Meditation and the Science of Human Flourishing

Meditation and the Science of Human Flourishing was the name of a workshop which took place last Saturday, June 11, 2016 with Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche and Dr. Richie Davidson at Stanford University sponsored by The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) and Tergar, Rimpoche’s meditation community. Richie talked about how he was […]

Why Stress is Good for You

As you well know if you have been following Meditation Practices for a while, I am a big fan of Kelly McGonigal and her wonderful work at the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University. Her new book, The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to […]

Studies of Meditation Practices

Kelly McGonigal is one of the most brilliant young neruoscientists of our day. Her work at the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University is drawing huge numbers of people to look at her studies of meditation practices. Her life-long headaches led her into yoga and meditation and now she […]

How to Develop Motivation

These words of wisdom from Tricycle.com by Thupten Jinpa show us how to develop motivation. We will see more on this theme tomorrow from Jon Kabat-Zinn. Thupten Jinpa is best known as the Dalai Lama‘s long-time translator and close friend. At one time, he was also a monk. This man was also partly responsible for […]

Search Inside Yourself

Search Inside Yourself is a popular course at Google and it is also a book describing the course. It was written by Google’s “Jolly Good Fellow,” Chad-Meng Tan, usually called Meng. Meng is associated with The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) and The course and the book take the ideas of […]

Compassion Media Project

In this very short video, Dr. James Doty and the Dalai Lama explain the Compassion Media Project at The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University. The value and beneficial effects of compassion on overall health and well-being are significant. Dr. Doty states that compassion results in great pleasure and […]

6 Mindfulness Practices For The Holidays

Below are 6 mindfulness practices for the holidays that will help alleviate anxiety, stress, and loneliness. So says Dr. Emma Seppala, the Associate Director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University. A link on the CCARE website led to Emma’s article on Psychology Today titled, 6 Quick and […]

The Business Of Mindfulness

The business of mindfulness is discussed nicely in a recent article in The Economist by Schumpeter. The article is being brilliantly discussed by fellow OI1 members on the OI discussion board. According to the tag line of the article, capitalism is looking for inspiration from Eastern mysticism. For example, Google offers courses “search inside yourself,” […]

The Compassionate Instinct

The compassionate instinct is a term coined by the University of California, Berkeley professor of psychology, Dacher Keltner. He was one of the contributors to the Sounds True series on The Compassionate Brain hosted by Rick Hanson. His topic was The Evolution of Compassion: From Gene to Meme. According to Compassion: Our First Instinct, an […]

What Goes On In Your Brain When You Meditate

This video, which is part of The Science of Consciousness, Dr. Richie Davidson answers the question, “What goes on in your brain when you meditate?” Richie Davidson is a professor of psychology and psychiatry, and director of the Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He also was one of the presenters […]