Mind and Life Summer Institute:

[Pietro]

As some of you might remember last year in summer I went through New York. I was on my way to the Mind and Life Summer Institute. A one week meeting at the Garrison Institute, near new york.

 

At this meeting meditators were meeting neuroscientists, with the specific intent to study meditation. No real such study was done over there, in that week, but we mostly were there to hear the results, discuss, and start new projects. The projects were then to be done in other parts of the country-ies. People who are there can also apply to get some fundings for their own ideas.

 

The meditator that were there were mostly buddhists. The mind and life institute has been set up by the dalai lama, and as such it is natural that it had first attracted buddhist meditator. More than that they are focusing themselves to contemplative practices. But is already a huge gathering with hundred of people, many researchers, some great meditation teachers. Some academics. Some people who do yoga, tai ji, and so on.

 

And it will give you a very good overview of the current state of the research in meditative practices. With results from work done all over the world.

 

The Mind and Life Summer Institute will happen this year as well. It is again at the Garrison Institute, between the 6-12 of June, 2008.

 

So, I write this post to encourage people over here to apply. I think many people over here could go there, have a good time, enjoy the place, and bring a lot of good ideas to them as well.

 

The deadline for the application is 28 of february, 2008. (Attention, this year february has 29 days, so it is NOT the last day of february!). And I think they are very strict in those deadlines.

 

For me it was very interesting, and the occasion to meet some really interesting people, among them

Harold Roth, that has already been discussed in this community;

Joan Halifax, the Roshi of the Upaya community in Santa Fe.