CONFERENCE BROCHURE - Mind & Life Institute

Mind and Life Summer Research InstituteJune 16 – June 22, 2012Welcome LetterDear Faculty, Senior Investigators, Research Fellows, Mind and Life Board Members, Sponsors,and Guests:On behalf of the Mind & Life Institute, we are very pleased to welcome you to the 2012Mind and Life Summer Research Institute (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 GarrisonInstitute. 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 Mind and Life2