Journalist Daniel Goleman is the author of many books, including the international bestseller Emotional Intelligence and Destructive Emotions: A Scientific Dialogue with the Dalai Lama. His latest book, A Force for Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World, is another collaboration with His Holiness, in which Goleman outlines the Dalai Lama’s theory of change and his vision for the…
Since 2004, one of the cornerstones of Mind and Life’s programming has been the Mind and Life Summer Research Institute (MLSRI), which was designed to support the growing field of contemplative studies. This unique event is a week-long conference that incorporates academic presentations, informal breakout groups, poster sessions, and periods of meditation, yoga, and tai chi each day, as well…
Yogyakarta, Indonesia June 23, 2015 The iPhone has failed me. It doesn’t update the date and time on wireless networks, only on cellular. And so my phone was still on Tokyo time when I went to bed in Yogyakarta on the night of the solstice. Which means two things: it wasn’t 1 am when I went to sleep last night,…
Vidyamala Burch is the founder of Breathworks, an organization offering mindfulness and compassion-based approaches to living well with pain, stress, and illness. Living with a chronic back condition due to spinal injuries and partial paraplegia, Vidyamala knows how distressing it can be to live with ongoing pain. She also knows that it’s possible to manage pain, and to flourish while…
In a widely shared article in The Guardian on April 29, 2015, Secret Aid Worker (S.A.W.) wrote of fears that the work “is affecting the aspect of my personality that made me want to become an aid worker in the first place: my compassion.” While not downplaying the personal benefits of a satisfying career, the anonymous writer nevertheless voiced a…
Last week, during “Mindful Lawyering: A Meditation Retreat for Law Professionals and Students” at the Garrison Institute, we caught up with retreat leader, poet, and Zen Buddhist priest Norman Fischer. Earlier this week, Fischer participated in our event “Mindfulness and the Art of Aging,” as part of the “Garrison Talks at the JCC” series in Manhattan. We spoke about mindfulness,…
We’re thrilled and honored to let you know that The Huffington Post is shining a spotlight on our work this month as part of their 10th anniversary. The Huffington Post Next Ten campaign will help incredible causes that will shape the next decade. The Garrison Institute has been selected for “bringing mindfulness and meditation to the masses.” By tapping the…
When the Garrison Institute first launched its Contemplative Teaching and Learning (CTL) initiative in 2004, contemplative education was just emerging as a professional field. By supporting the work of pioneers in the field, convening major forums with thought leaders in the field, creating the seminal CARE for Teachers program, forming a CTL Leadership Council, and publishing a groundbreaking mapping survey…