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CONFERENCE BROCHURE - Mind & Life Institute

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2012 <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong>Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong>The Situated and Embodied <strong>Mind</strong>June 16 – June 22, 2012


<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong>June 16 – June 22, 2012Welcome LetterDear Faculty, Senior Investigators, Research Fellows, <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Board Members, Sponsors,and Guests:On behalf of the <strong>Mind</strong> & <strong>Life</strong> <strong>Institute</strong>, we are very pleased to welcome you to the 2012<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong> (MLSRI). In this, our 9th annual MLSRI, we arebringing together a diverse and international group of scientists, clinicians, scholars, contemplativepractitioners and teachers from almost every continent. We look forward to anenriching learning and contemplative week together.For several years we have been working to catalyze new fields of science called ContemplativeScience and Contemplative Studies, which reflect the scientific roots established byFrancisco Varela and the clinical applications initiated by Jon Kabat-Zinn. We now havemany collaborating research centers and laboratories engaged in the scientific study of contemplativepractices with the goal of understanding the processes and potential benefits ofpractice in the domains of attention, emotion, and action reflecting kindness, compassion andconfidence. Additionally, publications and presentations by Varela Awardees, as well as follow-onfunding for research, are increasing every year. In short, since the first MLSRI in2004, the field of Contemplative Science and the broader interdisciplinary field of ContemplativeStudies have grown exponentially. Following the vision of Francisco Varela, researchand scholarship in these fields have been characterized by an integrative mode of knowingand investigation, combining first-, second-, and third-person perspectives. This integrativeand interdisciplinary approach is reflected in this year’s MLSRI.MLSRI has encouraged young neuroscientists, psychologists, clinicians, scholars, and practitionersinterested in the scientific investigation of contemplative practice. We will continueto support MLSRI and to promote the creation of a contemplative, compassionate, and rigorousexperimental and experiential science of the mind that informs medicine, neuroscience,psychology, education, social sciences, and the humanities.We especially want to thank the members of this year's MLSRI Planning Committee: Chair,Evan Thompson, and members Lawrence Barsalou, Sona Dimidjian, Roshi Joan Halifax,and Al Kaszniak. Without their selfless contributions of time and expertise in planning thisyear's MLSRI, we would not be able to offer such an exciting and abundant schedule for theweek. We sincerely hope you benefit from their generosity.We also extend our gratitude to the John Templeton Foundation, Hershey Family Foundation,Lostand Foundation, George Family Foundation, the Bradford Family Gift Fund, and severalanonymous donors whose generosity has made this year's MLSRI a reality. We offer a deepbow of gratitude to Diana and Jonathan Rose, and all our friends and colleagues of the Garrison<strong>Institute</strong>. Garrison is the perfect home for the MLSRI. We are truly indebted to our faculty,some of whom have traveled great distances to share their experience and wisdom withyou. Without such an enthusiastic and stellar faculty, MLSRI would not be possible.Mostly, we want to thank all of our Research Fellows and Senior Investigators. It is for youthat the MLSRI exists and we strive to make this a rewarding and memorable learning experiencefor each and every one of you. We are honored by your willingness to devote a weekof your summer to this exploration. We sincerely hope that you will leave here not only withincreased knowledge, but also with deeper insights and new relationships to assist you inyour research efforts in these new and exciting fields.Warmest regards,Arthur Zajonc, Ph.D.President of <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong>2


<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong>June 16 – June 22, 2012PurposeThe 2012 MLSRI will be devoted to the theme, “The Situatedand Embodied <strong>Mind</strong>.” Drawing on research in neuroscience,basic psychological science, clinical psychology,and philosophy and contemplative studies, this year’sMLSRI will focus on ways to integrate the study of embodiedand situated cognition and emotion into ContemplativeScience. Special attention will be given to the roleof the body in contemplative practices and to biobehavioralinvestigations of these practices that go beyond exclusivefocus on the brain.The purpose of the MLSRI is to advance collaborative researchamong scientists, contemplative scholars, other humanitiesscholars, and contemplative practitioners, basedon a process of inquiry and dialogue. With this unique program,we are not only nurturing a new generation of scientistsinterested in exploring the influence of contemplativepractice and meditation on mind, behavior, brainfunction and health, but are also fostering the developmentof new fields of research collectively referred to as “ContemplativeScience” (including contemplative neuroscience,contemplative clinical science, contemplativeeducation, and contemplative scholarship). The aim ofContemplative Science is to advance our understanding ofthe human mind and how training the mind through the useof particular contemplative practices can lead to a reductionin suffering, enhanced health and cognitive/emotionalfunctioning, greater happiness, and increased social harmony.Work within Contemplative Science, deriving fromdialogues with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, other distinguishedcontemplative teachers and practitioners, scientists,philosophers, and contemplative scholars, has integratedthe methodologies of modern science with the rigorousphilosophical and experiential insights into the mindand mental training offered by the world’s contemplativetraditions.Within the umbrella of Contemplative Science is contemplativeneuroscience, a subfield of inquiry concerned inparticular with understanding changes in brain function andstructure that come about as a function of contemplativepractice. Contemplative neuroscience is grounded scientificallyon the body of research related to neuroplasticity,which holds that the brain flexibly changes in response toexperience and training of various kinds, including contemplativemethods that have developed over many centuries.Such practices can be conceptualized as forms ofphysical and mental training that lead to the developmentof specific kinds of complex self-regulatory skills and dispositionsincluding, but not limited to, the skills of mindfulness,compassion, and happiness itself. This field ofresearch has been enormously productive throughout thelast decade.Contemplative clinical science is a field concerned withsystematically and rigorously evaluating the physical andmental health effects of clinical interventions derived fromcontemplative traditions. The rate of publication of randomized,controlled clinical trials of contemplative-basedinterventions has particularly accelerated in the pastdecade, with this research focusing on a wide range ofphysical and mental health conditions.Contemplative scholarship, although long-establishedwithin humanities disciplines such as history, philosophy,and religious studies, has only more recently begun to interactcollaboratively with contemplative scientists andpractitioners. The early results of these collaborations indicategreat promise for our understanding of the importanceof culture, historical context, and conceptualframeworks in the relationships between contemplativepractice, experience, biology, and behavior.The specific objectives of MLSRI are:1.To cultivate strategic dialogue between neuroscientists,clinical scientists, other scientists of mind and behavior,humanities scholars, and contemplative scholars/practitionersto discuss and develop new research collaborationsand protocols to explore the mind from an integrative perspective,including both first- and third-person approaches,and the effect of contemplative practices on mind, behavior,brain, and health.2.To create a container for this dialogue that embodies acontemplative orientation through meditation and yoga instruction,daily contemplative practice periods, a full day ofsilent contemplative retreat, and a closing contemplativemusical performance.3.To foster a new generation of scientists (graduate studentsand post-docs) and contemplative scholars and practitionersinterested in innovation and collaboration in researchinto contemplative practices.continued on page 43


<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong>June 16 – June 22, 20124.To catalyze the field of Contemplative Science, focusingon the study of how contemplative practices engender effectson brain, mind and behavior, and how these effectsare conditioned by culture, history, and other contextualvariables.5.To examine the emerging best practices, future opportunities,and challenges within the contemplative sciences.By bringing together the converging disciplines of neuroscience,clinical science, cognitive science, affective science,the humanities, and contemplative traditions, our goalis to create a synergy that will inspire and encourage rigorousresearch and application. The progress within thecontemplative sciences over the past decade has been extraordinary,both in opening new opportunities for expandingthe scope and enhancing the rigor of relevantresearch, and in clarifying the many future challenges thatwill be faced by this emerging field of interdisciplinary andintegrative study.Kalina Christoff presenting at the 2011 MLSRI.4


<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong>June 16 – June 22, 2012ScheduleSaturday, June 16Arrival and Orientation2:00 PM–6:00 PM Registration and Check-In6:00 PM–7:00 PM DINNER7:00 PM–7:15 PM Break7:15 PM–7:45 PM Opening Session and Orientation• Welcome Remarks from Arthur Zajonc, Ph.D., President of <strong>Mind</strong> & <strong>Life</strong> <strong>Institute</strong>• Garrison <strong>Institute</strong> Welcome and Orientation from Linda Downey, Garrison <strong>Institute</strong>7:45 PM–8:30 PM “Cisco Pancho”This 40-minute moving film is an autobiographical statement by Francisco Varela in an interviewwith filmmaker Franz Reichle. Varela talks about his life in science and his experience ofcontemplative practice.8:30 PM–9:00 PM Introductory MeditationAl Kaszniak, Ph.D.9:00 PM–10:00 PM Free Time10:00 PM–8:00 AM Silence through Morning MeditationMatthieu Ricard presenting at the 2011 MSRI.5


