Wildmind Buddhist Meditation http://www.wildmind.org Explore Meditation Online Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:00:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 The benefits of mindful sitting http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/the-benefits-of-mindful-sitting http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/the-benefits-of-mindful-sitting#comments Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:00:48 +0000 Meditation News http://www.wildmind.org/?p=6627 Read the rest of this article...
something to be cultivated rather than achieved. Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, a teacher in the Kagyu lineage of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, said that "Mindfulness does not mean pushing oneself toward something or hanging on to something. It means allowing oneself to be there in the very moment of what is happening in the living process - and then letting go." Sofia Gambuto '12, regularly attends the Monday night guided Zen meditation sessions in Helen Hills Hills Chapel. "When I get frustrated or overwhelmed, I get caught up in my own negative thought process," she said. "Meditation helps me step back and give my mind a break. Initially I only experienced two to five minutes of clarity, but it was worth it to come back. Sitting regularly helps me focus. Afterwards, it takes me two instead of four hours to write my lab report." For Gambuto, sitting mindfully can be considered an investment in the efficient use of her time. Discriminating awareness is not restricted to the meditation cushion. A state of wakefulness can be applied in organic chemistry class, at breakfast, on the soccer field or in any one of the diverse situations in which a student may find herself spacing out and losing touch with the present. "So much of what we do that causes us to suffer, or to cause suffering to others, or just to fall short of the standards we set for ourselves, is the consequence of inattention to our current state of mind and our current action," said Garfield. "So much error and emotional confusion ensues from automatic reactions of which we are unaware, and which we can in fact control, or from neglect of what is perfectly obvious. Mindfulness is the antidote to all this. It is often surprising how much happier one can be, and how much more one can accomplish, if one only pays attention." Samatha, or calm abiding is one common form of mindfulness meditation that has been adapted for use as a stress reducer and as other forms of cognitive behavioral medicine. This form of meditation involves assuming an erect but comfortable posture, often while sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion or the floor. The eyes should rest, but not focus, on whatever is in front of you. The practice should be conducted in a relatively quiet environment as free from distractions as one's living situation will allow. As the mind begins to wander, or zip about bouncing off the walls as the case may be, one is advised to simply observe and come back to the breath. The goal is not to try to stop thinking; instead, practitioners will simply realize that they are drifting and will return to the breath, without intervening or chastising themselves. Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder and director of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School teaches a similar breath-based technique, adapted from a form of meditation known as vipassana, to help people cope with stress, depression, pain and illness. There are many resources on and around campus for students interested in trying out meditation. Aside from the Monday night meditation at 6:45 p.m. in Helen Hills Hills Chapel, there are many meditation centers in downtown Northampton, including the Pioneer Valley Shambhala Center, Zen Center on Main Street and the Insight Meditation Center of the Pioneer Valley. All of the centers have weekly drop-in sittings open to the public. Thanks to the hectic life of a college student, there are many opportunities to explore the whirlwind of anxiety or distractions in which so many Smith students find themselves swept up. If you want to keep your feet on the ground, consider a reversal of the old adage: "Don't just do something, sit there!"
Related posts:
  1. Meditation Offers Benefits for Patients and Nurses National Nursing News: Meditation — long considered by many the...
  2. Sitting quietly, doing something The New York Times: I recently spent an evening with...
  3. Workplace yoga and meditation can lower feelings of stress Physorg.com: Twenty minutes per day of guided workplace meditation and...
]]> The Sophian: Mindfulness in America is a rapidly growing phenomenon currently gaining momentum in the form of the awareness meditation movement. While meditation is often taught as a practice distinct from the Buddhist religion, the practice was adapted from and continues to be informed by Buddhist principles.

“Mindfulness is part of the eightfold path for those who would be noble … taught by the Buddha in his first public teaching at Sarnath,” Jay Garfield, a professor of Buddhist studies said. “Mindfulness is necessary to maintain one’s practice, whatever one’s practice is, for it involves focusing on current state of mind, current intention, current motivation, current action.”

While mindful awareness may be crucial for those wishing to follow the path to freedom from suffering prescribed by the Buddha, it is not necessary to be a Buddhist in order to embrace the simplicity of mindfulness meditation in everyday life.

What does it mean to act mindfully? Many meditation instructions describe mindfulness as…

Read the rest of this article…

something to be cultivated rather than achieved.

Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, a teacher in the Kagyu lineage of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, said that “Mindfulness does not mean pushing oneself toward something or hanging on to something. It means allowing oneself to be there in the very moment of what is happening in the living process – and then letting go.”

Sofia Gambuto ‘12, regularly attends the Monday night guided Zen meditation sessions in Helen Hills Hills Chapel. “When I get frustrated or overwhelmed, I get caught up in my own negative thought process,” she said. “Meditation helps me step back and give my mind a break. Initially I only experienced two to five minutes of clarity, but it was worth it to come back. Sitting regularly helps me focus. Afterwards, it takes me two instead of four hours to write my lab report.” For Gambuto, sitting mindfully can be considered an investment in the efficient use of her time.

Discriminating awareness is not restricted to the meditation cushion. A state of wakefulness can be applied in organic chemistry class, at breakfast, on the soccer field or in any one of the diverse situations in which a student may find herself spacing out and losing touch with the present.

“So much of what we do that causes us to suffer, or to cause suffering to others, or just to fall short of the standards we set for ourselves, is the consequence of inattention to our current state of mind and our current action,” said Garfield. “So much error and emotional confusion ensues from automatic reactions of which we are unaware, and which we can in fact control, or from neglect of what is perfectly obvious. Mindfulness is the antidote to all this. It is often surprising how much happier one can be, and how much more one can accomplish, if one only pays attention.”

Samatha, or calm abiding is one common form of mindfulness meditation that has been adapted for use as a stress reducer and as other forms of cognitive behavioral medicine. This form of meditation involves assuming an erect but comfortable posture, often while sitting cross-legged on a meditation cushion or the floor. The eyes should rest, but not focus, on whatever is in front of you.

The practice should be conducted in a relatively quiet environment as free from distractions as one’s living situation will allow. As the mind begins to wander, or zip about bouncing off the walls as the case may be, one is advised to simply observe and come back to the breath. The goal is not to try to stop thinking; instead, practitioners will simply realize that they are drifting and will return to the breath, without intervening or chastising themselves.

Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder and director of the Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School teaches a similar breath-based technique, adapted from a form of meditation known as vipassana, to help people cope with stress, depression, pain and illness.

There are many resources on and around campus for students interested in trying out meditation. Aside from the Monday night meditation at 6:45 p.m. in Helen Hills Hills Chapel, there are many meditation centers in downtown Northampton, including the Pioneer Valley Shambhala Center, Zen Center on Main Street and the Insight Meditation Center of the Pioneer Valley.

All of the centers have weekly drop-in sittings open to the public. Thanks to the hectic life of a college student, there are many opportunities to explore the whirlwind of anxiety or distractions in which so many Smith students find themselves swept up.

If you want to keep your feet on the ground, consider a reversal of the old adage: “Don’t just do something, sit there!”

Related posts:

  1. Meditation Offers Benefits for Patients and Nurses National Nursing News: Meditation — long considered by many the...
  2. Sitting quietly, doing something The New York Times: I recently spent an evening with...
  3. Workplace yoga and meditation can lower feelings of stress Physorg.com: Twenty minutes per day of guided workplace meditation and...

]]> http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/the-benefits-of-mindful-sitting/feed 0 Review – The Art and Science of Mindfulness http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/review-the-art-and-science-of-mindfulness http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/review-the-art-and-science-of-mindfulness#comments Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:17:15 +0000 Meditation News http://www.wildmind.org/?p=6619 "Integrating Mindfulness into Psychology and the Helping Professions," by Susan Shapiro and Linda CarlsonMetapsychology Online Reviews: The integration and incorporation of mindfulness training into the mainstream of mental health may well turn out to be one of the most significant developments of the last ten or fifteen years. The literature has expanded exponentially and has moved in quite substantial ways from the use of Buddhist insights and techniques to a regular adjunct of CBT and especially DBT. This new text from Shapiro and Carlson takes us back to the origins of the concept, but also forward to the practical application of mindfulness in clinical settings. It is clearly and happily situated between the scientific paradigm of research evidence (and the authors show this) and the practical world of the individual experience. The authors try to show the interweaving of Buddhist teachings that emphasize intentionality and focus on the knowable, and the scientific tradition that looks for evidence of efficacy and generalizability rather than particularity. It is clear from the outset that they want to consider what they call both the art and the science of mindfulness. The authors detail three different ways in which mindfulness can be integrated into psychotherapy and how it can be applied to direct clinical work: the mindful therapist; mindfulness-informed therapy; and mindfulness-based psychotherapy. These different pathways, as the authors term them, show different ways to... Read the rest of this article...
integration of the basic precepts, and although there is a great deal of overlap, there are also distinct aspects. There may not, as the authors contend, be an awful lot of differences in the outcome, but the ways and directions of the approach bear some unpacking. The mindful therapist emphasizes the skills of empathy and being present. The notion that these are skills is central for it assumes that techniques can be learnt and polished, that the doing is sometimes a separate question than the valuing. We may all agree that these qualities are good things, but how to show them in practice may be something else all together. The authors argue that mindfulness in the therapist can be taught and people can be trained, and they give a number of useful exercises that could be undertaken as n individual or as a group training program. Even if some of the reminders they scatter through the chapter, such as asking, "What is your intention? Why are you reading this book?", could be used as handy prompts to even the most experienced therapist. What is your intention? Where is your attention? are questions that never go out of style and never lose their relevance. Mindfulness-informed therapy is used to capture therapies that use insights from mindfulness and Buddhist teachings, but incorporate them into a more eclectic presentation rather than actually directly teaching meditation or other practices. This may well be the most influential aspect of the concept of mindfulness in current psychotherapy because although for many practitioners and many clients meditation may be difficult to access (both practically and conceptually), the informal practices refer to implementing and applying the ideas to everyday life and developing open, accepting and discerning attention, in a conscious and intentional manner can effect profound and lasting change. Mindfulness-based psychotherapy is used to describe the explicit, perhaps pure application of principles to the therapeutic context. It is perhaps rarer and may even be, for some, pushing the argument a little too far. However, the explication of the techniques and programmes in the book are informative and thought-provoking. There is a model of health that underpins the theorizing (as opposed to a model of ill-health). For the authors the intentional development of non-judgmental attention (focussing clearly on what is) leads, almost inevitably if applied clearly and rigorously, to self-awareness and self-regulation and equally inevitably to greater order and health -- and all through internal loci of control rather than some external application of expertise. Mindfulness, in this way, is seen to promote self-efficacy alongside wellness. It is a feature of the book that it reads as well from a therapist's viewpoint as it does from a self-help position. Although it seems to have been written with practitioners in mind, it could easily be absorbed by anyone looking to understand themselves a little better. For some, it may appear to be too mystical or quasi-religious -- there are certainly many references to Buddhist precepts and aphorisms, and there are meditation exercises which are not just thinking exercises -- but for most the simple practices of reflection and action upon reflection may have a deep resonance. It is a book that will appeal on many levels. It is approachable and not hard to digest. The authors should be congratulated for bringing out and explicating some of the most important and perhaps kindest trends in modern psychotherapy for the benefit of us all.
Related posts:
  1. How to practice mindfulness meditation Psychology Today: Ancient wisdom from Buddhism for today's therapists and...
  2. Mindfulness meditation helps cancer patients and caregivers The words, “You have cancer,” forever change one’s life. Even...
  3. Meditation increases concentration: CBCS study The Times of India: Parents struggling with the problem of...
]]>

“Integrating Mindfulness into Psychology and the Helping Professions,”
by Susan Shapiro and Linda Carlson

Metapsychology Online Reviews: The integration and incorporation of mindfulness training into the mainstream of mental health may well turn out to be one of the most significant developments of the last ten or fifteen years. The literature has expanded exponentially and has moved in quite substantial ways from the use of Buddhist insights and techniques to a regular adjunct of CBT and especially DBT. This new text from Shapiro and Carlson takes us back to the origins of the concept, but also forward to the practical application of mindfulness in clinical settings. It is clearly and happily situated between the scientific paradigm of research evidence (and the authors show this) and the practical world of the individual experience.

The authors try to show the interweaving of Buddhist teachings that emphasize intentionality and focus on the knowable, and the scientific tradition that looks for evidence of efficacy and generalizability rather than particularity. It is clear from the outset that they want to consider what they call both the art and the science of mindfulness.

