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 […]

The Science of Consciousness

Dr. Richie Davidson and Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn got together with neuroscientist Amishi Jha to discuss the science of consciousness and its role in mental and physical health. Richie Davidson spoke at Sanford University last autumn. You can read Richie Davidson’s Lecture At Stanford. Jon Kabat-Zinn spoke in San Francisco in January. You can read The Science Of Yoga And Healing. […]

Change Your Mind Change Your World Conference

The Change Your Mind Change Your World Conference is to be held on May 15 at the Overture Center for the Arts, Overture Hall in Madison, Wisconsin. The event is being co-hosted by the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at the Waisman Center and the Global Health Institute, both at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Waisman Center […]

Mindfulness Eases Inflammation And Promtes Well-Being

In previous posts, we have reported on the scientific studies from the University of Wisconsin. Many of these studies were performed under the guidance of Dr. Richie Davidson. He is the director of the Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience, Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging & Behavior, and Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at the University. His research focuses on affective […]

When The Iron Bird Flies

In the 8th century, Guru Padmasambhava prophesied When the iron bird flies and horses run on wheels, the Tibetan people will be scattered like ants across the face of the earth. The way I heard it is, “When the iron bird flies and horses run on wheels, the dharma [Buddha’s teachings] will come to the West”. […]

Mindfulness and Neuroscience

In a recent post titled The Neuroscience Of Meditation, I commented on an article that my dharma brother, Paul Tingen wrote on the Mindfulness Bell website. Paul’s article was called, “Using Mindfulness to Rewire the Brain.” I responded to Paul though the OI (Order of Interbeing) Yahoo group the same day that it appeared in my inbox. […]

The Neuroscience Of Meditation

My dharma brother, Paul Tingen, recently published an article on the Mindfulness Bell website. The title of the article is “Using Mindfulness to Rewire the Brain: How the Insights of Neuroscience Can Aid Our Practice.” It explains Paul’s view on the neuroscience of meditation. By dharma brother, I mean that both Paul and I are members of the […]

Meditation Is Good For Your Brain

Pedro Gargantilla Madera published an article on suite101.net with the title, “La meditación es buena para el cerebro.” The photo is from that site. The article was sent to me by my daughter, Jessica, who lives and works in Quito, Ecuador. I find the article to be quite interesting and related to other posts on […]

Compassion Research Has Gone Mainstream

CCARE –The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University was founded in 2005 by Dr. James Doty. This organization demonstrates that compassion research has gone mainstream.The premise of CCARE is that compassion and altruism are innate qualities that all people (and animals – see photo!) share. Their research is totally endorsed […]