other

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Keynote: Mindfulness Therapeutics in the Promotion of Mental Health

Zindel Segal

Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Contemplative Wisdom | Mental Health | Mindfulness

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Master Lectures: Neurobiological Underpinnings of Contemplative Practices: Is There Common Ground (and who cares)?

Judson Brewer

Topics: Body-based Practices | Brain & Cognitive Science | Contemplative Wisdom | Mindfulness

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Master Lectures: Mindfulness-Informed Acceptance-Based Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety

Lizabeth Roemer

Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Contemplative Wisdom | Education | Mental Health | Mindfulness

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Master Lectures: Understanding the Psychology Behind Compassion Meditation

Topics: Body-based Practices | Brain & Cognitive Science | Compassion & Empathy | Contemplative Wisdom | Mental Health | Mindfulness

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Daoist Contemplative Practice: Standing Meditation and Qigong

Louis Komjathy

Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

NCCIH Research Priorities and Funding Opportunities for Mind and Body Health

Partap Khalsa

Topics: Body-based Practices | Brain & Cognitive Science | Mental Health | Mindfulness | Stress & Resilience

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Master Lectures: Integrating Contemporary Behaviorist and Traditional Contemplative Approaches: Towards an Effective Technology of Behavior Change

Sarah Bowen

Topics: Contemplative Wisdom | Mental Health | Mindfulness | Self & Other

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Master Lectures: The Transdisciplinary Study of Contemplative Practices: Challenges and Opportunities

John Dunne

Topics: Contemplative Wisdom | Education | Interconnection

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Master Lectures: What’s ‘Critical’ About ‘Critical First-Person’ Perspectives?

Harold Roth

Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom | Education

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Tibetan Sound Meditation

Alejandro Chaoul

Topics: Body-based Practices | Brain & Cognitive Science | Contemplative Wisdom

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Engaged Contemplative Practice in Islamic Sufism: Vocal Emphasis

Alan Godlas

Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom | Mindfulness

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Liberation Through Memory and Storytelling

Sheila Peltz Weinberg

Topics: Contemplative Wisdom | Mindfulness | Self & Other | Social Change

SATURDAY

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Yoga with Mary Taylor and Richard Freeman

Mary Taylor, Richard Freeman

Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Practicing Meditation Through Sacred Texts and Prayers

Sheila Peltz Weinberg

Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom | Mindfulness

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Engaged Contemplative Practice in Islamic Sufism: Silent Emphasis

Alan Godlas

Topics: Body-based Practices | Brain & Cognitive Science | Contemplative Wisdom

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Moving Together From Colorblindness to ColorInsight: Contemplative Inquiry, Research and Practice in the Work of Transformative Justice

Rhonda Magee

Topics: Compassion & Empathy | Education | Mindfulness | Self & Other | Social Change

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Master Lectures: Minding Mindfulness: Issues, Models, and Findings in the Scientific Study of Meditation

Clifford Saron

Topics: Body-based Practices | Brain & Cognitive Science | Compassion & Empathy | Contemplative Wisdom | Mindfulness | Stress & Resilience

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Ethical Know-How and Christian Contemplative Practices: A Case Study from Late Antiquity

Niki Clements

Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Contemplative Wisdom

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Master Lectures: School Systems, Educational Reform and Mindfulness Training

Robert Roeser

Topics: Contemplative Wisdom | Education | Mindfulness | Social Change

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Daoist Contemplative Practice: Standing Meditation and Qigong

Louis Komjathy

Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Master Lectures: The Missing Link of Leadership Development: Cultivating Awareness in Action

Jeremy Hunter

Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Contemplative Wisdom | Education | Stress & Resilience

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Master Lectures: Embodying Change: Buddhism, Feminism, and Contemplative Education

Erin McCarthy

Topics: Contemplative Wisdom | Education | Social Change

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Practicing the Presence of Compassion: Contemplative Christian Traditions

Andrew Dreitcer

Topics: Compassion & Empathy | Contemplative Wisdom | Mindfulness

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Meditation Practice: Settling the Heart and Mind