The authors detail three different ways in which mindfulness can be integrated into psychotherapy and how it can be applied to direct clinical work: the mindful therapist; mindfulness-informed therapy; and mindfulness-based psychotherapy. These different pathways, as the authors term them, show different ways to…

Read the rest of this article…

integration of the basic precepts, and although there is a great deal of overlap, there are also distinct aspects. There may not, as the authors contend, be an awful lot of differences in the outcome, but the ways and directions of the approach bear some unpacking.

The mindful therapist emphasizes the skills of empathy and being present. The notion that these are skills is central for it assumes that techniques can be learnt and polished, that the doing is sometimes a separate question than the valuing. We may all agree that these qualities are good things, but how to show them in practice may be something else all together. The authors argue that mindfulness in the therapist can be taught and people can be trained, and they give a number of useful exercises that could be undertaken as n individual or as a group training program. Even if some of the reminders they scatter through the chapter, such as asking, “What is your intention? Why are you reading this book?”, could be used as handy prompts to even the most experienced therapist. What is your intention? Where is your attention? are questions that never go out of style and never lose their relevance.

Mindfulness-informed therapy is used to capture therapies that use insights from mindfulness and Buddhist teachings, but incorporate them into a more eclectic presentation rather than actually directly teaching meditation or other practices. This may well be the most influential aspect of the concept of mindfulness in current psychotherapy because although for many practitioners and many clients meditation may be difficult to access (both practically and conceptually), the informal practices refer to implementing and applying the ideas to everyday life and developing open, accepting and discerning attention, in a conscious and intentional manner can effect profound and lasting change.

Mindfulness-based psychotherapy is used to describe the explicit, perhaps pure application of principles to the therapeutic context. It is perhaps rarer and may even be, for some, pushing the argument a little too far. However, the explication of the techniques and programmes in the book are informative and thought-provoking.

There is a model of health that underpins the theorizing (as opposed to a model of ill-health). For the authors the intentional development of non-judgmental attention (focussing clearly on what is) leads, almost inevitably if applied clearly and rigorously, to self-awareness and self-regulation and equally inevitably to greater order and health — and all through internal loci of control rather than some external application of expertise. Mindfulness, in this way, is seen to promote self-efficacy alongside wellness.

It is a feature of the book that it reads as well from a therapist’s viewpoint as it does from a self-help position. Although it seems to have been written with practitioners in mind, it could easily be absorbed by anyone looking to understand themselves a little better. For some, it may appear to be too mystical or quasi-religious — there are certainly many references to Buddhist precepts and aphorisms, and there are meditation exercises which are not just thinking exercises — but for most the simple practices of reflection and action upon reflection may have a deep resonance.

It is a book that will appeal on many levels. It is approachable and not hard to digest. The authors should be congratulated for bringing out and explicating some of the most important and perhaps kindest trends in modern psychotherapy for the benefit of us all.

Related posts:

  1. How to practice mindfulness meditation Psychology Today: Ancient wisdom from Buddhism for today's therapists and...
  2. Mindfulness meditation helps cancer patients and caregivers The words, “You have cancer,” forever change one’s life. Even...
  3. Meditation increases concentration: CBCS study The Times of India: Parents struggling with the problem of...

]]> http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/review-the-art-and-science-of-mindfulness/feed 0 Ashland, Oregon, Buddhist center nears completion http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/ashland-oregon-buddhist-center-nears-completion http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/ashland-oregon-buddhist-center-nears-completion#comments Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:08:32 +0000 Meditation News http://www.wildmind.org/?p=6616 Mail Tribune: With about $200,000 in donated labor from volunteers, a three-story, $1.6 million Buddhist meditation center is nearing completion in Ashland and will open for classes the first week of June. The 5,800-square-foot home of Kagya Sukha Choling is a blend of traditional Tibetan and contemporary "green-sustainable" architecture — and is being lauded as an "eternal" structure that will offer spiritual and economic benefits. "It's a beautiful thing, long-lasting, environmentally friendly and embodying ethics and values we so much need today," said Kagya Sukha Choling board member Anne Stine. "It's a gift to the Rogue Valley community, a beacon for Ashland in terms of resources, classes and visitors — and good for the economy and other businesses." The center, founded in 2002 in a house on Granite Street, took out permits in 2005 to build at the Hersey Street location and set out to raise just over $1 million for construction. The ground floor houses offices, library and classrooms. The second floor has a large meditation hall and kitchen while the top floor is apartments for the two lamas, plus quarters for visiting lamas. An outside porch surrounds the top floor, which shows accents of red and gold. Final touches will include prayer wheels from Nepal, ornamental full moons, dharma wheels, two deer and banners. In the remaining three months before opening, KSC has to raise the final $75,000 for the project. Related posts:
  1. Military Buddhist chapel represents tolerance NPR: The Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., is...
  2. Buddhist monk has inner peace, just needs driver’s license The Buddhist monk reaches a top speed of 5 mph...
  3. What inspired a scientist to open a meditation center at UCLA? Huffington Post: I recently attended a gathering of supporters of...
]]> Mail Tribune: With about $200,000 in donated labor from volunteers, a three-story, $1.6 million Buddhist meditation center is nearing completion in Ashland and will open for classes the first week of June.

The 5,800-square-foot home of Kagya Sukha Choling is a blend of traditional Tibetan and contemporary “green-sustainable” architecture — and is being lauded as an “eternal” structure that will offer spiritual and economic benefits.

“It’s a beautiful thing, long-lasting, environmentally friendly and embodying ethics and values we so much need today,” said Kagya Sukha Choling board member Anne Stine. “It’s a gift to the Rogue Valley community, a beacon for Ashland in terms of resources, classes and visitors — and good for the economy and other businesses.”

The center, founded in 2002 in a house on Granite Street, took out permits in 2005 to build at the Hersey Street location and set out to raise just over $1 million for construction.

The ground floor houses offices, library and classrooms. The second floor has a large meditation hall and kitchen while the top floor is apartments for the two lamas, plus quarters for visiting lamas.

An outside porch surrounds the top floor, which shows accents of red and gold. Final touches will include prayer wheels from Nepal, ornamental full moons, dharma wheels, two deer and banners.

In the remaining three months before opening, KSC has to raise the final $75,000 for the project.

