The Mind and Life Institute is a US-registered, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to exploring the interface between science and Buddhism as two different methodologies with a common basic focus, understanding the nature of reality and improving lives.
Activities include convening international dialogues, conferences and symposia between notable scientists and contemplatives, publishing the outcomes, and setting up scientific research programmes on relevant subjects.
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Origins: dialogues and publications
Mind and Life Dialogues, forerunners of the Institute, were initiated by American entrepreneur R. Adam Engle in 1983. He heard of Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama's interest in modern science and offered to arrange a dialogue for him with selected scientists. The Dalai Lama accepted and authorised Engle to set one up.
In 1984 Chilean neuroscientist Francisco Varela heard about this. Having participated in a conference on consciousness attended by the Dalai Lama in 1983, and like Engle a Buddhist practitioner since 1974, he was interested in further exploration of the interface between science and Buddhism and contacted Engle, offering to assist.
Engle, Varela, and the Dalai Lama saw Buddhism and science as different methodologies with a similar aim: to investigate nature and reality, using knowledge gained to improve the quality of life and the planet. They concurred that science uses technology and the scientific method as its means while Buddhism uses the human nervous system refined by meditation and rigorous mental and emotional training. Until this, there had been no mechanism for scientists and Buddhist masters to meet and share their findings in dialogue. The concept pioneered a new interdisciplinary, cross-cultural engagement.
Engle organised the original Mind and Life Dialogue in October 1987 at the Dalai Lama's residence in Dharamsala, India as a week-long event. Six scientists including Varela, two interpreters and the Dalai Lama spent 5 hours daily sharing views and discussing the sciences of the mind. At the end, Engle asked the Dalai Lama if he wanted to do it again; he said 'yes', and the series of dialogues was born.
The second dialogue was a two-day event in October 1989 in Newport Beach, California. At the third, held in Dharamsala in 1990, it was decided that in order to organize and fund further dialogues and potential research programmes Mind and Life Institute [MLI] should be incorporated as a non-profit organisation in the USA. Engle was elected Chair and CEO, a post he held for 22 years until his retirement in 2012 having guided its development into "a worldwide and influential organisation bringing together the highest standards of modern science and contemplative practice". Engle was then succeeded by the physicist and author Arthur Zajonc.
By 1998 MLI had hosted seven dialogues between numerous world renowned scientists, philosophers and the Dalai Lama on cognitive neuroscience and physics, and published six books relating the dialogues to the general public.
By 2013 a total of 27 dialogues with the Dalai Lama had been hosted, eleven books had been published relating the first thirteen dialogues to the public (see publications) and DVDs or videos published on most of the others.
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Establishment of research agenda
In 1998, to increase MLI's potential for societal benefits, Engle moved to broaden its mission to include carrying out scientific research. This idea was encouraged by the Dalai Lama, who, at the next dialogue in 2000, suggested scientific investigation under laboratory conditions to establish whether Buddhist contemplative practices could be of significant benefit to modern society, and if so to find a way of teaching the subject in a secular environment. A research programme was launched accordingly as a result of MLI's first public dialogue, held at MIT in 2003, entitled 'Investigating the Mind'. Participants included Nobel Laureate scientist Daniel Khaneman and Eric Lander, Director of the MIT Centre for Genomic Research. This conference attended by 1,200 people marked the birth of Contemplative Neuroscience.
In 2004, MLI launched its Summer Research Institute at the Garrison Institute which for the first time presented a curriculum on contemplative neuroscience to graduate students, post doctorates and science faculty members. MLI also launched the Francisco J. Varela Research Awards, which provided pilot study funding to qualified applications on a competitive basis. These two programs have been held yearly since 2004. In 2005, MLI held its second public dialogue in Washington DC: The Science and Clinical Applications of Meditation, co-sponsored by Johns Hopkins Medical University, and the Georgetown Medical Center.
In 2012 MLI completed its strategy to establish the new fields of Contemplative Sciences by initiating the International Symposium on Contemplative Studies in Denver Colorado, with 700 attendees from the field of Contemplative Science and Studies research.
Another was hed in Boston in 2014 with 1,700 attendees from 28 countries.
Publications relating to the dialogues
- Mind & Life 1, 1987: Hayward, Jeremy W.; Varela, Francisco J, eds. (1992) Gentle Bridges: Conversations with the Dalai Lama on the Sciences of Mind, Boston MA., Shambhala Publications. ISBN 1-57062-893-9.
- Mind & Life 2, 1989: Houshmand, Zara; Livingston, Robert B.; Wallace B. Alan, eds. (1999) Consciousness at the Crossroads: Conversations with the Dalai Lama on Brain Science and Buddhism. Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion Publications. ISBN 978-1559391276.
- Mind & Life 3, 1990: Goleman, Daniel, ed. (2003) Healing Emotions: Conversations with the Dalai Lama on Mindfulness, Emotions and Health. Boston MA: Shambala Publications. ISBN 9781590300107.
- Mind & Life 4, 1992: His Holiness the Dalai Lama (author), Varela, Francisco J, ed. (1997) Sleeping, Dreaming, and Dying: An Exploration of Consciousness. Somerville, MA., Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0861711238.
- Mind & Life 5, 1995: Davidson, Richard, Harrington, Anne; eds. (2002) Visions of Compassion: Western Scientists and Tibetan Buddhists Examine Human Nature, Oxford University Press, New York. ISBN 019513043X.
- Mind & Life 6, 1997: Zajonc, Arthur, ed. (2004) The New Physics and Cosmology: Dialogues with the Dalai Lama. Oxford University Press, New York. ISBN 9780195159943.
- Mind & Life 8, 2000: Goleman, Daniel. (2003) Destructive Emotions: A Scientific Dialogue with the Dalai Lama, New York: Random House, ISBN 0553801716.
- Mind & Life 10, 2002: Luisi, Pier Luigi, Houshmand, Zara. (2009) Discussions with the Dalai Lama on the nature of reality, Columbia University Press, New York. ISBN 0-231-14550-0, ISBN 978-0-231-14550-3
- Mind & Life 11, 2003: Harrington, Anne; Zajonc, Arthur, eds. (2006) The Dalai Lama at MIT. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0-674-02319-6
- Mind & Life 12, 2004: Begley, Sharon. (2007) Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain: How a New Science Reveals Our Extraordinary Potential to Transform Ourselves, New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-47989-1.
- Mind & Life 13, 2005: Kabat-Zinn, Jon; Davidson, Richard. (2012) The Mind's Own Physician: A Scientific Dialogue with the Dalai Lama on the Healing Power of Meditation, New Harbinger Publications, Oakland CA, ISBN 9781572249684.
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