<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong>June 16 – June 22, 2012Sunday, June 17Investigating Situated, Embodied, Contemplative <strong>Mind</strong>sContemplative Perspectives on Embodiment Part IData Blitz and Poster Session6:00 AM–7:00 AM Yoga, Lower Auditorium – Basement LevelRichard Freeman and Mary Taylor7:00 AM–8:00 AM MeditationMatthieu Ricard, Ph.D.8:00 AM–9:00 AM BREAKFASTSilence maintained for the first 15 mins. until the bell tone.9:00 AM–9:30 AM BreakMorning Sessions9:30 AM–10:00 AM From the Embodied <strong>Mind</strong> to Neurophenomenology and Back AgainEvan Thompson, Ph.D.This lecture will review work on embodied and situated cognition as seen from the perspectiveof the “enactive approach,” which views cognition as grounded in the sensorimotor dynamicsof the interactions between living organisms and their environments. The relationship betweenthe enactive approach and “neurophenomenology” as a research program for investigating consciousnesswill be explained. Parallels between enactive concepts and concepts from Buddhistphilosophy will also be covered, along with the importance of neurophenomenology for contemplativeneuroscience.10:05 AM–10:35 AM The Twelve Links of Interdependent Emergence: A Buddhist Approach to Situated andEmbodied <strong>Mind</strong>Sara McClintock, Ph.D.In addition to famously declaring what there is not (i.e., there is no independent, fixed, coreidentity or Self underlying momentary subjective experience), the Buddha is also said to havepromulgated various schemes for understanding what there is (e.g., there are five aggregatesthat collectively account for subjective experience). One particularly fecund scheme is that ofthe twelve links of interdependent emergence, or pratītyasamutpāda, a model of “becoming”(bhava): the mutual coemergence of body-mind-world. In this talk, Buddhism scholar SaraMcClintock will zero in on a particular sequence of links—consciousness, name-and-form, thesix senses, contact, and feeling—to begin to envision an approach to situated and embodiedmind in terms of this Buddhist theory of the biodynamics of sentience.10:35 AM–10:50 AM Break10:50 AM–11:20 AM Questions from AudienceModerator: Lawrence Barsalou, Ph.D.11:20 AM–11:35 AM MeditationRoshi Joan Halifax, Ph.D.11:35 AM–12:00 PM Free Time12:00 PM–1:00 PM LUNCH1:00 PM–1:30 PM Breakcontinued on page 76


<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong>June 16 – June 22, 2012Afternoon Sessions1:30 PM–2:00 PM Tibetan Buddhist Practices and Consciousness – A Situated PerspectiveDiego Hangartner, Pharm.D.In this talk principal and interrelated aspects of practice in Tibetan Buddhism will be explored,and how they are related to consciousness. Tibetan Buddhist tradition has integrated and developeda wide variety of modalities for studies, practices, rituals, and meditation. These forms areunique in their expression, and are understood in a much larger context. Any theories underlyingthese activities need to be looked at within their situated environment, and how they originatefrom concepts central to Buddhism, such as the skandhas, action (karma), andconsciousness. Instead of primarily discussing and explaining these theoretical frameworksfrom a third-person perspective only, this talk will include the first-person perspective: how aperson studying and living in the monastery experienced it, and how these aspects of studies andpractices are applied.2:05 PM–2:35 PM Perspectives on Embodiment and the Embodied <strong>Mind</strong> in Early Buddhist MeditationBhikkhu Anālayo, Ph.D.The presentation will begin by briefly explaining the nature of the early Buddhist source material,followed by employing this material to cover three main topics: a) Negative perspectiveson embodiment in early Buddhist meditation practice, exemplified in the contemplation of theanatomical parts of the body; b) Neutral perspectives on the body as evident in the developmentof mindfulness of the body in any of its postures; c) Positive perspectives on the embodied mindexperienced during progress through the meditative absorptions, where the whole body is describedas filled with intense bliss and happiness. By way of conclusion these three aspects willbe shown to stand in a meaningful relationship to each other.2:35 PM–3:05 PM Contemplative Practice ForumBhikkhu Anālayo, Ph.D., Richard Freeman, Victor Hori, Ph.D., Anne Klein, Ph.D., Mary Taylor,Peter Wayne, Ph.D., Matthieu Ricard, Ph.D. Moderator: Roshi Joan Halifax, Ph.D.This panel will reflect on the role of the body in contemplative practice and its significance forthe science-contemplative dialogue.3:05 PM–3:35 PM Questions from Audience Moderator: Roshi Joan Halifax, Ph.D.3:35 PM–3:45 PM Break3:45 PM–4:45 PM Optional Break-Out Groups / Free Time4:45 PM–5:00 PM Break5:00 PM–6:00 PM Tai Chi, Lower Auditorium – Basement Level Peter Wayne, Ph.D.6:00 PM–7:00 PM DINNER7:00 PM–7:30 PM Data Blitz• Poster presenters will each present a summary of their poster in one preview slide in a datablitzformat. This will provide audience members with an overview of the poster topics and facilitatechoosing which posters to view in more detail in the following poster session.7:30 PM–8:30 PM Poster Session, Lower Auditorium – Basement Level8:30 PM–9:00 PM Meditation Anne Klein, Ph.D.9:00 PM–10:00 PM Free Time10:00 PM–8:00 AM Silence through Morning Meditation7


<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong>June 16 – June 22, 2012Monday, June 18 Embodied Experience: Cognitive, Clinical and Biobehavioral Perspective6:00 AM–7:00 AM Yoga, Lower Auditorium – Basement Level Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor7:00 AM–8:00 AM Meditation Matthieu Ricard, Ph.D.8:00 AM–9:00 AM BREAKFAST Silence maintained for the first 15 mins. until the bell tone.9:00 AM–9:30 AM BreakMorning Sessions9:30 AM–10:00 AM Systems Biology and the Stress Response: From Pythagoras and the Epicureans toModern Medicine.George P. Chrousos, M.D.“Stress” is defined as the disturbance in the “dynamic balance” or “homeostasis” of a complexsystem, such as the human organism or society, “stressors” as the forces that produce this disturbance,and “adaptive response” as the forces from within the complex system that strive toreturn homeostasis to normal. In the case of the human organism, the adaptive response is subservedby a specialized system in our brain and body, the “Stress System”, which is activatedto help us deal with stress when a stressor of any kind exceeds a certain threshold. In itself,stress that is dealt with efficiently by the adaptive response of a system is neutral or even potentiallybeneficial to that system, be that an organism or a society. In contrast, the chronic dynamicstate in which the adaptive response fails to fully reestablish homeostasis during stress,called “cacostasis”, may have detrimental effects on the system.10:05 AM–10:35 AM The Cognition of StressLawrence W. Barsalou, Ph.D.Although the physiological properties of the stress response are well known, less is understoodabout the cognitive processing that produces it. From the perspective of grounded cognition,stress often results from mentally simulating a non-present situation in the brain’s systems forperception, action, and internal states. Typically what makes these simulations stressful is thattheir conceptual content includes an expectation violation, a threat to self, and low self-efficacy.When these simulations are experienced as subjectively real, they can produce negative emotion,stress responses, rumination, and coping behavior. Repeated simulation of the same stressfulsituation causes the associated cognitive, neural, bodily, and behavioral activity to becomeentrenched in memory as a distributed pattern. On later occasions, perceiving or imagining partof the situation activates other parts as pattern completion inferences, producing stress. Wellestablishedapproaches for reducing stress follow from this perspective, including conceptual restructuring,cognitive and bodily antidotes, and mindfulness.10:35 AM–10:50 AM Break10:50 AM–11:20 AM Questions from the AudienceModerator: Al Kaszniak, Ph.D.11:20 AM–11:35 AM MeditationRoshi Joan Halifax, Ph.D.11:35 AM–12:00 PM Free Time12:00 PM–1:00 PM LUNCH1:00 PM–1:30 PM Breakcontinued on page 98


<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong>June 16 – June 22, 2012Afternoon Sessions1:30 PM–2:00 PM Cancer as an Exemplar of Embodied Experience Susan Bauer-Wu, Ph.D., FAANThe diagnosis of cancer is often fraught with intense emotions, mental stories, and physicalsymptoms associated with the disease or treatment. This presentation will explore how cancercan be viewed as an exemplar of embodied experience and how research on contemplative practicescan illuminate this understanding. Specific examples from clinical and neuroimaging studieswill be described, including research with bone marrow/stem cell transplant patients and anexperiment comparing emotional responses in cancer survivors, experienced meditators, andhealthy, non-meditating volunteers. Insights and recommendations for further work in this areawill be discussed.2:05 PM–2:35 PM <strong>Mind</strong>ful Eating and Appetite Monitoring: How Can We Bring Lessons Learned intothe Present Moment?Linda W. Craighead, Ph.D.<strong>Mind</strong>ful eating is a well-established tradition within contemplative practice, however its clinicalapplication to normalize problematic eating behaviors is a relatively new development. <strong>Mind</strong>fuleating interventions differ substantially in their rationale and strategies from the establishedtreatments of choice for binge eating, obesity and eating disorders. Self-monitoring of food intakeis the core strategy in those treatments, which is used to increase awareness of one’s eatingpatterns. I will present a model of intervention called Appetite Awareness Training (AAT)that was developed to shift the focus from external determinants of eating to one’s inner experiencesof eating through self-monitoring of appetite responses rather than food intake. AAT incorporatesaspects of mindful eating to bring attention to present moment internal sensationsassociated with eating while bringing recall of internal sensations associated with past eatingepisodes into the present moment with the goal of promoting more conscious eating decisions.2:35 PM–3:05 PM Questions from Audience Moderator: Sona Dimidjian, Ph.D.3:05 PM–3:45 PM Free Time3:45 PM–4:45 PM Optional Break-Out Groups / Free Time4:45 PM–5:00 PM Break5:00 PM–6:00 PM Tai Chi, Lower Auditorium – Basement Level Peter Wayne, Ph.D.6:00 PM–7:00 PM DINNER7:00 PM–7:15 PM The Francisco J. Varela Research Grant ProgramAlfred W. Kaszniak, Ph.D. and Wendy Hasenkamp, Ph.D.7:15 PM–8:30 PM Presentations from Varela Awardees:Aviva Berkovich-Ohana, Ph.D. Meditation and Non-Linear Neurodynamics: From State to Trait.Judson Brewer, M.D., Ph.D. Real-Time fMRI Links First and Third Person Experience: SubjectiveCorrespondence Between Meditation and PCC Activity.Rael Cahn, M.D., Ph.D. Focused Attention vs. Open Monitoring Meditation and Self-ReferentialBrain Processing.Nicholas Van Dam, Ph.D. Exploring the Impact of Meditation on Stress and Psychopathology: AttentionalAllocation as a Potential Mechanism of Active Change Following Meditation Training.8:30 PM–9:00 PM Meditation Victor Hori, Ph.D.9:00 PM–10:00 PM Free Time10:00 PM–8:00 AM Silence through Morning Meditation9


