The latest statistics about America’s opioid epidemic are staggering. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimate an average of 125 deaths from opioid overdoses per day in the United States—that means each month, we’re seeing a tragedy more deadly than September 11th. Between July 2016 and September 2017, hospitalizations from opioid overdoses jumped 30 percent …
Topic Archives:
Meditation and Science: Ten Essays Worth Reading
Meditation, Buddhism, and ScienceEdited by David L. McMahan and Erik BraunOxford University Press, 2017272 pages; $24.95 Scientific research on meditation, and as a consequence the popular discourse on contemplative research, has to-date largely focused on the individual. As a consequence, we find few studies that seriously consider the contexts of environments, social relations, and cultures …
Continue reading “Meditation and Science: Ten Essays Worth Reading”
Tania Singer’s Exploration into How Meditation Training Transforms the Brain, the Individual, and Society at Large
During her recent visit to the Mind & Life offices in Charlottesville, social neuroscientist Dr. Tania Singer spoke as much about the heart as the brain. Singer is the director of the Department of Social Neuroscience at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany. She is on the board …
A Conversation with Jim Austin and Susan Bauer-Wu
Mind & Life was pleased to welcome Dr. James Austin to Charlottesville, Virginia during his visit to the area. Jim is a long-time Mind & Life Fellow and a true pioneer of contemplative science. In conversation with Mind & Life president Susan Bauer-Wu, Jim shared his wisdom and knowledge on meditation, the brain, and secrets …
Continue reading “A Conversation with Jim Austin and Susan Bauer-Wu”
A Conversation with Jim Austin and Susan Bauer-Wu
It was accident and curiosity that led Dr. James H. Austin to a moment of awakening one day in 1974, in the form of a red Japanese maple leaf. He was in Japan, meditating in a centuries-old Zen temple, when he entered into a not-quite-sleeping, not-quite-waking state. Jim was relatively new to meditation, having begun …
Continue reading “A Conversation with Jim Austin and Susan Bauer-Wu”
The ever-evolving connection between culture and human biology
An Interview with Carol Worthman, Ph.D. Can you please give us a brief description of what you study? What I study with my lab is the interaction of culture and biology as they shape differential mental and physical health. Currently, we have a few studies around the world examining these interactions. For instance, we have …
Continue reading “The ever-evolving connection between culture and human biology”
Promoting Openness and Transparency in the Contemplative Sciences
For the past two decades, a small but growing number of scientists, philosophers, and scholars of religion have been building a unique community at the crossroads of their disciplines — a place where they can push the boundaries of traditional research to shine new light on fundamental questions about the human experience. What is this …
Continue reading “Promoting Openness and Transparency in the Contemplative Sciences”
MLI XXXII Session 4
Session #4 of The Mind and Life XXXII Dialogue at Botho University in Gaborone, Botswana held on August 17-19, 2017. Presentation by Carsten de Dreu: 3:06 First panel discussion: 42:14 Presentation by Theo Sowa: 1:14:41 Second panel discussion: 1:35:58 Audience Q&A: 1:59:25 Program Description: The Botswana Dialogue brings African humanitarian and spiritual leaders, scholars and …
MLI XXXII Session 3
Session #3 of The Mind and Life XXXII Dialogue at Botho University in Gaborone, Botswana held on August 17-19, 2017. Clap exercise by Sechaba Maape: 0:54 Presentation by Rebecca Shansky: 6:11 First panel discussion: 29:52 Presentation by Uri Hasson: 1:03:11 Second panel discussion: 1:36:11 Audience Q&A: 2:10:45 Program Description: The Botswana Dialogue brings African humanitarian …
Interconnection, Inclusivity and Transdisciplinary Collaboration in Contemplative Research
Each year, the Mind & Life Institute hosts the Summer Research Institute to bring together scholars, researchers, professionals and practitioners from a variety of fields who share an interest in contemplative research. The purpose of this program is to bring students, recent graduates, junior faculty and postdocs into conversation with established investigators in order to …
