International Research Institute 2018 Japan
インターナショナル・リサーチ・インスティテュート 2018 日本

Contemplative Practice in Context: Culture, History, and Science
Myōshin-ji Temple • Kyoto, Japan
September 1-5, 2018

Program Description

As the “cultural heart of Japan,” Kyoto is home to longstanding traditions of contemplative practice, philosophy, and scientific research. Inspired by this setting, and its location at the Zen temple complex Myōshin-ji, the theme for this first Mind & Life International Research Institute is Contemplative Practice in Context: Culture, History, and Science. This five-day immersive program brings together leading scholars in the sciences and humanities, contemplatives, and artists to examine contemplative epistemologies within a variety of contexts. Plenary faculty presentations will consider how contextual forces that include culture, environment, history, and worldviews effect contemplative practices as well as research on meditation. Neuroscientists and psychologists will describe recent research on the science of meditation, and humanists and social scientists will explore secular and cultural adaptations of meditation, including the history of mindfulness, theories of Buddhist meditation, and the emergence of contemplative studies as an academic field. Presentations will give special attention to the contemplative and intellectual culture of Japan over the centuries, including presentations on the history of Zen Buddhism, the Kyoto School of philosophy, and Japanese contemplative arts. Daily guided meditation sessions and small group breakouts led by faculty will complement the interdisciplinary dialogue of the program.

Program Location

Kyoto city, and the surrounding areas, offer a remarkable combination of the beautiful natural environment and contemplative cultural heritage, being home to several important universities and research centers. With such a surround of nature, culture, and science, this is an ideal location to immerse in a residential training program in the contemplative sciences. The millennial contemplative culture of Japan, which dates to its reception of Buddhism in 538 CE, represents diverse manifestations of scholasticism in the arts and sciences, and in many ways is a privileged context to envision contemplative life within the multidimensionality of human culture.

Kyoto is also home to the philosophy of the so-called Kyoto School, an intellectual school that sought to integrate Asian wisdom contemplative traditions with insights of Western philosophy and science. Such a tradition, starting with Kitarô Nishida (1870-1945) still represent thus possible sources of inspiration to be fully re-appreciated in the transcultural and transdisciplinary process of contemplative studies, in a spirit of dialogue and mutual enrichment.

The program will be held at the Myōshin-ji temple complex in Kyoto, Japan. Established in the 14th century by the ninety-fifth emperor of Japan who dedicated himself to Zen meditation, Myōshin-ji (Temple of the Enlightened Mind) is the head temple of the associated branch of Rinzai Zen Buddhism. Myōshin-ji is located on the western outskirts of Kyoto near the mountains that encircle the ancient capital city. The temple complex is surrounded by large traditional garden landscapes, and is known by local residents as Hanazono (花園), meaning “flower garden.” Accommodation for all participants will be at Hanazono Kaikan adjacent to the temple.

Program Overview

• Located in the city of Kyoto, Japan
• 75 total participants, including international New Investigators and Senior Investigators
• International and Japanese faculty in the sciences, arts, and humanities
• 5-day program (4-nights); 3rd day is a silent retreat day
• Program is residential with accommodation on the grounds
• Program content is bilingual, Japanese and English simultaneous interpretation
• Japanese traditional contemplative arts will be integrated into the program

Who Should Attend?

The Mind & Life Institute is committed to building a rigorous community of interdisciplinary contemplatives, scholars, and scientists that integrates diverse perspectives and experiences. We welcome candidates of all races, classes, genders, ages, religions, physical abilities, and sexual orientations.

The International Research Institute in Kyoto is restricted to 75 participants who are selected through a competitive peer-review process. Applicants are encourage to apply from Japan, Asia, and internationally. With a limited number of committed participants, the gathering fosters the potential for innovative and interdisciplinary dialogue as well as potential collaborations and the emergence of new research projects. We welcome your application!

• New Investigator: Graduate and undergraduate students and postdoctoral fellows conducting research in basic and applied sciences as well as the arts and humanities. Early-career researchers and contemplative scholars who work in the interdisciplinary field of contemplative sciences and scholarship are also encouraged to apply in this category.
• Senior Investigators: Established academic researchers, contemplative scholars and educators who hold university or college faculty appointments (full-time, clinical or adjunct). Other professionals (including therapists, teachers, clinicians, thought leaders, etc.) who are independent practitioners or affiliated with non-academic institutions are also encouraged to apply in this category.