<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong>June 16 – June 22, 2012Tuesday, June 19Silent RetreatRoshi Joan Halifax, Ph.D., Al Kaszniak, Ph.D., Sharon Salzberg, and other contemplativefaculty.This “mini-retreat” will include guided meditation appropriate for those new to meditation practiceas well as more seasoned practitioners, and will include periods of sitting and walking meditation.It will provide an opportunity to practice “phenomenology on the cushion” and toobserve and learn from first-person experience of the fine-grained texture and moment-tomomentcharacter of emotion-attention dynamics.Silence will be observed from 7:00 AM – 10:00 PM.6:00 AM–7:00 AM Yoga, Lower Auditorium – Basement Level Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor7:00 AM–8:00 AM Meditation8:00 AM–9:00 AM BREAKFAST9:00 AM–9:30 AM Break9:30 AM–12:00 PM Meditation/Contemplative Practices12:00 PM–1:00 PM LUNCH1:00 PM–1:30 PM Break1:30 PM–6:00 PM Meditation/Contemplative Practices6:00 PM–7:00 PM DINNER7:00 PM–9:00 PM Meditation/Contemplative Practices9:00 PM–10:00 PM Free Time10:00 PM–8:00 AM Silence through Morning MeditationYoga session at the 2011 MLSRI.10


<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong>June 16 – June 22, 2012Wednesday, June 20 Contemplative Perspectives on Embodiment - Part 2Embodied CognitionData Blitz and Poster Session6:00 AM–7:00 AM Yoga, Lower Auditorium – Basement Level Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor7:00 AM–8:00 AM Meditation Bhikkhu Anālayo, Ph.D.8:00 AM–9:00AM BREAKFAST Silence maintained for the first 15 mins. until the bell tone.9:00 AM–9:30AM BreakMorning Sessions9:30 AM–10:00 AM <strong>Mind</strong>, Body and the Matrix of PranaAnne Klein, Ph.D.To understand the integration of mind and body in Tibetan Buddhism, we must acknowledge thecategory of prana, currents of energy that pervade the body and support the mind. In these systems,the body is itself an instrument of knowing, while at the same time mind cannot be assignedany actual location. Some rarified forms of knowing are even said not to depend on thephysical body. Although such paradigms often lie beyond our ability to prove or disprove, familiarizingourselves with them can further our imaginative understanding of the organic processof human knowing, the brain’s integration into that process, and the foundational status of directexperience.10:05 AM–10:35 AM Zen Without a Cartesian LensG. Victor Sōgen Hori, Ph.D.Rinzai Zen meditation practice uses the kōan, a paradoxical question such as “What is youroriginal face before your father and mother were born?” The Western image of Rinzai Zen traininggives the impression that attaining Zen insight is some sort of awareness, an unusual stateof consciousness. But in Japanese Rinzai Zen monastic practice, much more emphasis is placedon the fact that every instance of Zen insight is embodied. The Zen teacher typically instructs“Do not think about the kōan. Be the kōan.” Zen insight is as much performed as it is cognized.The vocabulary of monastic practice includes interesting terms difficult to translate precisely becausethey span the Cartesian distinction between mind and body. Kyōgai can be translated“consciousness” (mind) or “behavior” (body). Taitoku, often translated “experience”, literallymeans “bodily” (tai) “attainment” (toku). Here we have language which does not presupposeCartesian mind-body dualism.10:35 AM–10:50 AM Break10:50 AM–11:20 AM Questions from AudienceModerator: Sara McClintock, Ph.D.11:20 AM–11:35 AM MeditationRoshi Joan Halifax, Ph.D.11:35 AM–12:00 PM Free Time12:00 PM–1:00 PM LUNCH1:00 PM–1:30 PM Breakcontinued on page 1211


<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong>June 16 – June 22, 2012Afternoon Sessions1:30 PM–2:00 PM The Enactive Body – Where <strong>Life</strong>, <strong>Mind</strong> and Society IntersectEzequiel Di Paolo, Ph.D.Among embodied perspectives on the mind, the enactive approach is currently the most radical.With roots in systems thinking and phenomenology, it has seen major developments over the last10 years, becoming a solid alternative to the tradition that conceives of the mind as disembodiedinformation processing. In this talk I sketch some central ideas of enactive thought and showhow they provide tools that connect life, mind and society. Systemic motifs, such as the link betweenautonomy and sense-making, can be found in the basic logic of living systems and recurringat several levels, in sensorimotor systems, in human practices and intersubjectivity(participatory sense-making). Enaction also helps us understand freedom as being inevitablyentangled with constraints and precariousness. This happens at the level of the materiality of ourbodies and also at the social level, where human liberation is never a solitary affair, but is foundto depend on the liberation of others.2:05 PM–2:35 PM The Sculpting the “Brain-Body Web”: Modeling Tai Chi as a Contemplative PracticeCatherine Kerr, Ph.D.This presentation lays out our view of Tai Chi as a contemplative-attentional practice. Accordingto our model, the top-down focus of Tai Chi modulates and fine-tunes “Brain-Body-Webs”of transiently synchronized brain and muscle cells oscillating at specific frequencies (the Brain-Body-Web idea is a proposed analog of Francisco Varela et. al’.s “Brainweb” model). For example,beta rhythm (14–29 Hz) coherence between brain and muscles is thought to facilitatefine-motor activity and postural adjustment and is thought to be modulated by attention and kinaestheticimagery. This view of Tai Chi as sculpting “Brain-Body-Webs” is used to considerwhat are thought to be the practice’s beneficial effects on basic measures such as touch sensitivity,postural stability, proprioception and cognition/working-memory.2:35 PM–3:05 PM Questions from AudienceModerator Evan Thompson, Ph.D.3:05 PM–3:45 PM Free Time3:45 PM–4:45 PM Optional Break-Out Groups / Free Time4:45 PM–5:00 PM Break5:00 PM–6:00 PM Tai Chi, Lower Auditorium – Basement LevelPeter Wayne, Ph.D.6:00 PM–7:00 PM DINNER7:00 PM–7:30 PM Data BlitzPoster presenters will each present a summary of their poster in one preview slide in a datablitzformat. This will provide audience members with an overview of the poster topics andfacilitate choosing which posters to view in more detail in the following poster session.7:30 PM–8:30 PM Poster Session, Lower Auditorium – Basement Level8:30 PM–9:00 PM MeditationAndrew Dreitcer, Ph.D.9:00 PM–10:00 PM Free Time10:00 PM–8:00 AM Silence through Morning Meditation12


<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong>June 16 – June 22, 2012Thursday, June 21 Contemplative Neuroscience PerspectivesEmbodiment and CompassionConcluding Keynote Address6:00 AM–7:00 AM Yoga, Lower Auditorium – Basement Level Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor7:00 AM–8:00 AM Meditation Bhikkhu Anālayo, Ph.D.8:00 AM–9:00AM BREAKFAST Silence maintained for the first 15 mins. until the bell tone.9:00 AM–9:30AM BreakMorning Sessions9:30 AM–10:00 AM Embodiment and Contemplative Neuroscience: Opportunities and ChallengesRichard J. Davidson, Ph.D.Virtuous qualities of mind said to be cultivated by contemplative practice, such as generosity,compassion, sympathetic joy, and gratitude are all embodied qualities in the sense that they aretypically accompanied by alterations in the brain and body. This talk will include a review ofkey extant findings on bodily correlates of virtuous qualities. The neural changes associated withthese bodily signs will also be emphasized. The talk will provide a framework for thinkingabout mind-brain-body interactions and will emphasize the bidirectional communication pathwaysthat are central to this effort. A major challenge going forward is that fMRI is currentlyrestricted to the prone position and requires a severe restriction on movement, thus constrainingquestions related to embodiment. Alternatives and opportunities will be suggested. Finallyintegration of modern molecular approaches to systems level analyses will be discussed.10:05 AM–10:35 AM Relational Contemplative Studies of Practices in Christian CommunitiesAndrew Dreitcer, Ph.D. and Michael L. Spezio, Ph.D.Relational contemplative studies (RCS) is an area within interdisciplinary contemplative studies(ICS) focused on understanding the extent, function, and significance of relational imagery,language, practices, and outcomes in contemplative wisdom traditions. Within RCS, relationalityis understood as being oriented toward and engaged by other agents, such as human persons,divine/spiritual persons/beings, and/or nonhuman nature. RCS focuses on relationality in largepart 1) because of the prevalence of relational aspects across traditions and 2) because of the potentialimportance of relational aspects to contemplative practices aimed at changing social cognitionand relationships within and between communities. We will provide a brief overview ofseveral Christian practices rooted in relationality, such as Centering Prayer, the Christian CompassionPractice, and the Jesus Prayer. We will briefly consider scientific challenges in the interdisciplinarystudy of these practices and summarize findings of an fMRI neuroimaging studyof Centering Prayer.10:35 AM–10:50 AM Break10:50 AM–11:20 AM Questions from Audience Moderator: Sona Dimidjian, Ph.D.11:20 AM–11:35 AM Meditation Roshi Joan Halifax, Ph.D.11:35 AM–12:00 PM Free Time12:00 PM–1:00 PM LUNCH1:00 PM–1:30 PM Breakcontinued on page 1413