Sharon Salzberg, Roshi Joan Halifax

Topics: Body-based Practices

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Engaged Contemplative Practice in Islamic Sufism: Vocal, Silent, Living

Alan Godlas

Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom | Mindfulness

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Letter from the Future

Sheila Peltz Weinberg

Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom | Interconnection | Social Change

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Evening Conversation – The Promises and Perils of Mainstreaming Mindfulness (Ticketed Event)

Susan Bauer-Wu, Jeremy Hunter, Carolyn Jacobs, Amishi Jha, Sharon Salzberg

Topics: Contemplative Wisdom | Education | Mindfulness

SUNDAY

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Yoga with Mary Taylor and Richard Freeman

Mary Taylor, Richard Freeman

Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Practicing the Presence of Compassion: Contemplative Christian Traditions

Andrew Dreitcer

Topics: Compassion & Empathy | Contemplative Wisdom | Mindfulness

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Sustainable Compassion Training—Extending Care Mode of Practice

John Makransky

Topics: Compassion & Empathy | Self & Other

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Meditation Practice: Cultivating Love and Compassion

Roshi Joan Halifax, Sharon Salzberg

Topics: Body-based Practices | Compassion & Empathy | Mindfulness | Self & Other

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Closing Keynote: What is Mindfulness? An Embodied Cognitive Science Perspective

Evan Thompson

Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Interconnection | Mindfulness | Self & Other


Gallery


Keynote Speakers

Keynote speakers are leaders in the field, chosen based on the history of their contributions to the field and the relevance of their work to the conference. They give their lectures, presentations, or panel discussions at a prime time, with no conflicting concurrent sessions or conference events. Keynotes are held in a space that can accommodate all conference attendees.

Richard J. Davidson, PhD

William James and Vilas Research Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry and Founder & Director of the Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Founder and Chief Visionary for Healthy Minds Innovations, Inc.

Richard Davidson received his PhD from Harvard University in Psychology and has been at Wisconsin since 1984.  He has published more than 573 articles, numerous chapters and reviews, and edited … MORE

Carolyn Jacobs, MSW, PhD

Smith College School for Social Work

Board Member

Carolyn Jacobs, MSW, PhD, is Dean Emerita and Elizabeth Marting Treuhaft Professor Emerita of the Smith College School for Social Work. Dr. Jacobs was a member of the School’s faculty … MORE

Amishi Jha, PhD

University of Miami

Convening Faculty, Fellow, Grantee, Planning Committee Member, Steering Council Member

Amishi Jha is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Miami, and Director of Contemplative Neuroscience for the Mindfulness Research and Practice Initiative, prior to which she was an … MORE

Rhonda Magee, JD

University of San Francisco

Steering Council Member

An internationally-sought-after mindfulness teacher and keynote speaker, and a thought and practice innovator of mindfulness-based social justice principles, concepts and practices, Rhonda V. Magee, M.A., J.D., is Professor of Law … MORE

Matthieu Ricard, PhD

Karuna-shechen

Convening Faculty, Fellow

Matthieu Ricard, Ph.D., is a Buddhist monk at Schechen Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal. Born in France in 1946, he received his Ph.D. in Cellular Genetics at the Institut Pasteur under … MORE

Sharon Salzberg

Insight Meditation Society

Sharon Salzberg is a meditation pioneer and industry leader, a world-renowned teacher and New York Times bestselling author. As one of the first to bring meditation and mindfulness into mainstream American culture over … MORE

Zindel Segal, PhD

University of Toronto-Scarborough

Convening Faculty, Fellow, Planning Committee Member

Zindel Segal, Ph.D., is Distinguished Professor of Psychology in Mood Disorders at the University of Toronto Scarborough and a senior scientist in the Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute at … MORE

Evan Thompson, PhD

University of British Columbia

Convening Faculty, Fellow, Grantee, Reviewer

Evan Thompson is a writer and Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia, where he is also an Associate Member of the Department of Asian Studies and the … MORE


Master Lecturers

Master Lecturers are distinguished scientists, scholars, leaders, and contemplatives. They give their lectures, presentations, or panel discussions in a highlighted time slot that is concurrent with one or two other Master Lectures.

