Today, it is with great joy that we celebrate His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday. This milestone invites us to reflect on an extraordinary life of compassion, wisdom, and enduring curiosity in exploring profound questions about what it means to be human and our responsibility to the planet and all lifeforms that share this home with us.
As our visionary co-founder, His Holiness has guided Mind & Life’s mission from the start, creating an unprecedented bridge between Buddhist contemplative wisdom and scientific inquiry, with the aim of inspiring mind-based approaches that alleviate suffering and promote greater mental well-being.
It was 38 years ago that the first Mind & Life Dialogue was held at His Holiness’ residence in Dharamsala, India. From the outset, it was clear that the dialogue between science and contemplative wisdom could yield insights of profound significance—not only for the advancement of knowledge but for the betterment of humanity. Ever since the first Mind & Life Dialogue in 1987, the Mind & Life Institute has had the privilege to serve as a primary platform for the Dalai Lama to engage deeply with major scientific disciplines to explore questions and concerns of shared interest.
Over time, Mind & Life’s pioneering work has advanced scientific understanding of the human mind and its potential, fostering insights that helped bring mental training, especially meditation, into the mainstream and birthed the academic field of contemplative research. Through interdisciplinary explorations and dialogues across multiple perspectives—the humanities, scientific research, and practice—our work has encouraged the development, evaluation, and refinement of mindfulness and compassion-based applications in key sectors, especially education and mental well-being,
We take to heart the Dalai Lama’s aspiration, shared with Mind & Life’s leadership on numerous occasions, that our mission continues beyond the 21st century. Inspired by His Holiness’ vision, we have now embarked on a bold, new three-year strategy. Through the strategy, we will leverage our core initiatives—the Mind & Life Dialogues, Summer Research Institute, and research grants—to drive greater impact. Looking ahead, we will be engaging new voices, extending the reach of our offerings, and collaborating with partners to influence larger systems.
As we celebrate His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday, the Mind & Life Institute and community reaffirm our commitment to his vision of bringing contemporary knowledge, especially science, and contemplative wisdom together to explore humanity’s deepest questions and how best to unlock our highest potential to create a kinder and happier world for all.
Mark your calendar for August 6 at 1:00 p.m. EDT when I’ll share key highlights from Mind & Life’s 38-year journey in a special video tribute honoring His Holiness’ 90th birthday and extraordinary legacy of engagement with science and contemporary disciplines. Register here.
Thupten Jinpa is Chair of the Mind & Life Institute and has served as the principal English translator to His Holiness the Dalai Lama since 1985.
Support the legacy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and help advance the dialogue between science and contemplative wisdom with a gift to the Mind & Life Institute.