<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong>June 16 – June 22, 2012Afternoon Sessions1:30 PM–2:35 PM Compassion and CollaborationSona Dimidjian, Ph.D. and Roshi Joan Halifax, Ph.D.This panel describes the collaboration between contemplative study and practice, clinical science,and neuroscience to investigate the nature and impact of compassion. Roshi Joan Halifaxwill present a model of compassion that emphasizes the nature of compassion, not as a discretefeature but as an emergent and contingent process that is at its base enactive. She will emphasizethe ways in which compassion must be primed through the cultivation of various factors,which include somatic, attentional, affective and cognitive processes. Sona Dimidjian will presentthe background and design of a rigorously controlled intervention trial designed to explorethe components of compassionate action and the effects of contemplative training designed toincrease compassionate action. She will emphasize the intervention components as linked tothe Halifax model of compassion. Overall, this panel endeavors to identify interdependent componentsof compassion, including the relevance of embodiment in the experience of compassion,and the rich potential for collaboration among contemplative experts and scientists.2:35 PM–3:05 PM Questions from AudienceModerator: Al Kaszniak, Ph.D.3:05 PM–3:45 PM Free Time3:45 PM–4:45 PM Optional Break-Out Groups / Free Time4:45 PM–5:00 PM Break5:00 PM–6:00 PM Tai Chi, Lower Auditorium – Basement LevelPeter Wayne, Ph.D.6:00 PM–7:00 PM DINNER7:00 PM–7:15 PM Break7:15 PM–7:45 PM The Situated and Embodied <strong>Mind</strong>: A <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> PerspectiveConcluding Keynote Address: Arthur Zajonc, Ph.D.During the course of this week’s study of the situated and embodied mind, numerous questionswill be raised. Arthur Zajonc, President of the <strong>Mind</strong> & <strong>Life</strong> <strong>Institute</strong>, will review the territorywe have covered and place these issues against the backdrop of the vision of the MLI: what isclear, what remains to be done, and how can it ultimately be of benefit to others?7:45 PM–8:15 PM MeditationArthur Zajonc, Ph.D.8:15 PM–9:00 PM Social Time9:00 PM–10:00 PM Free Time10:00 PM–8:00 AM Silence through Morning Meditation14


<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong>June 16 – June 22, 2012Friday, June 22Departure Day* NOTE: All participants need to vacate rooms by 2:00 PM.6:00 AM–7:00 AM Yoga, Lower Auditorium – Basement LevelRichard Freeman and Mary Taylor7:00 AM–8:00 AM Closing MeditationArthur Zajonc, Ph.D.8:00 AM–9:00 AM BREAKFAST12:00 PM–1:00 PM LUNCHFree time at the 2011 MLSRI.15


<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong>June 16 – June 22, 2012<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Francisco J. Varela Research AwardsThe <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Francisco J. Varela Research Awards (Varela Awards) for graduate students and post docs were establishedin 2004 as a companion program to MLSRI and have been a critical element in supporting the development ofContemplative Science and Contemplative Studies. The Varela Awards support new research proposals, most developedthrough collaboration at MLSRI, which often do not qualify for traditional streams of funding.Since 2004, <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> has distributed more than $1,295,000 in funding to support junior scientists in these emergingfields. As a result of the Varela Awards, a significant increase in cognitive, behavioral, neurobiological, and clinical findingsare being published in top-tier, peer-reviewed, scientific journals. To date, more than 65 scholarly articles have beenpublished with 18 articles under review and 46 articles in preparation for submission, as well as more than 50 poster presentationsand 125 scientific presentations. Further, these relatively small awards have been leveraged into more than $15million in follow-on funding to the awardees including five follow-on awards at the $1 million level and 10 follow-onawards of more than $200,000.Research that is now being conducted with the support of Varela Awards will be the future basis of the emerging fields ofContemplative Science and Contemplative Studies. Today’s researchers will be tomorrow’s leaders in the exploration ofthe mind.To be eligible for a Varela Award, researchers must have attended the MLSRI within two years of their application. Awardsare granted through a competitive process with emphasis given to rigorous scientific proposals that evaluate both state andtrait effects of contemplative practice, and experimental designs that incorporate first-person contemplative methods intocognitive, affective, and/or neuroscientists research on consciousness.To find out more about the Varela Awards, please visit www.mindandlife.orgRecipients of the <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Francisco J. Varela Research Awards2004Willoughby BrittonJason BuhleRyan CanoltyArnaud DelormePhilippe GoldinPatricia JenningsCatherine OrtnerBrian PasleyElizabeth KimbroughHilary Tindle2005Diego BermanNorman FarbDurwin FosterBrent HughesCendri HutchersonSahib KhalsaAnthony KingDeidre ReisMolly Stewart LawlorAdam SafronEmma SeppalaMichael SpezioDavid Vago2006Thorsten BarnhoferJudson BrewerChristopher BrownCatherine CraneSandra DiVitaleRadhi RajaManish SaggarMarieke van VugtHelen WengJaskirat Wild2007Joanna ArchJennifer DaubenmierEric GarlandJoshua GrantTeresa HawkesBritta HoelzelElizabeth HogeMichael HoveKristen JastrowskiManoAnthony KingZev RosenBaljinder SahdraLaura Van WielingenAnna-leila WilliamsFadel Zeidan2008Sean BarnesAviva Berkovich-OhanaJulie Brefczynski-LewisEllen DarlingBrooke Dodson-LavelleLisa FlookBrian GallaSheila GarlandWendy HasenkampBrandon KingSusanne LeibergNathaniel LeppHolly RauTeresa SivilliNicholas Van DamAnthony Zanescocontinued on page 1716


<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong>June 16 – June 22, 20122009Rael Baruch CahnShari CordonBrenda DyerMelissa EllamilNorman FarbEllen KatzLaura KikenEmma LawrenceDavid LipschitzRoisin O’DonnellTucker PeckDavid PerlmanBaljinder SahdraZev Schuman-OlivierMeredith TerryJessica TipscordErin WalshCecilia Westbrook2010Micah AllenGrace BullockGaelle DesbordesJessica FlynnTim GardAndrea HayesBritta HolzelDaniel LevinsonKristen LyonsJose Raul NaranjoEva OberleAutumn WileyCONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2011 RECIPIENTS:Kate Brennan, M.S.University of Oxford, United KingdomInvestigating the Effects of Loving Kindness Meditationon Interpersonal Stress Generation in Chronically DepressedPatientsPaul Condon, M.A.Northeastern UniversityCompassion and <strong>Mind</strong>fulness-Based Meditation: NurturingPro-social Behavior and Social NetworksJessica Creery, B.S.Northeastern UniversityCan Supercharged Memory Consolidation During SleepBoost Compassion and Pro-sociality?Julia Ann Keller, M.A.University of New MexicoAn Investigation of the Impact of <strong>Mind</strong>fulness Trainingon the Development of Attention and Working Memory inChildrenMichael Lifshitz, B.A.McGill University, Montreal, QCEffects of Open Monitoring on Visual Search: Evidencefrom Eye Tracking, Electrophysiology, and PhenomenologyJenny Liu, M.S.University of Wisconsin–MadisonDifferential Effects of Empathy and Compassion on Emotionaland Behavioral ProcessesFadel Zeidan, Ph.D.Wake Forest School of MedicineBrain Mechanisms Distinguishing <strong>Mind</strong>fulness Meditation-RelatedPain Relief from Placebo AnalgesiaKristin Zernicke, M.S.University of CalgaryThe eCALM Study: eTherapy for Cancer AppLying <strong>Mind</strong>fulnessFrancisco J. Varela in Italy, 1986.17


