Mind & Life periodically invites guest contributors to the blog to deepen dialogue and understanding around themes central to our mission. In the reflection below, Buddhist scholar Paula Arai shares how her scholarship on women and Buddhism has shaped her contributions to Mind & Life’s Earth Awareness Working Group. When I joined Mind & Life’s …
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What Can Eco-Anxiety Teach Us About Finding Meaning in a Time of Crisis?
Mind & Life periodically invites guest writers to contribute to the blog. Below, climate emotions researcher Panu Pihkala reflects on eco-anxiety and the emotional and existential dimensions of the climate crisis—and how meaning, community, and contemplation can help us navigate them. Panu served as a member of Mind & Life’s earth awareness working group in …
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Reconnecting with Nature in a Time of Climate Crisis: Advancing the Science of Earth Awareness
Underlying rising temperatures and climate emergencies lies a quieter rupture: our growing disconnection from the living systems that sustain us. Earth awareness practices—contemplative practices that cultivate a lived sense of interconnection with the natural world—offer promise for rekindling the reciprocal relationship between humans and the Earth. Yet without a stronger evidence base, their potential to …
Walking in Awareness: Indigenous Wisdom and Nature Connectedness
Ask a farmer in the Ecuadorian Andes how they know if the soil is healthy, and they might tell you they can feel it. Press further, and you may not get a rational explanation. You’ll likely hear about the humidity visible in the earth, the number of worms beneath the surface, and the smell of …
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Faith and Ecology: Connecting Islamic Spiritual Practices and Nature Awareness
Mind & Life periodically invites guest writers to contribute to the blog. Below, Sevim Kalyoncu, Executive Director of Green Muslims, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit, shares work her organization is doing to connect Islamic spiritual practices to the environment with the support of a Mind & Life Contemplative Changemaking grant. Growing up Muslim in Alabama, surrounded …
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Connecting with Nature’s Healing: Forest Therapy for Cancer Patients in Chile
Mind & Life periodically invites guest writers to contribute to the blog. In this post, a Mind & Life Contemplative Changemaking grantee shares her experiences and insights gleaned through the grant. In 2018, I was diagnosed with cancer. From then on, I chose to complement my medical treatments with a deep connection to nature and …
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A Bold New Chapter for the Mind & Life Institute
For nearly four decades, the Mind & Life Institute has illuminated the dazzling potential of the human mind to foster inner transformation and catalyze lasting, positive change in the world. Inspired by the vision of our co-founders—His Holiness the Dalai Lama, neuroscientist Francisco Varela, and social entrepreneur Adam Engle—we forged the now-thriving field of contemplative …
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In Chile, What One Contemplative Researcher Hopes to Learn about Strengthening our Connection to Nature
In the face of mounting climate crises, a growing number of contemplative researchers are exploring the connection between mindfulness practices and our relationship with the natural world. While writers, mystics, and sages have long described moments of profound connection with nature, less is known about how to cultivate such experiences and their impact, not only …
4 Ways Mindfulness in Nature Can Help Us Heal Ourselves and the Earth
Increasingly, Mind & Life presenters, grantees, and partners are exploring the healing benefits of mindfulness in nature. Below are highlights from this growing area of inquiry. Practicing mindfulness in nature isn’t just about getting outside and experiencing the natural world; it’s about cultivating awareness of our interconnection by immersing ourselves and being fully present to …
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