There are those who draw a line between the faith-based world of spirituality and the empirical nature of science. Not so for Arthur Zajonc. The former Mind & Life President (2012-2015) has spent a lifetime nurturing dialogue and understanding between the two. “It’s important to me that science and spirituality meet each other, that they …
Continue reading “Arthur Zajonc: On Bridging Science and Spirituality and Why That Matters”
It’s clear that Jessie and Richard Benjamin like doing their research. When looking for ways to philanthropically support the causes they care about, the couple makes sure an organization’s mission and vision for the future align with their own. It makes sense, then, that Richard and Jessie were drawn to Mind & Life. It started …
Photo credit Adam Engle “Francisco Varela saw Mind & Life as a dream-board, a place where radical ideas about the nature of mind and reality could be not only unfolded, but also challenged,” recalls Mind & Life Founding Steward Roshi Joan Halifax, reflecting on the origins of the Mind & Life Institute. A philosopher and …
Continue reading “Celebrating 35 Years: Weaving Origin Stories”
The existential threat of climate change can be challenging to grasp and confront. To stay motivated and energized to face this threat, we must develop skills and take time for our own well-being. “We have to acknowledge that what happens to us internally affects what happens to our communities,” says climate activist Dekila Chungyalpa, “and …
Continue reading “Facing the Climate Crisis through Connection, Community, and Compassion”
In honor of Earth Day 2022, Tricycle hosted the Buddhism and Ecology Summit, including a panel in partnership with the Mind & Life Institute. This hour-long conversation on “Connection, Community, and Compassion: Resources for our Emotional Well-being” features climate activist Dekila Chungyalpa, stress scientist Elissa Epel, Buddhist teacher Brother Chân Pháp Dung, and moderator Mind …
Continue reading “Connection, Community, and Compassion: Resources for our Emotional Well-being”
In an online conversation held in 2022, Mind & Life Co-founder Adam Engle reflects on the origins of the Mind & Life Institute with Science Director Wendy Hasenkamp. We shared this video as part of our 35th anniversary celebration. View the transcript here.
In a video clip from 2011, the Dalai Lama responds to Mind & Life Fellow Dekila Chungyalpa about ecosystem conservation at the Mind & Life Dialogue on Ecology, Ethics, and Interdependence. We shared this video in 2022 as part of our 35th anniversary celebration.
In a video clip from 2022, Mind & Life Founding Steward Jon Kabat-Zinn remembers sharing the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program with the Dalai Lama at the Mind & Life Dialogue in Dharamsala, India in 1990. We shared this video in 2022 as part of our 35th anniversary celebration.
Mind & Life Founding Steward and Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard leads a meditation on courageous compassion, from our 2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research. We shared this video in 2022 as part of our 35th anniversary celebration.
The first Mind & Life Dialogue with the Dalai Lama took place in Dharamsala, India in October 1987 on the theme of Buddhism and the cognitive sciences. Five scientists gathered with His Holiness in what was described as a ‘living room conversation.’ For seven days, they explored topics ranging from cognitive psychology, perception, memory, and …