<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong>June 16 – June 22, 2012FacultyBhikkhu Anālayo, Ph.D., did his Ph.D. on the Satipaṭṭhānasutta (the main early Buddhist discourseon mindfulness practice) at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. His Ph.D. was published in 2003by Windhorse Publications, UK, under the title Satipaṭṭhāna, the Direct Path to Realization. This hasquickly become a bestseller and by now is a central reference for research on and the practice of mindfulnessmeditation, with translations into ten other languages being completed or under way. Subsequentto his Ph.D. he completed an habilitation research through a comparative study of theMajjhimanikāya in the light of its Chinese, Sanskrit and Tibetan parallels at the University of Marburgin 2007. At present he is a professor of Buddhist Studies at the Sri Lanka International Academy inPallekele. He teaches at the Center for Buddhist Studies of the University of Hamburg and researchesat the Dharma Drum Buddhist College in Taiwan. His main research area is early Buddhism and in particularthe topics "Chinese Āgamas", "Meditation" and "Women in Buddhism". Besides his academicactivities, he regularly teaches meditation in Asia and the West.Lawrence Barsalou, Ph.D., is Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Psychology at Emory University.He received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California, San Diego, in 1977,and a Ph.D. in psychology from Stanford University in 1981. Since then, he has held faculty positionsat Emory University, the Georgia <strong>Institute</strong> of Technology, and the University of Chicago, returning toEmory in 1997. Barsalou’s research addresses the nature of human conceptual processing and its rolesin perception, memory, language, and thought. The current theme of his research is that the conceptualsystem is grounded in the brain’s modal systems for perception, action, and internal states. Specifictopics of current interest include the roles of conceptual processing in emotion, self, stress, abstractthought, and contemplative practices. His research also addresses the role of mental simulation in conceptualprocessing, the situated and embodied nature of knowledge, the dynamic online constructionof conceptual representations, the development of conceptual systems to support goal achievement, andthe structure of knowledge. Barsalou’s research has been funded primarily by the National ScienceFoundation. He has held a Guggenheim fellowship; served as the chair of the Cognitive Science Society;won an award for graduate teaching from the University of Chicago and is a Fellow of the AmericanAssociation for the Advancement of Science, the American Psychological Association, theAmerican Psychological Society, the Cognitive Science Society, and the <strong>Mind</strong> & <strong>Life</strong> <strong>Institute</strong>.Susan Bauer-Wu, Ph.D., FAAN, is well-recognized for her work in mindfulness and integrative medicine.She is an NIH-funded mind-body researcher whose studies have focused on stress resiliency andthe use of mindfulness-based interventions in the context of cancer and other serious illness, both forpatients and family care givers. She is currently an Associate Professor of Nursing at Emory Universityin Atlanta and serves as President-Elect of the Society for Integrative Oncology. Besides dozensof scholarly publications, she is the author of a book for the lay public titled Leaves Falling Gently:Living Fully with Serious and <strong>Life</strong>-Limiting Illness through <strong>Mind</strong>fulness, Compassion, and Connectedness(New Harbinger, 2011).18


<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong>June 16 – June 22, 2012George P. Chrousos, M.D., is Professor and Chairman of the First Department of Pediatrics at the Universityof Athens School of Medicine, Athens, Greece, and former Chief of the Pediatric and ReproductiveEndocrinology Branch of the National <strong>Institute</strong> of Child Health and Human Development(NICHD), National <strong>Institute</strong>s of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland. He also has held the UNESCOChair on Adolescent Health Care since 2010 and held the Kluge Chair on Technology and Society, Libraryof Congress, Washington, D.C., in 2011. Professor Chrousos is internationally recognized for hisresearch on the glucocorticoid signaling system of the cell, on the diseases of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenalaxis, and on the physiological and molecular mechanisms of stress. His contributionsspan a range of medical disciplines, including Medicine, Pediatrics, Endocrinology, Psychiatry,Rheumatology, Allergy, Surgery, Oncology and Reproductive Medicine. Dr. Chrousos has written over600 original scientific papers and his work has been cited in more than 57,000 other scientific articles,an irrefutable testimony to the importance and influence of his research. With a Hirsch index of 120,he is one of the most cited scientists internationally (ISI highly cited) both in Clinical Medicine and inBiology and Biochemistry and the highest cited clinical endocrinologist and pediatrician in the world.Dr. Chrousos has received numerous national and international awards and has given many lecturesin the USA, Europe and Japan. He was inducted as a Master of both the American College of Endocrinologyand the American College of Physicians. He is former president of the European Societyof Clinical Investigation. He is an elected member of the <strong>Institute</strong> of Medicine, The National Academies,Washington, D.C., USA, and the Academia Europaea, London, UK. Recently he was honoredwith the 2011 Aristeion Bodossaki Award, the highest distinction for accomplishment in the Sciencesin Greece. In 2012 he received the Albert Struyvenberg Medal of the European Society of Clinical Investigation.Linda Wilcoxon Craighead, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology at Emory University in Atlanta andhas been the Director of their Clinical Psychology Training Program since 2003. Dr. Craighead receivedher B.A. from Vanderbilt University and her Ph.D. in Psychology from The Pennsylvania StateUniversity. Prior to moving to Emory she had been on the faculty at The Pennsylvania State University,The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and The University of Colorado at Boulder. Dr.Craighead has published extensively in the areas of eating disorders and weight concerns. She developedand evaluated an intervention called Appetite Awareness Training (AAT), described in The AppetiteAwareness Workbook: How to listen to your body and overcome binge eating, overeating andpreoccupation with food (New Harbinger, 2006). AAT incorporates aspects of mindful eating into thewell-established tradition of self-monitoring in cognitive behavioral approaches to eating and weightproblems. AAT teaches individuals to tune in to internal cues, particularly moderate hunger and moderatefullness, and to use their heightened awareness of current sensations as well as recall of past sensationsto make more conscious eating decisions in the present moment. Increased awareness of selfin the present moment reduces vulnerability to mindless overeating. Dr. Craighead teaches workshops,nationally and internationally, providing training in the application of appetite awareness to a range ofproblems related to eating and weight. Dr. Craighead is currently working on modifying and applyingappetite awareness for children and adolescents, particularly as a tool to prevent or intervene early inthe development of obesity.Richard J. Davidson, Ph.D., Richard J. Davidson is Founder and Chair of the Center for InvestigatingHealthy <strong>Mind</strong>s at the Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the Director of theLaboratory for Affective Neuroscience and the Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behaviorat the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He was educated at New York University and Harvard University,where he received his B.A. and Ph.D., respectively, in psychology. Over the course of his researchcareer he has focused on the relationship between brain and emotion. He is currently the WilliamJames Professor and Vilas Research Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin.He is co-author or editor of fourteen books, including Visions of Compassion: Western Scientistsand Tibetan Buddhists Examine Human Nature, and The Handbook of Affective Science. He is theauthor (with Sharon Begley) of the 2012 book, The Emotional <strong>Life</strong> of Your Brain, published by Penguin.19


<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong>June 16 – June 22, 2012Ezequiel Di Paolo, D.Phil., is a Research Professor working at Ikerbasque, the Basque Science Foundation,in San Sebastián, Spain. He received his M.Sc. from the <strong>Institute</strong> Balseiro in Argentina and hisD.Phil from the University of Sussex. He was Reader in Evolutionary and Adaptive Systems at the Universityof Sussex where he has also been co-director of the Evolutionary and Adaptive Systems M.Sc.programme. He remains a member of the Centre for Computational Neuroscience and Robotics(CCNR) and the Centre for Research in Cognitive Science at Sussex (COGS). He is co-editor of Enaction:Toward a New Paradigm for Cognitive Science (2010, MIT Press) and author of over 120 publications.His interdisciplinary work on the enactive approach to life, mind and society integratesinsights from cognitive science, phenomenology, philosophy of mind and computational modeling.His recent research focus is on embodied intersubjectivity and participatory sense-making. His otherresearch interests include embodied cognition, dynamical systems, adaptive behavior in natural and artificialsystems, biological modeling, complex systems, evolutionary robotics, and philosophy of science.He is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Adaptive Behavior. Visit: ezequieldipaolo.wordpress.com.Sona Dimidjian, Ph.D., is Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience atthe University of Colorado at Boulder. Her research addresses the treatment and prevention of depression,including a particular focus on the mental health of women during pregnancy and postpartum.She is a leading expert in cognitive and behavioral approaches to treating and preventingdepression and in the clinical application of mindfulness and contemplative practices. Currently, sheis conducting research on the use of meditative practices, including mindfulness-based cognitive therapy,yoga, and lovingkindness practice, with pregnant and postpartum women at high risk of depressiverelapse, and compassion practice among general populations.Poster session at the 2011 MLSRI.20


<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong>June 16 – June 22, 2012Andrew Dreitcer, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Spirituality, Director of Spiritual Formation, andExecutive Director of the Center for Engaged Compassion at Claremont Lincoln University and ClaremontSchool of Theology. He holds a B.A. in Religious Studies from Wabash College, M.Div. fromYale University, and a Ph.D. in Christian Spirituality from the Graduate Theological Union (with UCBerkeley). He was the co-founding director of a seminary program in spiritual direction, and served15 years as a Presbyterian pastor. Studies with Henri Nouwen and a year spent at the ecumenicalmonastic community of Taizé significantly shaped his own spiritual life. Among his publications is theco-authored Beyond the Ordinary: Spirituality for Church Leaders. Andy’s current interests lie in theexploration of contemplative practices across religious traditions, the relationship between Christianspiritual practices and neuroscientists understandings, (neurospirituality.blogspot.com), and the waysin which contemplative practices (especially those in the Christian tradition) form lives of “engagedcompassion” (cec.claremontlincoln.org). As part of the Center for Engaged Compassion he is involvedin training prison volunteers across Canada in compassion formation. He has recently co-led workshopson contemplative practice, compassion, healing, and reconciliation for pastors, tribal chiefs, and governmentofficials in Zimbabwe, for church leaders in the United States, and for U.S. Congress membersand congressional staffers on Capitol Hill. The father of two daughters, he lives with his wife inthe San Francisco Bay Area, and keeps trying to learn to play Blues harmonica.Richard Freeman has been a student of yoga since 1968. He has spent nearly nine years in Asia studyingvarious traditions which he incorporates into the Ashtanga yoga practice as taught by his principalteacher, K. Pattabhi Jois of Mysore, India. Richard’s background includes studying Sufism in Iran,Zen and Vipassana Buddhist practice, Bhakti and traditional Hatha yoga in India. Starting in 1974 healso began an in-depth study of Iyengar yoga, which eventually led him to Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga.Richard is an avid student of both Western and Eastern philosophy, as well as Sanskrit. His ability tojuxtapose various viewpoints, without losing the depth and integrity of each, has helped him developa unique, metaphorical teaching style.Richard teaches public classes at the Yoga Workshop as well as spending a good part of each yeartraveling as a guest instructor, teaching at studios throughout the world. As the founder of the YogaWorkshop, Richard sets the standard for the classes at the studio. As part of that he offers Teacher Intensivecourses and special classes through the Yoga Workshop and also gives Studio Talks on Indianphilosophy at the studio on a regular basis. He is the author of the book, The Mirror of Yoga (ShambhalaPublications). Visit www.yogaworkshop.com.Andrew Dreitcer, Barry Kerzin, Sharon Salzberg, Roshi Joan Halifax, Geshe Dorji Damdul, and Richard Freeman participatingin the Contemplative Practice Forum at the 2011 MLSRI.21