Sarah Bowen, PhD

Pacific University

Reviewer

Judson Brewer, MD, PhD

Brown University

Niki Clements, PhD

Rice University

John Dunne, PhD

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Jeremy Hunter, PhD

Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of Management

Thupten Jinpa, PhD

Compassion Institute

Board Chair

Catherine Kerr, PhD

Brown University

Convening Faculty, Fellow, Grantee

Erin McCarthy, PhD

St. Lawrence University

Convening Faculty, Fellow, Planning Committee Member

Lizabeth Roemer, PhD

University of Massachusetts, Boston

Robert Roeser, PhD, MSW

Pennsylvania State University

Convening Faculty, Reviewer, Steering Council Member

Harold Roth, PhD

Brown University

Convening Faculty, Fellow, Grantee, Planning Committee Member

Clifford Saron, PhD

University of California, Davis

Convening Faculty, Fellow, Planning Committee Member


Contemplative Faculty and Artists

Contemplative faculty guide participants through practices that integrate their first-person knowledge with conference themes, interspersing contemplative practice sessions with time for personal reflection.

Alejandro Chaoul, PhD

The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Convening Faculty, Fellow

Andrew Dreitcer, MDiv, PhD

Claremont School of Theology

Planning Committee Member

Richard Freeman

Alan Godlas, PhD

University of Georgia

Roshi Joan Halifax, PhD

Upaya Institute and Zen Center

Convening Faculty, Fellow, Founding Steward

Takafumi Kawakami Osho

Shunkoin Temple

Louis Komjathy, PhD, CSO

University of San Diego

Genine Lentine

poet

John Makransky, PhD

Boston College

Convening Faculty, Fellow

Srinivas Reddy

IIT Gandhinagar

Convening Faculty

Mary Taylor

Sheila Peltz Weinberg

Nathan Wirth

Photographer


Program Planning Committee

The Program Planning Committee (PPC) is a committee of invited specialists from diverse disciplines and perspectives who bring their expertise to curate and produce the content for ISCS. In addition to developing the overall theme and narrative arc of the program, the PPC actively participate and serve in leadership roles throughout the conference.

Sarah Bowen, PhD

Pacific University

Reviewer

Judson Brewer, MD, PhD

Brown University

Amishi Jha, PhD

University of Miami

Convening Faculty, Fellow, Grantee, Planning Committee Member, Steering Council Member

Erin McCarthy, PhD

St. Lawrence University

Convening Faculty, Fellow, Planning Committee Member

Robert Roeser, PhD, MSW

Pennsylvania State University

Convening Faculty, Reviewer, Steering Council Member

Harold Roth, PhD

Brown University

Convening Faculty, Fellow, Grantee, Planning Committee Member

The Mind & Life Institute

977 Seminole Trail, PMB 363
Charlottesville, VA 22901

info@mindandlife.org

 

Engage

  • Mind & Life Podcast
  • Mind & Life Blog
  • Subscribe to our eNewsletter
  • Support Mind & Life

Social

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Youtube
LinkedIn

Subscribe

Copyright © 2020 • Mind & Life Institute, Privacy Policy
Mind & Life Institute
  • About
    • Mission and Values
    • Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
    • 35 Years
    • Strategy
    • History
    • People
    • Careers
    • Contact
  • Events
    • Dialogues and Conversations
    • Summer Research Institute
    • Mind & Life Connect
    • Inspiring Minds
  • Grants
    • Varela Grants
    • PEACE Grants
    • Contemplative Changemaking Grants
    • Awards
    • Mentoring
  • Online Learning
    • Insights Essays
    • Mind & Life Podcast
    • Online Courses
    • Digital Dialogues
    • Academic Papers
  • Media
    • Blog
    • Documentaries
    • Books
    • Videos
  • Support
    • Why Give
    • Ways to Give
    • Annual Reports
  •