Educators and philosophers have pointed to the importance of quality education for building a peaceful world. This requires the intentional cultivation of wholesome school environments where students feel supported and encouraged to thrive. However, increasing demands on teachers have resulted in high levels of stress and burnout, which can hinder their sustained commitment to teach …
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Master Lectures: Integrating First–person Inquiry in the Higher Education Classroom
At the heart of contemplative pedagogy is the cultivation of what psychologist DeWit (1991) and neurobiologist Varela (1996) have called “first–person inquiry,” a method that valorizes critical subjectivity in science and social science endeavors. This lecture briefly surveys diverse theoretical foundations of this method, with emphasis on application to higher education teaching and learning in …
Keynote: To Be of Benefit: The Promise of Contemplative Research and Practice
In 2002, His Holiness the Dalai Lama wrote, “The desperate state of our world calls us to action…We all are responsible for creating a better future.” Over 15 years later, those words inspire and alarm. Enormous suffering exists in our world today. Mental health problems and adversity are prevalent and impairing, including among children and …
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The Ceremony of Art: Mindfulness In Indigenous Art and Vision
This lecture follows the tracks of the visionary/artist of Indigenous America as a path of mindfulness. The first track reveals the nature of dream and vision as viewed through the eyes and words of American Indian visionaries and artists, past and present. The second track explores the central role of vision in the context of …
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Master Lectures: Contemplative Studies Panel: Contemplating the Future of “Contemplative Studies”
This master lecture roundtable panel brings together eminent scholars in the field to explore the very idea of Contemplative Studies and its future. Panelists will explore critical questions and probe the importance of collaborative research processes that involve first, second and third-person perspectives and span the disciplines. They will explore questions such as: What is …
Keynote “Toward A Transformed Vision of Contemplative Education Centering Social Justice”
Our world is currently being confronted with chilling social issues which call for a framework of contemplative education that fosters what Latina feminist theorist, Gloria Anzaldúa, called “conocimiento,” a high level of enlightenment fostered through creative contemplative practices such as art, poetry, dance and meditation. The path toward enlightenment connects inner work with public acts …
Keynote Panel “Contemplative Practice Enters the Digital Age”
Digital didactics, such as MOOCS and browser-based online programs have opened up realms of content to thousands who for reasons of geography, expense or convenience would otherwise not have had access to these materials. Allowing anyone around the world to take a course at Stanford or learn Geometry on Khan Academy has helped address educational …
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2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research
The Mind & Life International Symposium for Contemplative Research (ISCR) is the flagship conference for interdisciplinary investigations of the mind, meditation, and other contemplative practices. We are teachers, researchers, scientists and scholars. We are activists, politicians and business leaders. We are parents, students, social workers and first responders. We are instructors, writers, filmmakers and philosophers. We are all change-makers.
What is the Role of Contemplative Practice When Social-Identity-Based Suffering and Structural Violence Has Happened?
In this session, I will discuss research on ways of bringing contemplative practices to bear in a variety of contexts to support teaching, learning and engaging with others confronting social suffering at personal, interpersonal, and systemic levels. Some practical and ethical considerations related to offering particular practices in a variety of contexts will be explored, …
Part II – Transdisciplinary Research
Transdisciplinary training will continue the small group exercises from Part I on Wednesday. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss what emerged during the group activities — including successes and challenges — and receive feedback from workshop leaders.