<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong>June 16 – June 22, 2012Roshi Joan Halifax, Ph.D., is a Buddhist teacher, Zen priest, anthropologist, and pioneer in the fieldof end-of-life care. She is Founder, Abbot, and Head Teacher of Upaya <strong>Institute</strong> and Zen Center inSanta Fe, New Mexico. She received her Ph.D. in medical anthropology in 1973 while teaching at theUniversity of Miami Medical School. She has lectured on the subject of death and dying at many academicinstitutions, including Harvard Divinity School, Harvard Medical School, Georgetown MedicalSchool, University of Virginia Medical School, Duke University Medical School, and Universityof Connecticut Medical School among many others. She received a National Science Foundation Fellowshipin Visual Anthropology, was an Honorary Research Fellow in Medical Ethnobotany at HarvardUniversity, and is a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Library of Congress.From 1972-1975, she worked with psychiatrist Stanislav Grof at the Maryland Psychiatric ResearchCenter with dying cancer patients. She has continued to work with dying people and their families, andto teach health care professionals and family care givers the psycho-social, ethical and spiritual aspectsof care of the dying. She is Director of the Project on Being with Dying, and Founder and Director ofthe Upaya Prison Project that develops programs on meditation for prisoners. For the past 25 years,she has been active in environmental work. She studied for a decade with Zen Teacher Seung Sahn andwas a teacher in the Kwan Um Zen School. She received the Lamp Transmission from Thich NhatHanh, and was given Inka by Roshi Bernie Glassman.A Founding Teacher of the Zen Peacemaker Order, her work and practice for more than four decadeshas focused on applied Buddhism. Her books include: The Human Encounter with Death (withStanislav Grof); The Fruitful Darkness; Simplicity in the Complex: A Buddhist <strong>Life</strong> in America; Beingwith Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Wisdom in the Presence of Death; Being with Dying: CompassionateEnd-of-<strong>Life</strong> Care (Professional Training Guide). She is a Lindisfarne Fellow and Co-directorof the Fellowship, and a <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Board member.Diego Hangartner, Pharm.D., completed his studies in pharmacy at the Swiss Federal <strong>Institute</strong> ofTechnology in Zurich (ETHZ), with a special interest in psychoactive drugs and their effects on themind. After finishing his studies, he set up a drug company and then ran a pharmacy in Zürich. Havingbeen interested in shamanism, their use of drugs, and the role of ritual for healing, he then workedin the field of drug addiction. Working in these areas reinforced his interest in understanding mindand consciousness. After encountering Buddhist methodology of investigating the mind, he then spent11 years in Dharamsala, India. He learned Tibetan and then studied for 7 years at the <strong>Institute</strong> of BuddhistDialectics. During those years he did several retreats, and worked as a translator and interpreterfor resident lamas in Dharamsala and abroad, translating Tibetan into English, German, French andSpanish. There, he also led science workshops with Tibetan monks.After returning to Europe in 2003, he taught widely. He was General Secretary of the extended visitsof His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Switzerland 2005 and in Hamburg 2007, and many other events withthe Dalai Lama. Diego translated and published the German version of Shantideva’s Bodhicaryavatarafrom Tibetan, and participated as a translator in other publications and productions. He has beenassociated with <strong>Mind</strong> & <strong>Life</strong> <strong>Institute</strong> since the late 1990′s, both as a participant as well as in organizationalmatters. Currently, Diego is the <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Director of Advancement and Operations -Europe.22


<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong>June 16 – June 22, 2012G. Victor Sÿgen Hori, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Japanese Religions at McGill University. Aftertaking a Ph.D. in Western philosophy at Stanford University in 1976, he was ordained as a Rinzai Zenmonk in the temple of Daitoku-ji in Kyoto, Japan. In 1977, he entered the Zen monastery of Daitokujiand thereafter did the Rinzai Zen kōan training until 1990 when he returned to North America. Heresumed the academic life and taught at several universities, including Stanford University and HarvardUniversity, before settling down at McGill University in 1994. His present research interests includeZen Buddhism, Japanese Religion, the Kyoto School of Philosophy and Buddhism in the West.He has published Zen Sand: The Book of Capping Phrases for Zen Kōan Practice (University ofHawai’i Press, 2003), translated The Ten Oxherding Pictures: Lectures by Yamada Mumon Roshi (Universityof Hawai’i Press, 2004), edited Teaching Buddhism in the West (with Richard Hayes and MarkShields, Routledge Curzon, 2002), Neglected Themes and Hidden Variations: The Kyoto School (withMelissa Curley, Nanzan, 2008), and Wild Geese: Buddhism in Canada (with John Harding and AlexanderSoucy, McGill-Queens University Press, 2010). He is presently at work on a study of Zen and language.Photo credit: Lori Calman.Al Kaszniak, Ph.D., received his Ph.D. in clinical and developmental psychology from the Universityof Illinois in 1976, and completed an internship in clinical neuropsychology at Rush Medical Centerin Chicago. He is currently Director of Clinical Neuropsychology, Director of the ArizonaAlzheimer's Consortium Education Core, and a professor in the departments of psychology, neurology,and psychiatry at The University of Arizona (UA). He formerly served as Head of the Psychology Department,and as Director of the UA Center for Consciousness Studies. Al also presently serves asChief Academic Officer for the <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> <strong>Institute</strong>, an organization that facilitates collaborativescientific research on contemplative practices and traditions. His research, published in over 150 journalarticles, chapters and books, has been supported by grants from the NIH, NIMH, and several privatefoundations. His work has focused on the neuropsychology of Alzheimer's disease and otherage-related neurological disorders, consciousness, memory self-monitoring, emotion, and the psychophysiologyof long-term and short-term meditation. Al has served on the editorial boards of severalscientific journals, and has been an advisor to the National <strong>Institute</strong>s of Health and othergovernmental agencies. He is a Past-President of the Section on Clinical Geropsychology and a fellowof the American Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science. In additionto his academic and administrative roles, he is a lineage holder and teacher in the Soto traditionof Zen Buddhism.Catherine Kerr, Ph.D., is Director of Translational Neuroscience for the Contemplative Studies Initiativeat Brown University and Director of the <strong>Mind</strong>fulness-Wellness Program at Alpert MedicalSchool at Brown. She is an Assistant Professor at the Medical School and is the lead author of severalrecent scientific publications on mindfulness, as well as a recent report on psychophysical changes associatedwith Tai Chi practice. Her research looks at the effects of embodied-contemplative practicessuch as mindfulness and Tai Chi on attention and on localized brain rhythms in primary somatosensoryand motor cortex "body maps." She received her B.A. from Amherst College and Ph.D. fromJohns Hopkins. In 2005, as an instructor at Harvard Medical School, she received a special five yeargrant from the NIH to train as a neuroscientist and mindfulness-specialist working with mentors atMIT and Harvard.23


