Against a backdrop of daunting polarization, violent conflicts, rising authoritarianism, and mounting climate chaos, Mind & Life’s 2022 Summer Research Institute (SRI) engaged participants in an audacious inquiry: What is the role of the human mind in creating today’s divisions, and how can our minds transform to create a more connected world? From June 6-10, …
Continue reading “On the Path to Belonging at the 2022 Summer Research Institute”
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.
“As we face continued polarization and tribalism in the world today, I think no topic could be more important than understanding how othering happens, and how we can move toward belonging.” – Wendy Hasenkamp, 2022 SRI Program Planning Committee member During heightened divisions on a global scale, we simultaneously sense our shared humanity and the …
Continue reading “The Central Question of Our 2022 Summer Research Institute: What Can We Become?”
Our hearts go out to the people of Ukraine during this time of immense suffering, needless destruction, and crushing loss of life. The tragedy unfolding in the country is haunting. In response, we see boundless courage, generosity, and kindness as people open their homes, protest in the streets, and offer their support and prayers from …
Continue reading “The War in Ukraine: Tending to Our Collective Heartbreak”
Mind & Life periodically invites guest writers to contribute their perspectives and experiences on the blog as a way of deepening dialogue and understanding around key themes related to our mission. This post is adapted from a longer piece Megan published reflecting on her experience at our 2021 Summer Research Institute. “Storytellers have only three …
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.
Psychologist and certified yoga therapist Gail Parker leads a meditation on attuned relationship, inviting us to reflect on the Joshua tree, from our November 2020 Inspiring Minds episode. We shared this video in 2022 as part of our 35th anniversary celebration.
Mindfulness and loving kindness meditations (LKMs) have been linked to greater individual wellbeing, compassion, and lower stress and physiological stress reactions, even demonstrating abilities to buffer the impact of stress. However, the mechanisms underlying those benefits and the critical components of meditation interventions are not well understood. This study examines a brief, online program designed …
Emotional well-being (EWB) is an important component of mental and physical health that includes both positive emotions and an absence of emotional symptoms (e.g., depressive- and anxiety-related). EWB has declined dramatically among college students, a trend only exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. We need to develop solutions that can improve college students’ EWB and can …
In her book “Mindful of Race,” author, educator, and meditation teacher Ruth King writes, “When we begin to notice the constellations instead of just the stars, we can see the patterns of harm toward aboriginal and native people, dark bodies, and immigrants.” “These struggles interconnect,” she adds. To create more compassionate communities, ”we all must …
Continue reading “Stepping Back to Reflect: Mind & Life Leadership Explores Racial Histories”