Related posts:

  1. Military Buddhist chapel represents tolerance NPR: The Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., is...
  2. Buddhist monk has inner peace, just needs driver’s license The Buddhist monk reaches a top speed of 5 mph...
  3. What inspired a scientist to open a meditation center at UCLA? Huffington Post: I recently attended a gathering of supporters of...

]]> http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/ashland-oregon-buddhist-center-nears-completion/feed 0 How disease, therapy, drugs and meditation reshape the brain http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/how-disease-therapy-drugs-and-meditation-reshape-the-brain http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/how-disease-therapy-drugs-and-meditation-reshape-the-brain#comments Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:00:13 +0000 Meditation News http://www.wildmind.org/?p=6612 Medicine and Public Health and chair of the HealthEmotions Research Institute. “Neuroplasticity of Emotion: Psychopathology & Treatment” will be held in the Ebling Auditorium on the UW-Madison campus April 21 and 22. Scientists who will be presenting their research include:
  • Dr. Ron Duman, professor of psychiatry and pharmacology, Yale School of Medicine, will discuss how stress and depression can kill neurons in the brain.
  • Dr. John Krystal, chair of psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, will talk about how treatment with medications that affect neuroplasticity can be used to facilitate the effects of talk therapy in patients with anxiety disorders.
  • Dr. Richard Davidson, Vilas Professor of psychiatry and psychology at the UW, will discuss his studies on well-being and how meditation affects the neural circuitry involved in emotion and cognition.
  • Dr. Richard Tremblay, professor of pediatrics, psychiatry and psychology at the University of Montreal, will talk about the developmental origin of aggression and preventive factors.
  • Jennifer Beer, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Texas, will discuss how the frontal lobe is involved in modulating social behavior by self-monitoring.
  • Jon Kar-Zubieta, professor of psychiatry at the Univeristiy of Michigan, will discuss how molecular changes in the brain mediate the placebo response.
“The meeting is absolutely unique in that it allows the speakers to have an hour to present their work and an additional hour is dedicated to the discussion of each presentation,” Kalin says. The discussion is led by UW students who have participated this semester in a course focused on the work of the presenting scientists. The HealthEmotions Research Institute provides travel scholarship awards to support the expenses of up to 45 trainees from the US and around the world to come to Madison to participate in the meeting. The institute encourages students from all levels – undergraduate, graduate, medical, residents in psychiatry and post-doctoral PhD candidates – to attend. “This is a wonderful opportunity for students at all levels to interact with world- class scientists and to meet UW-Madison faculty,” Kalin says. “All interested UW faculty and students are invited to attend.” For more information about the meeting, travel scholarships, and registrationfor the 16th Annual Wisconsin Symposium on Emotion, see http://www.healthemotions.org/symposium/ Related posts:
  1. Meditation seen promising as ADHD therapy Vancouver Sun: The practice of transcendental meditation may help children...
  2. Meditation treats bladder control, incontinence without drugs NaturalNews: There’s a reason “adult diapers” like Depends and costly...
  3. Can blocking a frown keep bad feelings at bay? University of Wisconsin News: Your facial expression may tell the...
]]> Leading neuroscientists will gather at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the 16th annual symposium on emotion in April to discuss how the human brain changes in response to disease and treatment.

The brain is a very plastic organ and we now know that changes in the structure and function of the brain are associated with learning, psychiatric illness and treatment, and positive intrapersonal growth. Topics include brain changes wrought by depression; brain mechanisms underlying the placebo response, how the brain is altered in individuals prone to bullying and aggression, and how meditation influences well-being through its influences on brain plasticity.

“It’s a world-class lineup of researchers who will present their latest work on the neuroplasticity of the brain as it relates to helping people make significant behavioral and emotional changes as well as in treating individuals with more severe mental illness,” says Dr. Ned Kalin, chair of psychiatry at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health and chair of the HealthEmotions Research Institute.

“Neuroplasticity of Emotion: Psychopathology & Treatment” will be held in the Ebling Auditorium on the UW-Madison campus April 21 and 22. Scientists who will be presenting their research include:

  • Dr. Ron Duman, professor of psychiatry and pharmacology, Yale School of Medicine, will discuss how stress and depression can kill neurons in the brain.
  • Dr. John Krystal, chair of psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, will talk about how treatment with medications that affect neuroplasticity can be used to facilitate the effects of talk therapy in patients with anxiety disorders.
  • Dr. Richard Davidson, Vilas Professor of psychiatry and psychology at the UW, will discuss his studies on well-being and how meditation affects the neural circuitry involved in emotion and cognition.
  • Dr. Richard Tremblay, professor of pediatrics, psychiatry and psychology at the University of Montreal, will talk about the developmental origin of aggression and preventive factors.
  • Jennifer Beer, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Texas, will discuss how the frontal lobe is involved in modulating social behavior by self-monitoring.
  • Jon Kar-Zubieta, professor of psychiatry at the Univeristiy of Michigan, will discuss how molecular changes in the brain mediate the placebo response.

“The meeting is absolutely unique in that it allows the speakers to have an hour to present their work and an additional hour is dedicated to the discussion of each presentation,” Kalin says.

The discussion is led by UW students who have participated this semester in a course focused on the work of the presenting scientists. The HealthEmotions Research Institute provides travel scholarship awards to support the expenses of up to 45 trainees from the US and around the world to come to Madison to participate in the meeting. The institute encourages students from all levels – undergraduate, graduate, medical, residents in psychiatry and post-doctoral PhD candidates – to attend.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for students at all levels to interact with world- class scientists and to meet UW-Madison faculty,” Kalin says. “All interested UW faculty and students are invited to attend.” For more information about the meeting, travel scholarships, and registration for the 16th Annual Wisconsin Symposium on Emotion, see http://www.healthemotions.org/symposium/.

Related posts:

  1. Meditation seen promising as ADHD therapy Vancouver Sun: The practice of transcendental meditation may help children...
  2. Meditation treats bladder control, incontinence without drugs NaturalNews: There’s a reason “adult diapers” like Depends and costly...
  3. Can blocking a frown keep bad feelings at bay? University of Wisconsin News: Your facial expression may tell the...

