This presentation will describe Project Prakash as a prototype of what such initiatives might look like in the confluence of a crucial humanitarian mission and a fundamental scientific quest.
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Does our Perception Mirror Reality? Theories of Perception in Buddhist Epistemology
This presentation will situate Buddhist epistemology in its historical context, and focus on two points: 1) how perception is defined, and 2) how the insistence on perception being free of conceptuality raises important tensions within Buddhist epistemology, especially for the key question of how our perception and thought interact in creating an integrated cognitive experience of the world.
Introduction
We will introduce the central themes of this meeting, discussing from scientific and philosophical perspectives the key questions in the study of perception, concepts and the self that will be considered this week.
Mind & Life Connect – Session 8
Session 8 transcript now available In this session, Gail Parker, PhD, a clinical psychotherapist and certified yoga therapist, shares her expertise in integrating psychology and yoga therapy, particularly within diverse communities. Neuroscientist Gabriela Torres-Platas, PhD, contributes her groundbreaking research on Tibetan Dream Yoga. Both practices of restorative yoga and Tibetan Dream Yoga may seem divergent …
Celebrating 20 Years of Francisco J. Varela Research Grants!
‘Pioneering.’ ‘A catalyst.’ ‘An incredible launch pad for impactful research.’ ‘A platform to better understand consciousness and our shared humanity.’ These are just some of the words people have used to describe Mind & Life’s Francisco J. Varela Research Grants. The program is named after our co-founder, neuroscientist and philosopher Francisco J. Varela, who believed …
Continue reading “Celebrating 20 Years of Francisco J. Varela Research Grants!”
Mind & Life Connect – Session 7
Session 7 transcript now available The two will discuss how developmental research and application go together and the need for greater scientific attention to flourishing in diverse cultural groups. They’ll also share the emerging vision of the PEACE Network (Promoting Empathy Awareness and Compassion through Education Network) and its goal to foster dialogue across disciplines …
Science and Compassion – Conceiving the Relationship (Part I)
Anne Harrington discusses a potential dialogue between Tibetan Buddhism and Western science, exploring the historical imbalance in Western sciences’ attention to violent behavior versus loving emotions, examining the practices of Buddhism and science in cultivating compassion, questioning the presumed moral elevation of scientific rationality, and investigating the connection between scientific theories of human nature and the practical role of science in society.
Neuroplasticity and Neurophenomenology
For many years, Western mind science investigated cognitive processes, such as reasoning, perception, imagery, and attention, with little or no concern for subjective experience. In recent years, however, this attitude has begun to change, so that today there is increasing scientific interest, especially in affective-cognitive neuroscience, in understanding the experiential aspects of mental processes. For real progress to be made in this area, however, scientists must rely on detailed first-person reports about subjective experience. Yet exactly how such reports should be integrated into the conceptual framework and experimental procedures of mind science is still not clear.
Contemplative Dyads
In 2011, I traveled to Australia over Christmas to visit my dear friend Kira Kay, who was leading an intense Satori retreat. I had heard many positive things about this intersubjective form of deep meditation, referred to in the 70s as “Enlightenment Intensives.” So, I took a chance and enrolled in a six-day retreat with …
Jonas Mago
Jonas Mago is a cognitive neuroscientist and wellbeing aficionado, interested in the cognitive mechanisms underlying human flourishing. His research investigates contemplative practices that aim to bring about wholesome states of mind – from meditation and prayer to collective cultural rituals and psychedelic therapies. Jonas works from an interdisciplinary perspective, combining cognitive, neurobiological, computational, and phenomenological …