Faculty

Program faculty include scientists, clinical researchers, contemplative practitioners, scholars, and teachers from a variety of disciplines.

Masakatsu Fujita, DrPhil is Professor of Philosophy at Kyoto University. He specializes in the philosophy of Japan, especially of the Kyoto School.

Laurence J. Kirmayer, MD is James McGill Professor and Director of the Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University, as well as the Editor-in-Chief of Transcultural Psychiatry, and Director of the Culture and Mental Health Research Unit at the Institute of Community and Family Psychiatry, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal.

Fusako Koshikawa, PhD is Professor of psychology in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Waseda University, and President of the Japanese Association of Mindfulness. She specializes in Educational Psychology with focus on applications of mindfulness practices.

Masaki Matsubara, PhD is a scholar of Japanese Religions at East Asia Program at Cornell University and also serves as an Adjunct Affiliated Chaplain at Cornell United Religious Work (CURW), as well as the Abbot of Butsumoji Zen Temple in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. He specializes in the history and practice of Modern/Contemporary Japanese Rinzai Zen.

Kenryo Minowa, PhD is Professor of Buddhist studies and philosophy at Tokyo University. He specializes in Indian and Japanese theories of Buddhist meditation, and the history of Buddhism in East Asia.

Chikako Ozawa-de Silva, PhD is Associate Professor of Cultural, Medical and Psychological Anthropology at Emory University. She specializes in cross-cultural understandings of mental health and illness. She has conducted long-term ethnographic research on Buddhist-derived secular contemplative practices in Japan and the US.

Harold D. Roth, PhD is Professor of religious studies and the Director of the Contemplative Studies Initiative at Brown University. He specializes in Chinese philosophy and religion, and is a leader in establishing Contemplative Studies in higher education.

Clifford Saron, PhD is a neuroscientist at the University of California, Davis, who specializes in training of attention and emotion, as well as a leading scholar of the tangible effects of meditation.

Gaelle Desbordes, PhD is research faculty at Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Her research interest is in the investigation of different types of meditation practices (e.g. mindful attention, compassion) from a neuroscientific perspective.

Additional faculty to be announced

Program Planning Committee

How to Apply

The application period opens April 2, 2018.
Deadline for application submission: May 4, 2018
Apply online at mli.fluidreview.com

Required application materials include:

• A one-page personal statement describing your interest in the 2018 Mind & Life International Research Institute and its relevance to your career goals
• Your current CV
• New Investigators: In addition to the personal statement and CV, please acquire one letter of recommendation from a mentor or advisor

Application Criteria

Applications will be evaluated on the following criteria:

1. Relevance: Application describes the relevance of the International Research Institute and the 2018 theme to the investigator’s research, professional work, and/or broader society
2. Professional and Academic Development: Application shows how participation in the 2018 International Research Institute will foster the investigator’s research and/or career goals
3. Impact: Application demonstrates the investigator’s potential to contribute to the advancement of contemplative research and its component fields of study
4. Rigor: Application explains how participation will enhance the investigator’s level of scholarship, including ethical integrity and research quality, in their respective field

Please note:
Having an active contemplative practice is not considered a requirement for acceptance to the International Research Institute.
Participants are expected to stay the entire duration of the International Research Institute.

Application and Registration Schedule

• April 2 – Online applications opens
• May 4 – Applications closes
• June 15 – Notifications of applicants via email and registration opens
• July 13 – Registration closes
• August 15 – Cancellation deadline (for 90% refund)
• Sept 1-5 – Program event in Kyoto

Fees

The registration fee is paid by successful applicants at the time of registration. The fee covers all programs, room and board, as well as three meals per day. Each participant is expected to cover his/her own travel expenses. Partial travel scholarships will be announced at a later date.

Application fee (non-refundable):
$45 USD

Registration fee:
$495 for New Investigators
$695 for Senior Investigators

Applying for Scholarships

With the support of a generous donor, funding is available for emerging scholars who might otherwise be unable to attend IRI. International scholars and those who identify as underrepresented in the field of contemplative research are encouraged to apply. Scholarship applications are submitted as part of the FluidReview online application form. If you have any questions, please email scholarships@mindandlife.org.

For More Information

Please sign up to receive email notifications from Mind & Life, which include announcements about the International Research Institute. For specific questions about the program in Kyoto, please contact the Project Coordinator in Japan, Go Okui (gokui@mindandlife.org) or the Mind & Life Programs Team (programs@mindandlife.org).