Dharamsala,
HP, India, 6 April 2009 (By Phurbu Thinley, Phayul.com) - Leading western scientists and noted academics are once again
in the Northern Indian town of Dharamsala, home to the exiled 14th
Dalai Lama of Tibet, for five days of presentation and dialogues as
part of a “Mind and Life” conference series.
The dialogue
meeting with the Dalai Lama, including other Buddhist
scholar-practitioners, which commenced at a hall in his residential
complex this morning, will continue till April 10.
The
conference themed: “Attention, Memory and Mind: A synergy of
Psychological, Neuroscientific and Contemplative Perspectives”
kick-started with an inaugural talk by the Dalai Lama.
This is the 18th Mind and Life Meet. The first meeting took place in 1987.
The
Mind and Life Dialogues, more generally termed “Dialogues between
Buddhism and the sciences”, were initially started to experiment
whether a rigorous exchange could occur between leading modern
scientists and the Dalai Lama. Series of regular successful
experimental exchanges over the ensuing years lead to the formation of
the Louisville based Mind and Life Institute (MLI).
Mind and
Life XVIII aims to primarily focus on the subjective phenomenology,
information-processing operations, and neural mechanisms of attention,
memory and conscious awareness from both scientific and Buddhist
perspectives.
“While the relation between attention, memory, and
mind is a fascinating area of research in psychological science and
neuroscience, it is also of particular interest and investigation in
Buddhism, because it is through the contemplative refinement of
attention and mindfulness that one explores the distinctive
characteristics, origins, and potentials of human awareness, of
suffering, and of genuine happiness,” the MLI noted in its overview
note on the conference.
Calling the conference as a “reunion” of
long time friends for over the last 20 years, the Dalai Lama said: “I
think out of our serious discussion, I think at least make some
contribution- firstly for our knowledge about reality, external
matters, particles, and our inner world, particularly the more
sensitive inner world that is emotions.”
“I think our discussion
created some interest on people who normally are not much concerned
about our inner world,” the Dalai Lama said, adding “Not necessarily as
a religious matter, but simply because we are living being with mind,
with consciousness, with experience, emotions. So naturally we cannot
neglect these things.”
“We want happiness, (and) happiness is a
kind of mind. So the very meaning of joyfulness is somehow related to
emotions and mind. So we must have better awareness about that,” the
Dalai Lama said.
In addition to fundamental scientific
questions; the dialogue meeting will deal with the larger
philosophical, ethical and spiritual issues prompted by each field of
science that need to be effectively addressed.
The MLI now has a
number of scientific research programmes collaborated with
contemplatives to conduct scientific investigation. One of the primary
pursuits of Mind and Life scientists is to study the effects of
contemplative practices like meditation and mental training have on
brain and behaviour, and the translation of this data into effective
tools to benefit people in all walks of life.
Of these, the Mind and Life Dialogues with the Dalai Lama is the foremost programme of the institute.
His
Eminence the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Hollywood Buddhist star, Richard
Gere and, Robert Thurman, Buddhist scholar and author, and father of
Hollywood actress Uma Thurman, are among others taking part in the
ongoing conference in Dharamsala.
For more on the Mind and Life Dialogues and, range of topics MLI has explored, visit www.mindandlife.org. | 