]]> http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/how-disease-therapy-drugs-and-meditation-reshape-the-brain/feed 0 Stress free, medicine free http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/stress-free-medicine-free http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/stress-free-medicine-free#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:15:37 +0000 Meditation News http://www.wildmind.org/?p=6608 WLTV: If there were a medication you could take that would reduce stress, lower your blood pressure, reduce anxiety, increase your ability to focus, prevent disease and improve your quality of life would you take it? Well, there is no such drug, but research shows that meditation can help all of those things. Doctors at Mayo Clinic have developed an iPhone application to help you fit the many benefits of meditation into your busy life. Ann Marie Gullickson's life is packed. She works, takes classes, keeps her family organized and somehow finds time to sew costumes for her kids' performances. "When my mind is really busy with all the different balls I have in the air." Meditation is what keeps her together. Every day Ann Marie carves out 10 minutes and turns on her iPhone meditation app for a quick, but very effective session. "Sometimes when I'm meditating or right after, I maybe don't feel any different. But later I'll notice the sense of awareness, of calm, of presence." Then, Ann Marie says, the to-do list that used to feel miles long, seems a little less daunting. She feels less stressed. "Meditation is a state of concentration with relaxation." Dr. Amit Sood and his colleagues at Mayo Clinic developed the application after four years of research. "We combined concepts and ideas from a variety of meditation styles. We also looked at some of the scientific data and put it all together into a program that could be learned in as little as 10 minutes." It's very user-friendly. Musical chords synchronized with moving circles help you focus your breathing and mind. Dr. Sood says if you practice this two or more times a day, you will begin to feel more alert, focused, relaxed, and like Ann Marie, better equipped to confront a busy day. There is no mystical, ritualistic or religion-based approach to it. It's simply a way to train your mind so that your attention becomes strong. And that can help you live a fuller, more balanced. Related posts:
  1. Mind Matters: Try these stress-fighting techniques NAPLES NEWS: There are many measures that may alleviate or...
  2. Workplace yoga and meditation can lower feelings of stress Physorg.com: Twenty minutes per day of guided workplace meditation and...
  3. Meditate to melt stress, improve health Newer research from the University of Wisconsin shows a meditation...
]]> WLTV: If there were a medication you could take that would reduce stress, lower your blood pressure, reduce anxiety, increase your ability to focus, prevent disease and improve your quality of life would you take it? Well, there is no such drug, but research shows that meditation can help all of those things. Doctors at Mayo Clinic have developed an iPhone application to help you fit the many benefits of meditation into your busy life.

Ann Marie Gullickson’s life is packed. She works, takes classes, keeps her family organized and somehow finds time to sew costumes for her kids’ performances. “When my mind is really busy with all the different balls I have in the air.”

Meditation is what keeps her together. Every day Ann Marie carves out 10 minutes and turns on her iPhone meditation app for a quick, but very effective session. “Sometimes when I’m meditating or right after, I maybe don’t feel any different. But later I’ll notice the sense of awareness, of calm, of presence.” Then, Ann Marie says, the to-do list that used to feel miles long, seems a little less daunting. She feels less stressed. “Meditation is a state of concentration with relaxation.”

Dr. Amit Sood and his colleagues at Mayo Clinic developed the application after four years of research. “We combined concepts and ideas from a variety of meditation styles. We also looked at some of the scientific data and put it all together into a program that could be learned in as little as 10 minutes.”

It’s very user-friendly. Musical chords synchronized with moving circles help you focus your breathing and mind. Dr. Sood says if you practice this two or more times a day, you will begin to feel more alert, focused, relaxed, and like Ann Marie, better equipped to confront a busy day. There is no mystical, ritualistic or religion-based approach to it. It’s simply a way to train your mind so that your attention becomes strong. And that can help you live a fuller, more balanced.

Related posts:

  1. Mind Matters: Try these stress-fighting techniques NAPLES NEWS: There are many measures that may alleviate or...
  2. Workplace yoga and meditation can lower feelings of stress Physorg.com: Twenty minutes per day of guided workplace meditation and...
  3. Meditate to melt stress, improve health Newer research from the University of Wisconsin shows a meditation...

]]> http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/stress-free-medicine-free/feed 0 Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Gary Snyder comes to Acton http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/pulitzer-prize-winning-poet-gary-snyder-comes-to-acton http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/pulitzer-prize-winning-poet-gary-snyder-comes-to-acton#comments Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:04:49 +0000 Meditation News http://www.wildmind.org/?p=6606 Read the rest of this article...
I think of Robert as an old friend," he said in a phone interview from California. "For people of my generation...Robert was a very important figure we were quite aware of. He was one of the people whose works we followed through the years to see what he was doing and what he was coming up with next." The award is given annually by the nonprofit Robert Creeley Foundation to honor the Acton-raised poet and teacher who wrote 60 volumes of innovative poetry until his death in 2004. Robert Clawson, a founding member who serves on the nominating committee, said Snyder's visit presents "a real opportunity for people to hear a legendary poet." "We think it's a real coup. Gary Snyder has not appeared much in the East. We're just delighted," he said. "His decision to come is a real high point for (the foundation's) 10th anniversary. It gives us lots of confidence about what we've been doing." Born in May 1930, Snyder has created a remarkably varied body of work as a poet, essayist, environmental activist and translator of Japanese and Chinese verse. An outdoorsman and Buddhist, he has written nearly 20 volumes of poetry in a distinctive voice that fuses Robinson Jeffers' passion for the natural world with William Blake's belief in its imminent spirituality. In 1974, Snyder won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for "Turtle Island," a collection of poems that synthesized American Indian myths, Buddhist philosophy and environmental concerns to forge new ways for people to live harmoniously on the Earth. Snyder said he began writing poetry at 15 when he started climbing "big snow peaks" while living with his mother and sister outside of Portland, Ore. "I only wrote poetry in those days because I couldn't find any other way to write what was happening in my mind or feelings in regards to the mountains," he said. "It was a search for a form and a language that I felt would do justice to what I was trying to say." Asked about early poetic influences, Snyder recalled reading Jeffers and D.H. Lawrence's "Birds, Beasts and Flowers" as a teenager in Portland's public library. Rather than imbuing mountains with spiritual qualities, Snyder said his earliest mountaineering poems, many of which remain unpublished, "were an exercise in trying to represent the starkness, inhumaneness and absence of feeling comfort" that he felt on the snowy peaks. After graduating from Reed College in 1951 with dual degrees in literature and anthropology, Snyder immersed himself in non-academic pursuits that fed his interests in the wilderness, Native American spirituality and East Asian painting and religion. He worked as a merchant seaman, a logger and fire lookout in the North Cascade mountains in Washington. After studying Zen Buddhism and Asian culture at University of California, Berkley, Snyder spent several years in Japan immersing himself in language study, Zen practice and other aspects of its culture. Snyder practices a school of Buddhism known as Rinzai Zen in Japan and Linji in China which stresses the possibility of "sudden enlightenment" after years of rigorous discipline. He cautioned that enlightenment rarely comes suddenly. "Any notions you have about enlightenment are completely false. That's just another human idea," said Snyder, laughing. "When my teacher shaved my head, he said even Buddha Shakyamuni is still meditating, still practicing, still working on himself somewhere in the universe." While growing numbers of Americans are studying Buddhism, Snyder said it would be misleading to "compare it with the artistic and poetic traditions" that have made some other non-Western religions popular. "Buddhism goes straight to the nature of consciousness itself. The main practice of Buddhism has always been reflection, contemplation and meditation with a basis in impermanence and the absence of self," he said. A true Buddhist practitioner must accept the "impermanence" of a constantly changing universe, the "absence of a deity" and any belief in a "substantial self" or personal soul, he said. Snyder said, "American Buddhism has got several centuries to go yet before it gets on its feet." Now 79, Snyder said he thinks of his work "in three categories rather than all one category." "I've written what I think are useful and clear essays in the environmental and ecological philosophy field. And they had a good influence, in particular, my book of essays 'Practice of the Wild."' He continued, "Another would be my work as a Buddhist and that is in some of my essays, and I think some useful and almost unique perspectives. The third thing I do is as a poet. And as a poet I'm in the American language." Summing up, Snyder said, "There's a literary world, an environmental world and there's a Buddhist philosophical world which are sort of woven or braided together." Asked where his disparate interests came together, Snyder laughed and said, "They all come together in the mind when you meditate. That's for sure." Choosing his words, he said, "It's not enough just to know yourself. "You have to become more aware of yourself and your context which is your world. In a sense, the world is our mind," he said. To illustrate his point, Snyder said when teaching workshops he'll sometimes take people out for a walk "to make them see where the rivers and streams are flowing to and from." "I'll remind them that good manners requires you to get to know the names of the plants and flowers and birds," he said. "That's etiquette." To learn about the Robert Creeley Foundation and Gary Snyder's appearance on March 16 in Acton, visit www.robertcreeleyfoundation.org.
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]]> Milford Daily News: Like the man himself, Gary Snyder’s poems speak with the keenness of a knife blade and the knottiness of a Zen riddle.

