At Mind & Life, we believe that fostering dialogue among individuals from diverse backgrounds and perspectives is essential to pursuing practical solutions to complex challenges. Our convenings bring together researchers, contemplatives, and changemakers to explore big questions. Among them is how contemplative wisdom can be applied in pursuit of a more just, compassionate, and inclusive world.
Mind & Life convenings are cross-disciplinary and cross-generational learning exchanges, incorporating diverse perspectives, contemplative practices, and the arts. We create spaces where enduring relationships are formed, and new insights can emerge. Increasingly, we’re focused on the theme of interconnection, and how the integration of science and contemplative wisdom can contribute to individual well-being—and collective flourishing.
As part of our commitment to inclusion, many of our programs include scholarships for individuals who would otherwise be unable to attend.
Upcoming Events
Inspiring Minds – February 2022
Healing Intergenerational Trauma
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.
Topics: Compassion & Empathy | Contemplative Wisdom | Self & Other
2022 Summer Research Institute
Othering, Belonging, and Becoming
SRI 2022 explores the crisis of disconnection and othering. The challenges we face—from racial injustice to conflict within and across borders to climate change—demand concerted action; yet we remain more divided than ever. What is the role of our minds in creating these divisions, and how can our minds transform to create a more connected world?
Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Self & Other | Social Change
Recent Events
Inspiring Minds – January 2022
From Climate Distress to Climate Action
Topics: Environment | Social Change | Stress & Resilience
2021 Mind & Life Conversation
Mind & Life Conversation: Embracing Hope, Courage, and Compassion in Times of Crisis
Topics: Compassion & Empathy | Contemplative Wisdom | Mental Health | Stress & Resilience
Illuminating the Mind: Exploring Buddhism and Science with the Dalai Lama
Illuminating the Mind: Exploring Buddhism and Science with the Dalai Lama
Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Compassion & Empathy | Contemplative Wisdom
Inspiring Minds – November 2021
Mindfulness Approaches to Addiction and Recovery
Topics: Body-based Practices | Brain & Cognitive Science | Mental Health | Mindfulness
Inspiring Minds – September 2021
Sustaining Social Change Movements through Kinship and Contemplative Practice
Topics: Compassion & Empathy | Contemplative Wisdom | Social Change | Stress & Resilience
About Mind & Life Events
The Summer Research Institute (SRI) is a week-long, residential program held at the Garrison Institute in New York. Through inquiry and dialogue, the SRI seeks to foster collaborative research among scientists, scholars, contemplatives, and social activists. SRI participants refer to this annual event—founded in 2004—as a unique gathering place and “professional home.”
Join Mind & Life for our monthly online series that brings together thought leaders and contemplatives to engage with one another and the audience in exploring the role of the mind in human flourishing. At a time of profound global crises, we’ll be looking at how science and contemplative wisdom can inform efforts to build a more just, compassionate, and inclusive world.
Mind & Life Dialogues and Conversations feature leading thinkers and spiritual leaders such as the Dalai Lama, addressing critical issues of modern life at the intersection of scientific and contemplative understanding. Since 1987, these events began as intimate discussions and have grown to include large public and private events at locations around the world.
Mind & Life research conferences provide a rich forum for interdisciplinary investigation of the mind and contemplative practices in diverse contexts. Innovative thought leaders present groundbreaking research in neuroscience, psychology, clinical science, the humanities, philosophy, and education—all with the goal of advancing understanding of the mind and its role in individual and collective flourishing.
Mind & Life has a long history of hosting transformative, cross-disciplinary learning exchanges that bridge science and contemplative wisdom. Over time, our events have served a variety of audiences and needs. A consistent goal is fostering new insights that inspire action in addressing real-world challenges—from education to leadership to nurturing prosocial behaviors.
