In a 1984 interview, Francisco Varela stated that “science, in its core, its active living core, is pure contemplation. It has little or nothing to do with manipulation.” In 2018, the utility of engaging in contemplative practice is pervasively promoted as justified by scientific evidence of its benefits. Yet this evidence is often weak, taken …
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Emerging Scholars Panel: Interdisciplinary Panel
Mind & Life believes the voices of emerging scholars in the field of contemplative research are critical in helping to shape the direction of ongoing inquiry. This is an opportunity to engage with an interdisciplinary panel of New Investigators whose work stands at the unique intersection of contemplative practice, scholarship, and applications.
The Zen Roots of Contemplative Studies
Contemplative Studies is an emerging academic field that examines a distinctive subset of significant human experiences through a multi- disciplinary perspective that utilizes the sciences, humanities, and the arts. This field takes as its principal task the study of a continuum of human experiences that involve focusing the attention in a sustained fashion leading to …
The Feature and Significance of the Philosophy of Kyoto School
This lecture explores the characteristics and significance of the philosophy of Kyoto School, which came to be known widely but is still not fully clear. Kyoto school, unlike ordinary philosophical schools, did not arise from crit- icisms of preceding schools and postulating a certain thesis. Rather, it was a group naturally formed around Kitaro Nishida …
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2018 International Research Institute
As the “cultural heart of Japan,” Kyoto is home to longstanding traditions of contemplative practice, philosophy, and scientific research. Inspired by this setting, and its location at the Zen temple complex Myōshin-ji, the theme for this Mind & Life International Research Institute is Contemplative Practice in Context: Culture, History, and Science. This five-day immersive program brings together leading scholars in the sciences and humanities, contemplatives, and artists to examine contemplative epistemologies within a variety of contexts.
Evening Conversation – The Promises and Perils of Mainstreaming Mindfulness (Ticketed Event)
Mindfulness training is growing in its mainstream popularity. This keynote panel will discuss the promises of offering mindfulness training to cohorts across many major societal institutions such as healthcare, business, higher education and military/first responder communities. Paralleling its popular rise have been growing concerns regarding mainstream dissemination of contemplative training, including the ethical framework within …
Master Lectures: Embodying Change: Buddhism, Feminism, and Contemplative Education
Integrating comparative feminist philosophy, Buddhist philosophy and contemplative education fosters personal development by promoting an embodied ethics central to both Buddhist and Feminist philosophies. The aim of this lecture is to interweave these three philosophical traditions so that “the echoes of the old voices contribute to the quality of sound of the new voices,” creating …
Master Lectures: The Missing Link of Leadership Development: Cultivating Awareness in Action
We have arrived at a moment where the world’s circumstances can no longer afford the luxury of ignoring the inner life of the leader. Operating in contexts of accelerating speed and complexity, leaders are pressured to make more and faster decisions with ever-narrower margins of error and greater repercussions. With these come intellectual, emotional, perceptual …
Master Lectures: School Systems, Educational Reform and Mindfulness Training
The implementation of mindfulness-based training programs for school administrators and school leaders, classroom teachers and staff, and Pre-K to grade 12 students has grown rapidly during the past decade and a half. This lecture will present a brief history of the work in education, a summary of the state of the science, and thoughts about …
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Moving Together From Colorblindness to ColorInsight: Contemplative Inquiry, Research and Practice in the Work of Transformative Justice
Professor Magee explores intersecting issues of race, racism and U.S. law using mindfulness- and compassion-based practices. Discussing her work across inter-related sub-fields — transformative education, law practice and community-based work for justice — she highlights ways of enhancing collaborations across categories of real and perceived difference using contemplative techniques for teaching, learning and working together …