<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong>June 16 – June 22, 2012Anne Carolyn Klein / Rigzin Drolma Ph.D., is Professor of Religious Studies at Rice Universityand a founding director and resident teacher of Dawn Mountain, a center for contemplative study andpractice in Houston (www.dawnmountain.org). She lectures and leads retreats widely on contemplativepractice as well as on the Buddhist texts and theories of knowing that support these.She writes and practices primarily in the Tibetan tradition, translating both classic texts and oral commentaryon them. All her scholarly work inquires into the different functions of the human mind, especiallythe capacity for intellectual as well as direct knowing. Her books include Knowledge andLiberation, on Buddhist distinctions between cognitive and sensory knowing; Path to the Middle: TheSpoken Scholarship of Khensur Yeshe Thupten, on preparing to meet the ultimate; Meeting the GreatBliss Queen, contrasting Buddhist and feminist understandings of self as mere construction or subtleessence; and, with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinopche, Unbounded Wholeness, which translates and discussesa Dzogchen text from the Bön Buddhist tradition. Is the intellect a help or hindrance in cultivatingnon-conceptual realization? This is a central debate throughout Buddhist history — Anne’sbooks all explore some aspect of this question.Her most recent book is Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse: A Story of Transmission, Anne’s chantableEnglish translation of foundational practices from the Longchen Nyingthig, with CD of the English andTibetan chanting. She is currently translating and introducing select works by Jigme Lingpa for a bookon him and completing a translation of Strand of Jewels, a collection of Dzogchen teachings by KhetsunRinpoche himself. She is also in the daunting mid-stages of her own manuscript, The KnowingBody which explores the epistemology of the body’s innate intelligence.Sara L. McClintock, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Religion at Emory University where she teachesundergraduate and graduate courses in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism and interpretation theory in thestudy of religion. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Bryn Mawr College, her master’sdegree in world religions from Harvard Divinity School, and her doctorate in religion from HarvardUniversity. She has spent time as a researcher at the Central <strong>Institute</strong> for Higher Tibetan Studiesin Sarnath, India, and the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, and has taught at the University ofWisconsin-Madison and Carleton College. Her interests include both narrative and philosophical Buddhisttraditions, with particular focus on issues of rationality, persuasion, reading, temporality, embodiment,and ethical formation. Her work includes a variety of published articles and a book,Omniscience and the Rhetoric of Reason: Śāntarakṣita and Kamalaśīla on Rationality, Argumentation,and Religious Authority. She has also co-edited a volume of articles on Indian and Tibetan Madhyamakawith Georges Dreyfus, The Svātantrika-Prāsaṅgika Distinction: What Difference Does a DifferenceMake? Her current research centers on aesthetic response in Buddhist narrative literature andits role as a catalyst for ethical self-fashioning and transformation.Matthieu Ricard, Ph.D., is a Buddhist monk at Shechen Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal. Born inFrance in 1946, he received a Ph.D. in Cellular Genetics at the institute Pasteur under Nobel LaureateFrancois Jacob. As a hobby, he wrote Animal Migrations (Hill and Wang, 1969). He first traveled tothe Himalayas in 1967 and has lived there since 1972, studying with Kangyur Rinpoche and DilgoKhyentse Rinpoche, two of the most eminent Tibetan teachers of our times. Since 1989, he has servedas French interpreter for His Holiness the Dalai Lama.He is the author of The Monk and the Philosopher (with his father, the French thinker Jean-FrancoisRevel), of The Quantum and the Lotus (with the astrophysicist Trinh Xuan Thuan), and of Happiness,A Guide to Developing <strong>Life</strong>’s Most Important Skill and Why Meditate? He has translated several booksfrom Tibetan into English and French, including The <strong>Life</strong> of Shabkar and The Heart of Compassion.As a photographer, he has published several albums, including The Spirit of Tibet, Buddhist Himalayas,Tibet, Motionless Journey and Bhutan (www.matthieuricard.org). He devotes all the of proceeds fromhis books and much of his time to over one hundred humanitarian projects (schools, clinics, orphanages,elderly people’s home, bridges) in Tibet, Nepal and India, through his charitable associationKarunashechen (www.karuna-shechen.org) and to the preservation of the Tibetan cultural heritage(www.shechen.org). He is also a member of the <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Program and Research Council.24


<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong>June 16 – June 22, 2012Sharon Salzberg has been a student of meditation since 1971 and has led meditation retreats worldwidesince 1974. She teaches both intensive awareness practice (Vipassana or insight meditation) andthe profound cultivation of lovingkindness and compassion (the Brahma Viharas).Sharon’s latest book is the New York Times Best Seller, Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation: A28-Day Program, published by Workman Publishing. She is also the author of The Kindness Handbookand The Force of Kindness, both published by Sounds True; Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience,published by Riverhead Books; Loving Kindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness and AHeart as Wide as the World, both published by Shambhala Publications; and co-author with JosephGoldstein of Insight Meditation, a Step-by-Step Course on How to Meditate (audio), from SoundsTrue. She has edited Voices of Insight, an anthology of writings by Vipassana teachers in the West, alsopublished by Shambhala.Sharon Salzberg is cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Barre, Massachusetts. She hasplayed a crucial role in bringing Asian meditation practices to the West. The ancient Buddhist practicesof Vipassana (mindfulness) and metta (lovingkindness) are the foundations of her work. “Each of ushas a genuine capacity for love, forgiveness, wisdom and compassion. Meditation awakens these qualitiesso that we can discover for ourselves the unique happiness that is our birthright.” For more informationabout Sharon, please visit: www.SharonSalzberg.com.Michael L. Spezio, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience at Scripps Collegeand Visiting Faculty in Affective and Social Neuroscience at the California <strong>Institute</strong> of Technology. Hisresearch seeks to understand how the brain contributes to empathic, moral, and political cognition andaction, with a focus that includes the influence of contemplative practices on these processes in themind. He is Research Director of the Center for Engaged Compassion at the Claremont School of Theology,and a Senior Fellow with the <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> <strong>Institute</strong>. He is also an ordained minister in the PresbyterianChurch (U.S.A.), and works to facilitate the positive engagement of religious and scientificperspectives. He is co-editor of the Routledge Companion to Religion & Science (2011), and of theforthcoming Religion & the Science of Moral Action: Virtue Ethics, Exemplarity, and Cognitive Neuroscience.www.scrippscollege.edu/academics/faculty/michael-spezio.phpContemplative exercise at the 2010 MLSRI.25


<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong>June 16 – June 22, 2012Mary Taylor began studying yoga in 1971 while earning a degree in psychology. It was not until theearly 80s, when she moved to Boulder and started studying yoga with Richard Freeman, that yoga becamea central thread in her life. Before that, yoga had provided a means of relieving stress, and honinga sense of focus and well being. In 1988 Mary traveled to India to study with K. Pattabhi Jois, andbegan to see the overlay of yoga with her interests in food, cooking, movement, anatomy and art. Maryhas authored three cookbooks and co-authored a book which explores yoga, meditation and findingone’s personal dharma as a means of bring lasting meaning and happiness. (What Are You HungryFor? Women, Food and Spirituality.) As the Yoga Workshop’s director, Mary has attended all ofRichard’s teacher trainings, and feels she’s just beginning to understand the subject at hand. She bringsto her teaching a deep respect for the healing and calming effects of yoga. Her classes are engagingand fun, focusing on the flow of breath, steady movement and the feeling of completeness that can becultivated through a lasting practice. Visit www. yogaworkshop.comEvan Thompson, Ph.D., is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Toronto. He received his A.B.in Asian Studies from Amherst College and his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. He is the authorof Waking, Dreaming, Being: New Light on the Self and Consciousness from Neuroscience, Meditation,and Philosophy (Columbia University Press, forthcoming in 2013) and <strong>Mind</strong> in <strong>Life</strong>: Biology, Phenomenology,and the Sciences of <strong>Mind</strong> (Harvard University Press, 2007). He is also the co-author ofThe Embodied <strong>Mind</strong>: Cognitive Science and Human Experience (MIT Press, 1991), and co-editor ofThe Cambridge Handbook of Consciousness (Cambridge University Press, 2007) and of Self, No Self?Perspectives from Analytical, Phenomenological, and Indian Traditions (Oxford University Press,2010). Thompson is also Co-Chair of the <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> <strong>Institute</strong> Program and Research Council.Peter Wayne, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is the Directorof Research for the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine jointly based at the Harvard Medical Schooland Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He is also the founder and director of the Tree of <strong>Life</strong> Tai Chi Center.His research to date, supported by more than 20 NIH grants, has focused on evaluating how TaiChi and related mind-body practices clinically impact a variety of health conditions (osteoporosis, balanceimpairment, heart failure, pulmonary disease, depression), and understanding the physiological,mechanical, and psychological mechanisms underlying mind-body practices’ therapeutic effects. Peterhas more than 35 years of training experience in Tai Chi and Qigong, and is an internationally recognizedteacher of these practices.Arthur Zajonc, Ph.D., is President of the <strong>Mind</strong> & <strong>Life</strong> <strong>Institute</strong>. From 1978 to 2012 he was Professorof Physics at Amherst College. He received his B.S. and Ph.D. in physics from the University ofMichigan. He has been visiting professor and research scientist at the Ecole Normale Superieure inParis, the Max Planck <strong>Institute</strong> for Quantum Optics, and the universities of Rochester and Hannover.He has been Fulbright Professor at the University of Innsbruck in Austria. His research has includedstudies in electron-atom physics, parity violation in atoms, quantum optics, the experimental foundationsof quantum physics, and the relationship between science, the humanities, and the contemplativetraditions. He has written extensively on Goethe’s science work. He is author of the book: Catchingthe Light, Meditation as Contemplative Inquiry, co-author of The Quantum Challenge, and co-editorof Goethe’s Way of Science. In 1997 he served as scientific coordinator for the <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> dialoguepublished as The New Physics and Cosmology: Dialogues with the Dalai Lama and co-edited TheDalai Lama at MIT. He has directed the Center for Contemplative <strong>Mind</strong> in Society, which supports appropriateinclusion of contemplative methods in higher education. He has also been a co-founder ofthe Kira <strong>Institute</strong>, General Secretary of the Anthroposophical Society, president/chair of the LindisfarneAssociation, and was a senior program director at the Fetzer <strong>Institute</strong>.26


