In the northwestern United States, two interconnected upland wet meadows are surrounded by densely packed Douglas Firs, Western Red Cedars, Western Hemlocks, and other common evergreen flora of the southern Cascade mountain range. A group of youth take off from a nearby parking lot and are led through a restored grassland, the surrounding woods, and …
Perspective Type Archives:
The Global Refugee Crisis: How Can Mindfulness & Compassion Training Help?
According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 108 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide, the highest level on record. By 2050, this figure is expected to rise to 200 million—and potentially to over a billion—due to climate change and natural disasters. Such statistics belie the reality that each and every one …
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Can Loving Kindness Meditation Strengthen Social Connectedness? One Researcher Seeks to Find Out.
As a teenager in the 1990s, Abby Marsh experienced an accident that shaped the trajectory of her career. Traveling home late one night during a college break, Dr. Marsh swerved abruptly to avoid a dog that had run onto the freeway. Her car spun out of control—fishtailing and then skidding to a stop in the …
The Coming of a New Season at Mind & Life
Departing Reflections from Mind & Life President Susan Bauer-Wu It has truly been a privilege to lead Mind & Life during one of the most consequential—and disruptive—periods in modern history, a time when we are called to reimagine how we live and interact with each other and our earthly home. With so much at stake, …
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Inaugural Cohort of Contemplative Changemakers Pursues Diverse Approaches to Support Healing and Transformation
In Uvalde, Texas, healthcare workers, teachers, counselors, and community leaders are benefiting from contemplative wisdom practices to deal with extreme stress, loss, and trauma in the wake of the tragic mass shooting that took place there in May 2022. In rural Colombia, women who have a history of being psychologically or physically mistreated are engaging …
Toward an Ethics of Love at Mind & Life’s 2023 Summer Research Institute: A Reflection on How Science and Spirituality Can Contribute to Collective Liberation
The following reflection by no means captures the totality of knowledge, wisdom, and relational experiences shared during Mind & Life’s 2023 Summer Research Institute (SRI) held from June 4-10. Rather, it is a reflection of what precipitated through the associative web of my thoughts and emotions during SRI this year. Precipitation in Chinese, my mother …
Bridging Contemplative Practice and Climate Action: One Community’s Experience
If climate change, as many now assert, is a crisis of epic disconnection, then how do we go about rekindling our relationship with one another and the natural world? And what role can contemplative practice play in relieving climate grief, inspiring climate action, and reminding us of the interdependence of all life? A group of …
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Mind & Life’s New Digital Library and the Lost Art of Dialogue
The Dalai Lama has long implored humans to move beyond conflict and wars, calling for the 21st century to be one of dialogue. Twenty-three years into the century, it’s clear we have a long way to go. Violent conflict continues to be a defining characteristic of our age. What’s more, the digital media landscape has …
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An Unwavering Commitment to Compassion
At the Mind & Life Institute, we are saddened and dismayed by the allegations of impropriety that emerged from a viral video of our co-founder, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. As many of you have seen, the issue concerns an exchange between the Dalai Lama and a young boy at an event honoring students at …
Combining Mindfulness Training with Climate Education: One Researcher’s Journey
In recent years, California has become ground zero for climate-related natural disasters in the U.S. from out-of-control wildfires and violent flooding to devastating drought. To equip students with the knowledge to better understand—and take action—in the face of climate change, the University of California (UC) launched a multidisciplinary curriculum, Bending the Curve, in 2017. The …
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