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.
Recent Events
2021 Summer Research Institute
The Mind, the Human-Earth Connection, and the Climate Crisis
The SRI 2021 will explore how the union of contemplative wisdom and science can lead to greater awareness of the interconnectedness of all life, and the relationship between earth care and human health and cooperation.
Topics: Contemplative Wisdom | Environment | Interconnection
2021 Online Speaker Series
The Mind, the Human-Earth Connection, and the Climate Crisis
This six-day speaker series explores how the union of contemplative traditions, indigenous wisdom, and science can lead to greater awareness of the interconnectedness of all life, and reignite our collective responsibility as stewards of our planetary future.
Topics: Environment | Interconnection | Social Change
Inspiring Minds – April 2021
The Role of Attention and Awareness in an Era of Misinformation and Digital Seduction
Our April conversation features Amishi Jha and Jon Kabat-Zinn, and cellist Barbara Bogatin. Learn more about the inner workings of the mind, and how to cultivate greater attention and wise action in how we conduct ourselves individually and collectively.
Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Compassion & Empathy | Mindfulness
The Dalai Lama with Greta Thunberg and Leading Scientists
The Dalai Lama with Greta Thunberg and Leading Scientists: A Conversation on the Crisis of Climate Feedback Loops
We’re honored to host a special free livestream event on January 9, 2021 at 10:30 p.m. EST with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, climate activist Greta Thunberg, and leading scientists to explore steps for addressing the urgent challenges presented by this threat.
Topics: Environment | Interconnection | Social Change
2020 Contemplative Research Conference
State of the Field—Discoveries, Opportunities, and Challenges
The Mind & Life 2020 Contemplative Research Conference is online November 5-8, 2020. The virtual conference is an international convening for rigorous interdisciplinary investigation of contemplative practices and programs in diverse contexts. The conference will feature plenary sessions and concurrent symposia on a diverse range of topics and best practices within contemplative research, including basic research, clinical studies, cultural and philosophical analyses, and education.
Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Mental Health | Mindfulness | 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 are conversations between leading thinkers and spiritual leaders such as the Dalai Lama, addressing critical issues of modern life at the intersection of scientific and contemplative understanding. The Dialogues began in 1987 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 Conversations convene key thought leaders—prominent scholars, contemplatives, and changemakers—to engage in intimate, one- to two-hour discussions designed to bridge contemplation, research, and action. A key theme is addressing contemporary issues related to disconnection.
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.