Since 2017, the Mind & Life Institute’s PEACE grants program has funded projects to support research on interdisciplinary approaches for investigating wholesome qualities related to Prosociality, Empathy, Altruism, Compassion and Ethics (PEACE). Mind & Life is especially interested in research proposals that relate to interconnection or societal issues of othering and disconnection with implications for mental health and well-being. We …
A new industry is emerging before our eyes, as contemplative research grows and companies, consumers, insurers, and healthcare systems are integrating mindfulness and other meditation-related products and services at an expanding rate. Hear from leaders how the industry is emerging and how to build bridges between contemplative science, entrepreneurs, large companies, investors, and healthcare systems …
Research on contemplative practices and contemplation-based interventions has grown exponentially in recent years, and many outstanding studies and publications have advanced this emerging field with their excellence. Of the various pathways to success in research, one of the most promising focuses on the notion of transdisciplinarity. Conceptualized as an approach that emerges from the interaction …
In this closing keynote, Jon will ask some hard questions about the mindfulness explosion and contemplative studies at the intersection and cutting edges of science, scholarship, society, and the larger world. As background, it might be helpful to read his paper, linked below.
What is transformative insight, what methods lead to it, and what results come from it? Beyond short term benefits, lasting transformation from contemplative practice appears to come from shifts in the way practitioners see themselves, their experiences, their world, and others. Has the time come for a broader approach to contemplative practice, one that builds …
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 …
Join Ed Sarath, University of Michigan, and Mohammed Mohammed, Program Director of Research at the Fetzer Institute, as they guide you through a provocative dinner dialogue critically exploring the significance of worldview in contemplative development. What might contemplative studies, with its emphasis on epistemology “how we know” learn from consciousness studies and its ontological quest …
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 …
During the last decade, much of social neuroscience has gone anti-solipsistic. That is, research is discovering how we, with our minds and bodies, are deeply connected to others, and that this may be seen in patterns of brain activity and other physiological signals. Be that in terms of action representations, markers of empathy, signs of …
This panel aims to foster greater interdisciplinary dialogue by highlighting the subtleties, challenges, and opportunities involved in working across disciplines. Faculty representing diverse academic perspectives will give a brief overview of their discipline, including discussion of the central questions and approaches used in each, and how these come into play in contemplative studies. There will …
