Mind & Life periodically invites guest contributors to the blog to deepen dialogue and understanding around themes central to our mission. The following post is adapted from Mara Lisa Arizaga’s presentation at Mind & Life’s 2026 Summer Research Institute. We live in a time of profound polarization. Across societies, communities, and institutions, disagreements can quickly …
Continue reading “United & Present: Inner Capacities for Cooperation in a Polarized World”
The Mind & Life Summer Research Institute is a collective experience shaped by many voices and perspectives. This personal reflection by participant Solei Sarmiento is but one of them. “Padre, no te espantes, pues todavía estamos nepantla.” (Durán 1967: 237) “Father, don’t be alarmed, for we are still nepantla.” This was the bold response of …
Continue reading “Summer Research Institute 2026: Cultivating Connection in a Fractured World”
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 …
Continue reading “What Can Eco-Anxiety Teach Us About Finding Meaning in a Time of Crisis?”
In 2024, booksellers in the United States saw the first annual increase of print book sales in three years. It was a reminder that even in our increasingly digital age, books remain a powerful, and popular, force—not just for entertainment, but for personal growth. Social psychologist Rémi Thériault of New York University isn’t surprised by …
Continue reading “Reading and Repair: Tackling Social Division Through Contemplative Research”
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 …
Continue reading “A Bold New Chapter for the Mind & Life Institute”
Upon arrival at Mind & Life’s “Envisioning the Future of Contemplative Research” conference on October 28-31, I was filled with a sense of not knowing, part nervous anticipation and part excitement. Not knowing the contour of the phenomenological experiences due to the boundless and ephemeral nature of our encounter. Not knowing the climate of the …
Political polarization is on the rise. In one 2022 study, more than half of respondents in 15 nations felt their countries were more divided than in the past. The feeling was strongest in the Netherlands, where 4 out of 5 people shared this opinion. Theories abound about the roots of escalating polarization, ranging from divisive …