In poems written over the last 60 years, he might channel a magpie’s rhyming call, drink double shots of bourbon in a cowboy bar or translate the Chinese hermit poet called Cold Mountain.

Raised in the Pacific Northwest and a longtime California resident, Snyder will head east to Acton next week to receive the 10th annual Robert Creeley Award.

On Tuesday, March 16, at 7:30 p.m., Snyder will read his poems in the Acton-Boxborough Regional High School auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

He called Creeley a poet he “learned from (with) a significant and unique way of using the English and American language.”

“I knew Robert Creeley’s work and I knew Creeley the man for a while. So I’m very pleased to come because…

Read the rest of this article…

I think of Robert as an old friend,” he said in a phone interview from California. “For people of my generation…Robert was a very important figure we were quite aware of. He was one of the people whose works we followed through the years to see what he was doing and what he was coming up with next.”

The award is given annually by the nonprofit Robert Creeley Foundation to honor the Acton-raised poet and teacher who wrote 60 volumes of innovative poetry until his death in 2004.

Robert Clawson, a founding member who serves on the nominating committee, said Snyder’s visit presents “a real opportunity for people to hear a legendary poet.”

“We think it’s a real coup. Gary Snyder has not appeared much in the East. We’re just delighted,” he said. “His decision to come is a real high point for (the foundation’s) 10th anniversary. It gives us lots of confidence about what we’ve been doing.”

Born in May 1930, Snyder has created a remarkably varied body of work as a poet, essayist, environmental activist and translator of Japanese and Chinese verse.

An outdoorsman and Buddhist, he has written nearly 20 volumes of poetry in a distinctive voice that fuses Robinson Jeffers’ passion for the natural world with William Blake’s belief in its imminent spirituality.

In 1974, Snyder won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for “Turtle Island,” a collection of poems that synthesized American Indian myths, Buddhist philosophy and environmental concerns to forge new ways for people to live harmoniously on the Earth.

Snyder said he began writing poetry at 15 when he started climbing “big snow peaks” while living with his mother and sister outside of Portland, Ore. “I only wrote poetry in those days because I couldn’t find any other way to write what was happening in my mind or feelings in regards to the mountains,” he said. “It was a search for a form and a language that I felt would do justice to what I was trying to say.”

Asked about early poetic influences, Snyder recalled reading Jeffers and D.H. Lawrence’s “Birds, Beasts and Flowers” as a teenager in Portland’s public library.

Rather than imbuing mountains with spiritual qualities, Snyder said his earliest mountaineering poems, many of which remain unpublished, “were an exercise in trying to represent the starkness, inhumaneness and absence of feeling comfort” that he felt on the snowy peaks.

After graduating from Reed College in 1951 with dual degrees in literature and anthropology, Snyder immersed himself in non-academic pursuits that fed his interests in the wilderness, Native American spirituality and East Asian painting and religion. He worked as a merchant seaman, a logger and fire lookout in the North Cascade mountains in Washington.

After studying Zen Buddhism and Asian culture at University of California, Berkley, Snyder spent several years in Japan immersing himself in language study, Zen practice and other aspects of its culture.

Snyder practices a school of Buddhism known as Rinzai Zen in Japan and Linji in China which stresses the possibility of “sudden enlightenment” after years of rigorous discipline.

He cautioned that enlightenment rarely comes suddenly.

“Any notions you have about enlightenment are completely false. That’s just another human idea,” said Snyder, laughing. “When my teacher shaved my head, he said even Buddha Shakyamuni is still meditating, still practicing, still working on himself somewhere in the universe.”

While growing numbers of Americans are studying Buddhism, Snyder said it would be misleading to “compare it with the artistic and poetic traditions” that have made some other non-Western religions popular.

“Buddhism goes straight to the nature of consciousness itself. The main practice of Buddhism has always been reflection, contemplation and meditation with a basis in impermanence and the absence of self,” he said.