<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong>June 16 – June 22, 2012AcknowledgementsMeeting Organization andAdministrationArthur Zajonc, President, <strong>Mind</strong> & <strong>Life</strong> <strong>Institute</strong>Alfred Kaszniak, Chief Academic Officer, <strong>Mind</strong> & <strong>Life</strong> <strong>Institute</strong>Diego Hangartner, Director of Operations and Advancement –Europe, <strong>Mind</strong> & <strong>Life</strong> <strong>Institute</strong><strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Boulder, CO Staff:Chris O’Brien, Development and Communications Officer,<strong>Mind</strong> & <strong>Life</strong> <strong>Institute</strong>Angela Teng, Program Manager, <strong>Mind</strong> & <strong>Life</strong> <strong>Institute</strong>Dave Womack, Program Manager, <strong>Mind</strong> & <strong>Life</strong> <strong>Institute</strong><strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Hadley, MA Staff:Mark Cherrington, Event Coordinator, <strong>Mind</strong> & <strong>Life</strong> <strong>Institute</strong>Jacqui DeFelice, Director of Operations and Advancement,<strong>Mind</strong> & <strong>Life</strong> <strong>Institute</strong>Ned Dunn, Webmaster, <strong>Mind</strong> & <strong>Life</strong> <strong>Institute</strong>Wendy Hasenkamp, Program and Research Director, <strong>Mind</strong> &<strong>Life</strong> <strong>Institute</strong>Lise Lawrence, Event Coordinator, <strong>Mind</strong> & <strong>Life</strong> <strong>Institute</strong>Lila Mereschuk, Controller, <strong>Mind</strong> & <strong>Life</strong> <strong>Institute</strong>Dick Sclove, Director of Strategic Development, <strong>Mind</strong> & <strong>Life</strong><strong>Institute</strong><strong>Mind</strong>i Winter, Administrative Assistant, <strong>Mind</strong> & <strong>Life</strong> <strong>Institute</strong>Jonas Berzanskis, AV Production, STS Productions, LLCBerry Berzanskis, AV Production Assistant, STSProductions, LLCLinda Downey, Events Manager, Garrison <strong>Institute</strong>Rob Gabriele, Chief Operating Officer, Garrison <strong>Institute</strong>Jeanne Johnson, Deputy COO/HR Manager, Garrison<strong>Institute</strong>Alexandra Khoobani, Registrar, Garrison <strong>Institute</strong>Special thanks to Diana and Jonathan Rose and theGarrison <strong>Institute</strong> staff:James Basciani, Shelley Boris, Adam Chodoff, KellyDuncan, Troy Gangle, Henry Garcia, Joan Jewell,Amy Johnson, Erin Koch, Mario Porco, AdaScanga, Rosanna Scanga, Erin Schulman, DennisStobinski, John Teagle.Financial Support: <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research<strong>Institute</strong> and Varela Awards SponsorsAnonymousThe 1440 FoundationThe Bradford Family Gift FundThe George Family FoundationThe Hershey Family FoundationThe John Templeton FoundationThe Lostand Foundation27


<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong>June 16 – June 22, 2012A TWENTY-FIVE YEAR HISTORY OF ACCOMPLISHMENT<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> DialoguesThe titles of these dialogues between the His Holiness the Dalai Lama and leading scientists show the range of topics that the <strong>Mind</strong> & <strong>Life</strong> <strong>Institute</strong>has explored. For more details on these conferences, please go to www.mindandlife.org.■ 2011: Ecology, Ethics and Interdependence■ 2010: Contemplative Science: The Scientific Study of Contemplative Practiceon Human Biology and Behavior, co-sponsored by National <strong>Institute</strong>of Advanced Studies, and the Foundation for Universal Responsibility ofHis Holiness the Dalai Lama■ 2010: Mental Training, Impact on Neuronal, Cognitive and Emotion Plasticity,co-sponsored by the Center for Investigating Healthy <strong>Mind</strong>s, Universityof Wisconsin, Madison■ 2010: Altruism and Compassion in Economic Systems: A Dialogue at the Interfaceof Economics, Neuroscience and Contemplative Sciences, co-sponsoredby the University of Zurich■ 2009: Educating World Citizens for the 21st Century: Educators, Scientistsand Contemplatives Dialogue on Cultivating a Healthy <strong>Mind</strong>, Brain andHeart, co-sponsored by Harvard University Graduate School of Education,Stanford University School of Education, Pennsylvania State University Collegeof Education, University of Virginia Curry School of Education, Universityof Wisconsin-Madison School of Education, the AmericanPsychological Association and the Collaborative for Academic, Social andEmotional Learning■ 2009: Attention, Memory, and the <strong>Mind</strong>■ 2008: Investigating the <strong>Mind</strong>-Body Connection: The Science and ClinicalApplications of Meditation, hosted by Mayo Clinic■ 2007: <strong>Mind</strong>fulness, Compassion and the Treatment of Depression, co-sponsoredby Emory University■ 2007: The Universe in a Single Atom■ 2005: Investigating the <strong>Mind</strong>: The Science and Clinical Applications of Meditation,co-sponsored by Johns Hopkins Medical University and GeorgetownMedical Center■ 2004: Neuroplasticity: The Neuronal Substrates of Learning and Transformation■ 2003: Investigating the <strong>Mind</strong>: Exchanges between Buddhism and BiobehavioralScience on How the <strong>Mind</strong> Works, co-sponsored by the McGovern <strong>Institute</strong>at Massachusetts <strong>Institute</strong> of Technology■ 2002: The Nature of Matter, The Nature of <strong>Life</strong>■ 2001: Transformations of <strong>Mind</strong>, Brain and Emotion at the University of Wisconsin■ 2000: Destructive Emotions■ 1998: Epistemological Questions in Quantum Physics and Eastern ContemplativeSciences at Innsbruck University■ 1997: The New Physics and Cosmology■ 1995: Altruism, Ethics, and Compassion■ 1992: Sleeping, Dreaming, and Dying■ 1990: Emotions and Health■ 1989: Dialogues between Buddhism and the Neurosciences■ 1987: Dialogues between Buddhism and the Cognitive Sciences<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Books and DVD SetsThe following books and DVD sets describe discussions between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Western scientists. Books in print can be obtained frommajor booksellers; DVD sets are available directly from the <strong>Mind</strong> & <strong>Life</strong> <strong>Institute</strong>. For more information about each title, please go to www.mindandlife.org.■ The <strong>Mind</strong>’s Own Physician, from <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> XIII in Washington, D.C.(released October 2011)■ Altruism and Compassion in Economic Systems, DVD from <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong>XX, in 2010■ Educating World Citizens for the 21st Century, DVD from <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> XIX,in 2009■ The Science of a Compassionate <strong>Life</strong>, DVD from His Holiness the DalaiLama’s Denver Public Talk, in 2006■ The Science and Clinical Applications of Meditation, DVD from <strong>Mind</strong> and<strong>Life</strong> XIII, in 2005■ Train your <strong>Mind</strong>; Change your Brain, from <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> XII, in 2004■ Investigating the <strong>Mind</strong>, DVD from <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> XI, in 2003■ The Dalai Lama at MIT, from <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> XI, in 2003■ <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong>: Discussions with the Dalai Lama on the Nature of Reality,from <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> X, in 2002■ Destructive Emotions: A Scientific Dialogue with the Dalai Lama, from <strong>Mind</strong>and <strong>Life</strong> VIII, in 2000■ The New Physics and Cosmology: Dialogues with the Dalai Lama, from<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> VI, in 1997■ Visions of Compassion: Western Scientists and Tibetan Buddhists, from<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> V, in 1995■ Sleeping, Dreaming, and Dying: An Exploration of Consciousness with theDalai Lama, from <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> IV, in 1992■ Healing Emotions: Conversations with the Dalai Lama on <strong>Mind</strong>fulness, Emotions,and Health, from <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> III, in 1990■ Consciousness at the Crossroads: Conversations with the Dalai Lama onBrain Science and Buddhism, from <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> II, in 1989■ Gentle Bridges: Conversations with the Dalai Lama on the Sciences of <strong>Mind</strong>,from <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> I, in 1987<strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Research Initiatives■ <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Summer Research <strong>Institute</strong> — A week-long residential scienceretreat for 200 scientists, clinicians, contemplative scholar/practitionersand philosophers from around the world, working together todevelop new fields of science and studies that examine the effects ofcontemplative practice and mental training on brain, behavior, philosophy,religious studies and the humanities. This is an annual program ofthe <strong>Mind</strong> & <strong>Life</strong> <strong>Institute</strong> which began in June 2004, and has continuedyearly since then.■ <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Francisco J. Varela Research Grant Program — providing small researchgrants to investigate hypotheses developed at the <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> SummerResearch <strong>Institute</strong>. Ten to 15 Varela Awards are awarded annually.■ <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Humanities and Social Sciences Initiative – ensuring that theemerging fields of Contemplative Science and Contemplative Studies are multidisciplinaryand integrated among first, second, and third-person modes of investigation.■ <strong>Mind</strong> and <strong>Life</strong> Developmental Science Research Network (formerly MLERN) –exploring human development issues and creating education-related programsthat can help children cultivate the mental qualities of attention, emotional balance,kindness, confidence, and happiness early in life.■ International Symposia for Contemplative Studies – a scientific conference cosponsoredin a collaborative effort among centers and laboratories around theworld to explore the mechanisms and benefits of contemplative practices.<strong>Mind</strong> & <strong>Life</strong> <strong>Institute</strong> • 4 Bay Road • Hadley, MA 01035 USAPhone: 413-387-0710 • Email: info@mindandlife.org • Website: www.mindandlife.org© Copyright 2012 The <strong>Mind</strong> & <strong>Life</strong> <strong>Institute</strong>. All Rights Reserved

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