Mind and Life XXIV: An Insider View By David Vago, Ph.D. I woke up the morning of April 24, 2012 thinking, “There will not be many days like this in my life. I will be giving a talk to His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, along with five of my Contemplative Science colleagues and friends.” My heart fills with joy and gratitude when I think about the opportunity.
The six of us represented hundreds of young investigators, like ourselves, all inspired by the Dalai Lama. The meeting was particularly significant because, after 25 years of dialogue with His Holiness, it was the first time junior-level investigators were given the opportunity to share their research with him. We represent a new generation of scientists who are willing to examine some of the more difficult and even taboo aspects of deep contemplative transformation. As such, we are right in the center of an emerging paradigm shift for science. All aspects of basic and clinical science and society are now infused with mindfulness. Mindfulness represents more than its literal definition. It represents the paradigm shift towards investigating the mind from the first-person perspective—the new introspection. It is the key to the door of consciousness for all scientists to explore and the public to embrace for mental health. His Holiness’ Feedback The six of us were chosen to represent the Francisco J. Varela Awards program, the primary catalyst for seeding the field with young scientists investigating contemplative practice. Each of us brought something unique to the table from all across the globe. The room was filled with board members and guests surrounding us like proud parents and transmitting their wisdom. His Holiness was very attentive and present with each one of us as we took turns presenting our most relevant research in the short amount of time allotted. Although brief, the conference was a humbling honor. One by one, we filled our 20 minutes completely, summarizing our findings in only a few slides, and the feedback from His Holiness was invaluable. To each of us, he provided some sense of recognition and appeared to place high importance on the work we all are doing. I kept thinking that if His Holiness thought my models of Mindfulness are “quite good,” I should be able to provide my reviewers with that reference! He ended our time together with a lasting set of strongly emphasized remarks that none of us will be able to dismiss. With a firm finger he pointed to each one of us and led the charge like a football coach before the big game. He said that each one of us is responsible for reducing suffering in this world. We must continue doing rigorous research for the benefit of the world. I guess we know what we’ll be doing for the next 35 years! Truly inspiring. Mind and Life XXIV presenters: Thorsten Barnhofer, Ph.D., Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College, London (on effect of mind training on depression); thorsten.barnho...@psych.ox.ac.uk Willoughby Britton, Ph.D., Brown University Medical School (on the nature and phenomenology of meditation-related difficulties); willoughby_brit...@brown.edu Norman Farb, Ph.D., Rothman Research Institute, Philodelphia (on distinct brain systems supporting conscious experience); nor...@aclab.ca Baljinder Sahdra, Ph.D., University of Western Sydney, Australia (on effect of nonattachment); b.sah...@uws.edu.au David Vago, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School/Brigham & Women’s Hospital (Process models for specific meditative practices that cultivate mindfulness); dv...@partners.org Helen Weng, M.S., University of Wisconsin, Madison (on the effects of compassion meditation on the brain and altruistic behavior); hw...@wisc.edu