A true Buddhist practitioner must accept the “impermanence” of a constantly changing universe, the “absence of a deity” and any belief in a “substantial self” or personal soul, he said.

Snyder said, “American Buddhism has got several centuries to go yet before it gets on its feet.”

Now 79, Snyder said he thinks of his work “in three categories rather than all one category.”

“I’ve written what I think are useful and clear essays in the environmental and ecological philosophy field. And they had a good influence, in particular, my book of essays ‘Practice of the Wild.”‘

He continued, “Another would be my work as a Buddhist and that is in some of my essays, and I think some useful and almost unique perspectives. The third thing I do is as a poet. And as a poet I’m in the American language.”

Summing up, Snyder said, “There’s a literary world, an environmental world and there’s a Buddhist philosophical world which are sort of woven or braided together.”

Asked where his disparate interests came together, Snyder laughed and said, “They all come together in the mind when you meditate. That’s for sure.”

Choosing his words, he said, “It’s not enough just to know yourself.

“You have to become more aware of yourself and your context which is your world. In a sense, the world is our mind,” he said.

To illustrate his point, Snyder said when teaching workshops he’ll sometimes take people out for a walk “to make them see where the rivers and streams are flowing to and from.”

“I’ll remind them that good manners requires you to get to know the names of the plants and flowers and birds,” he said. “That’s etiquette.”

To learn about the Robert Creeley Foundation and Gary Snyder’s appearance on March 16 in Acton, visit www.robertcreeleyfoundation.org.

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]]> http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/pulitzer-prize-winning-poet-gary-snyder-comes-to-acton/feed 0 Renowned translator-scholar to give three public talks about Buddhism, Mongolia in Brattleboro http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/renowned-translator-scholar-in-brattleboro http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/renowned-translator-scholar-in-brattleboro#comments Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:57:42 +0000 Meditation News http://www.wildmind.org/?p=6604
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    • ]]>     Brattleboro Reformer: Lama Glenn Mullin, whose more than 30 widely-respected translations of Tibetan Buddhist texts and commentaries have earned him wide respect in Buddhist and academic circles, will visit Brattleboro for four days in mid-March to present talks about his work in Mongolia and to provide insights on some of the Tibetan Buddhist texts he has worked with for years.

    He will give a free talk and film about Mongolia at S.I.T. Graduate Center on Monday, March 15, at 6 p.m.; a free illustrated public talk about the feminine in Buddhism at the Hooker-Dunham Theatre on Tuesday, March 16, at 6:30 p.m.; and a for-donation public teaching on the Six Yogas of Naropa at the Centre Congregational Church on Wednesday, March 17, at 6:30 p.m. preceded by a meditation at 4:30 p.m.

    Mullin has authored more than two dozen books on Tibetan Buddhist culture, many of which are translated into a dozen languages. He studied in the Himalayas for almost two decades, with many of the greatest lamas alive at the time, and has taught Buddhist meditation and philosophy in more than 20 countries around the world. He presently lives in Mongolia, where he is helping to rebuild the traditional culture. For the past year he has focused on restoring the Mongolian residence of the great Russian-born New York artist and writer, Nicholas Roerich, one of the early luminaries of the theosophical movement.

    His visit will be led off by a public meditation on Sunday afternoon, March 14, at Neighbors Hall at Solar Hill. There will be an insight meditation session (preceded by brief instruction) from 12:30 until 1:30 p.m., followed by tea. During the remainder of the afternoon, beginning at 2 p.m. until 4 p.m., people are encouraged to come by to participate in a tonglen (“taking and sending”) compassion meditation session, devoted to the leaders of the world’s countries.

    Mullin’s presentation at S.I.T. on March 15, “Nicholas Roerich and Buddhism in Mongolia — Restoration of a Damaged Culture” will include the film “Saving the Roerich House” about the repair and establishment of a Roerich museum in Ulaam-Bataar, Mongolia, as well as the re-involvement of Mongolia’s re-invigorated Buddhist culture.

    Roerich traveled and taught in Mongolia during the 1920s and early ‘30s, and was later nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. After decades of repression, Mongolia’s folk culture and centuries-old embrace of Tibetan Buddhism are finally being brought back to the public eye, and need much additional support. The talk begins at 6 p.m. in the International Center, and is followed by a reception hosted by S.I.T. at the campus off Kipling Road, about one mile from Putney Road, up Black Mountain Road.

    On March 16, Mullin will give an illustrated talk about “The Vivid Presence of the Feminine in Tibetan Buddhism” beginning at 6:30 p.m. The free public talk at the Hooker-Dunham Theatre at 139 Main St. in Brattleboro will look at the extraordinary force with which both women teachers and the energy of the feminine have shaped the evolution of Buddhism in Tibet, and the relationship with Tibetan Buddhism now.

    Finally, on March 17 at Centre Congregational Church, Mullin will discuss “The Six Yogas of Naropa,” texts and commentaries written by Tsongkapa which form the core of some of the more powerful conceptual practices in the Vajrayana Buddhist traditions of Tibet. He has written two books on the Six Yogas of Naropa as part of his series on Buddhist philosophy, and it is expected this commentary will be good support for any Buddhist engaged in Vajrayana practice.

    Centre Congregational Church is at 193 Main St. in Brattleboro. There will be a free meditation session from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. followed by tea, and then Mullin’s talk from 6:30 until 8:30. Youth under 16 are free, and all others are asked to make a donation as possible from $5 to $15. No one will be turned away for financial reasons. The space is handicapped accessible. Those attending may bring their own cushion. Reservations will guarantee a space, write michaelb@sover.net to pre-register with contact information, with “6 Yogas” in the subject line.

    Mullin’s background includes curating a number of significant exhibitions of Tibetan art and iconography, as well as books highlighting the lives of the earliest Dalai Lamas. His considerable expertise, warm manner, and spontaneous humor have entertained audiences around the world.

    For further information call Elisabeth Yesko at 802-246-7253 or Michael Billingsley at 802-254-3975, or write michaelb@sover.net.

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    ]]>     http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/renowned-translator-scholar-in-brattleboro/feed 0     How meditation can improve leaders’ performance http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/how-meditation-can-improve-leaders-performance http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/how-meditation-can-improve-leaders-performance#comments Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:51:53 +0000 Meditation News http://www.wildmind.org/?p=6602 Read the rest of this article...
    the brain, showing that the brain's functioning actually improved. Finally, the study described how meditation enhanced an individual's sense of "self" by activating what neuroscientists call the "default node network" in the brain, the natural ground state of the brain that exists when you close your eyes, but is much more enhanced during meditation. Previous research, funded by the National Institute of Health shows that meditation practice decreases blood pressure, heart disease, and lowers cholesterol. So it seems that there is a cost-efficient, easy to learn strategy to enhance leaders' (and employees' in general), performance, that could make a significant difference.
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    ]]>     National Post: (By Ray B. Williams) The role of a leader in organizations is one of constant pressure to perform and stress to solve problems. Leaders need to be at the top of their game to be alert and productive at all times. Unfortunately, far too many leaders use adrenalin-type of strategies to do so, such as caffeine, long working hours and poor nutrition. Certainly the notion of slowing down and being in a peaceful state isn’t commonly seen as an effective leadership strategy. Yet recent brain research shows that meditation can actually improve performance.

    A study at American University and published in a special issue of Cognitive Processing, dedicated to meditation and consciousness in February, 2010, concluded that meditation, carried out effectively, produced a unique state of “restful alertness,” as seen in the markedly higher alpha power in the frontal cortex and lower beta and gamma waves in the same area. The study also showed that meditation produced greater alpha wave coherence between the left and right hemispheres of…

    Read the rest of this article…

    the brain, showing that the brain’s functioning actually improved. Finally, the study described how meditation enhanced an individual’s sense of “self” by activating what neuroscientists call the “default node network” in the brain, the natural ground state of the brain that exists when you close your eyes, but is much more enhanced during meditation.

    Previous research, funded by the National Institute of Health shows that meditation practice decreases blood pressure, heart disease, and lowers cholesterol.

    So it seems that there is a cost-efficient, easy to learn strategy to enhance leaders’ (and employees’ in general), performance, that could make a significant difference.

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    ]]>     http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/how-meditation-can-improve-leaders-performance/feed 0     Yoga, meditation helps heal grief http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/yoga-meditation-helps-heal-grief http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/yoga-meditation-helps-heal-grief#comments Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:16:27 +0000 Meditation News http://www.wildmind.org/?p=6600 Frederick News Post: "Losing a loved one is hard on the heart and hard on the body, but there is some good news in that there are easy-to-learn techniques that can at least relive some of the physical complaints, and even calm the mind." Whittington began planning for the new business while completing her coursework at Hood College, where she earned the master's degree in January. She presented a poster of the business at the Association of Death Educators and Counselors annual meeting last year. She wrote "Living in the Body: Using Awareness of Physical Sensation to Cope With Loss" in the organization's October edition of its quarterly publication, The Forum. The response was positive from the death education and counseling community, she said, and decided to move forward with her plans for the business. Whittington has managed Maryland Yoga Therapy at the Center for Mind-Body Therapies since 2003 and was honored for her entrepreneurship for a former business, Gecko Media Group, in 2002. Related posts:
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    ]]>     People cope with the death of a loved one in different ways.

    A local woman is using mind-body therapies such as yoga, meditation and journaling to help grieving folks cope with the loss.

    Heather K. Whittington holds a master’s degree in thantology, the study of death and dying, from Hood College. She is also a Certified Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy practitioner.

    She combined her professional training in both to launch Mindful Grief at Mind-Body Therapies, 5 N. Bentz St., Frederick . Services include Yoga for Grief classes, group relaxation workshops and private Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy sessions.

    “Grief is a physical reaction to loss that causes emotional, physical and behavioral responses that creates more stress,” Whittington said.

    Frederick News Post: “Losing a loved one is hard on the heart and hard on the body, but there is some good news in that there are easy-to-learn techniques that can at least relive some of the physical complaints, and even calm the mind.”

    Whittington began planning for the new business while completing her coursework at Hood College, where she earned the master’s degree in January. She presented a poster of the business at the Association of Death Educators and Counselors annual meeting last year. She wrote “Living in the Body: Using Awareness of Physical Sensation to Cope With Loss” in the organization’s October edition of its quarterly publication, The Forum. The response was positive from the death education and counseling community, she said, and decided to move forward with her plans for the business.

    Whittington has managed Maryland Yoga Therapy at the Center for Mind-Body Therapies since 2003 and was honored for her entrepreneurship for a former business, Gecko Media Group, in 2002.

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    ]]>     http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/yoga-meditation-helps-heal-grief/feed 0     Dalai Lama returns to Madison this Spring http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/dalai-lama-returns-to-madison-this-spring http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/dalai-lama-returns-to-madison-this-spring#comments Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:42:55 +0000 Meditation News http://www.wildmind.org/?p=6598 WTAQ: The Dalai Lama will return to Madison this spring – this time to help open the UW’s new Center for Investigating Healthy Minds. The center was created to study the development of the human mind. Its founder, UW neuroscientist Richard Davidson, will speak at a public forum with the Dalai Lama on May 16th as part of the center’s grand opening weekend. Davidson said the highly-regarded peace envoy encouraged him to start the center, when he challenged him in 1992 to use scientific tools to study positive qualities like kindness and compassion. Davidson has worked with meditation experts to see how the brain encourages happiness and compassion. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibet. He has made 6 previous visits to the Madison area since 1979. The most recent was 3 years ago, when he addressed over 12,000 people at the Kohl Center. The Dalai Lama is connected with the Deer Park Buddhist Center in Oregon, just south of Madison. And he has worked with UW experts on the benefits of meditation. Related posts:
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    ]]>     WTAQ: The Dalai Lama will return to Madison this spring – this time to help open the UW’s new Center for Investigating Healthy Minds. The center was created to study the development of the human mind. Its founder, UW neuroscientist Richard Davidson, will speak at a public forum with the Dalai Lama on May 16th as part of the center’s grand opening weekend. Davidson said the highly-regarded peace envoy encouraged him to start the center, when he challenged him in 1992 to use scientific tools to study positive qualities like kindness and compassion.

    Davidson has worked with meditation experts to see how the brain encourages happiness and compassion. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibet. He has made 6 previous visits to the Madison area since 1979. The most recent was 3 years ago, when he addressed over 12,000 people at the Kohl Center. The Dalai Lama is connected with the Deer Park Buddhist Center in Oregon, just south of Madison. And he has worked with UW experts on the benefits of meditation.

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    ]]>     http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/news/dalai-lama-returns-to-madison-this-spring/feed 0