ACTIVIT IES OF THE CONTEMPLATIVE STUDIES INIT IATIVE

• Sponsoringandmentoringundergraduateindependentconcentrations(13asof2012)

• Advisingcontemplativefocuseswithinexistingconcentrations(34asof2012)

• SupportingstudentscientistswhostudyresearchmethodsinourCSlabs(50ormoreasof2012)

• ContemplativeStudies.org:websiteandclearinghousewithalistservofover900members

•ContemplativeStudiesLectures,WorkshopsandRetreats:over100eventsinthepast6years

•ContemplativePedagogyGrants:forfacultytopromotecontemplativepracticesinthecurriculum

•ContemplativePracticeGrants:forstudentstoattendacontemplativeretreatoftheirchoice

•ContemplativeStudiesSummerIntensive:SummerSessionatBrown;scholarshipsavailable

•Contemplativementorinresidenceprogram

Related Activities at Brown

•BrownYogaandMindfulnessGroup(YAM),withover800members

•Brownmeditationcommunity:studentoperatedwith500members

•Cheetahhouse:acontemplativestudiesresidentialcenter

GOALS FOR THE FUTURE

•TheestablishmentofaBrownUniversityCenterforContemplativeStudiesthatwouldbeaworldleaderintraininganewgenerationofcontemplativescientists,humanists,andartists.

•Abuildingtohousethenewcenterandprovidelab,office,classroom,andyogaandmeditationspace.

SPONSORS

TheMindandLifeInstitute

TheHersheyFamilyFoundation

TheCenterforContemplativeMindinSociety

TheFrederickP.LenzFoundationfor

AmericanBuddhism

TheNationalInstitutesofHealth(NIH)

http://www.brown.edu/academics/contemplative-studies

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Contemplative Studies is a rapidly developing academic field dedicated to studying human contemplative

experiences through Science, the Humanities, and the Creative Arts.

“The faculty of voluntarily bringing back a wandering attention, over and over again, is the very root of judgement, character, and will... An education which should improve this faculty would be

the education par excellence.” William James, The Principles of Psychology (1890), p. 463

A NEW ACADEMIC FIELD

1.Studyingtheunderlyingphilosophy,psychology,neuroscienceandphenomenologyofhumancontemplativepracticesandexperiences;

2.Focusingonthemanywaysdifferentcultureshavedevelopedtoconcentrate,broadenanddeepenconsciousawarenessasthegatewaytoleadingmoreethicallyresponsible,andpersonallyfulfillinglives;

3.Identifyingthewidevarietyofcontemplativeexperi-ences,cultivatingbothfirst-personandthirdpersonunderstandingofthem;andinvestigatingthemwithavailablescientificmethods.

INTEGRATIVE CONTEMPLATIVE PEDAGOGY™

BrownContemplativeStudieshasbeenapioneerinthedevelopmentofnewteachingmethodsthatcombinetraditionalthird-personstudywith“criticalfirst-person”study.WeteachavarietyofcoursesintheHumanities,Sciences,andCreativeArtsinwhichdirectexperientialknowledgeofcontemplativepracticesisbalancedbyhis-torical,philosophicalandscientificknowledgeofthem.Peertopeer“second-personlearning”andnonself-ref-erential“noperson”learningarealsopartoftheholistictrainingwecall“integrativecontemplativepedagogy.”

MEDICAL SCHOOL PROGRAM

Trainingyoungphysiciansintheuseofcontemplativemethodsinclinicalpractice,thisprogramalsosupportsthemindevelopingtheirownskillsforlisteningtopatientsandremainingcalmandfocusedamidstchallengingmedicalsituations.Studentsarematchedwithclinicalmentorswhoareusingcontemplativemethodsintheirownpracticesandresearcherswhoarestudyingcontemplativeeffectsonpatientsinmulti-yearprojectsthatcanleadtopublishableresults.

LECTURE AND RETREAT SERIES

ContemplativeStudieshashostedaninterdisciplinarylectureandretreatseriesbyleadingcontemplatives,scientistsandscholarsinthefield,including:

JamesAustin

HarveyAronson

EdwinBryant

MarkEpstein

LawrenceFine

NormanFischer

RupertGethin

JoanHalifax

ChipHartranft

VictorHori

DavidHykes

AmishiJha

JonKabat-Zinn

ThomasKeating

AnneKlein

SaraLazar

MitchellLevy

DavidLoy

JohnMakransky

FrederickMarx

DavidMeyer

LarryRosenberg

DonaldRothberg

SharonSalzberg

CliffordSaron

DanielSiegel

EvanThompson

ShinzenYoung

AlanWallace

ArthurZajonc

http://www.brown.edu/academics/contemplative-studies/

CONTEMPLATIVE STUDIES RESEARCH

The Translational Neuroscience Laboratory of Dr. Catherine Kerr

Ourresearchlooksatthewaysinwhichcontemplativepracticessuchasmindfulnessandtaijichangethebrainandthenervoussystem.Thelabspecificallyfocusesonthewaysinwhichcontemplativepracticesthatengagebody-focusedattentionbringaboutspecificchangesinbrainsynchronyandcorticomuscularcoherence.Thegoalofourstudiesistounderstandhowpracticessuchasmindfulnessandtaijibringaboutchangesatmultiplelevelsinthebrainandbody.Thisknowledgeisdirectlyrelevanttotreatmentsforchronicpainanddepressionanddisordersrelatedtoaging.

The Clinical and Affective Neuroscience (CLAN) Laboratory of Dr. Willoughby Britton

Ourlabconductsclinicaltrialsofcontemplativetrain-inginclinicalpopulationsinordertoinvestigatethelinkbetweencontemplativepractices,brainfunction,andaffectivedisturbances,suchasanxiety,depressionandsubstanceabuse.

Thelabalsoinvestigatestheeffectsofcontemplativeeducationprogramsinmiddleschoolanduniversitystudentsincomparisontomusicanddancetraining.Thelabisconductinga5-yearNIH-fundedstudythatcomparestheeffectsofdifferentmeditationpracticesonbrainfunctionandemotionalwellbeing.Thelabisalsoconductingresearchontheadverseeffectsanddifficultstagesofthecontemplativepath.

The Laboratory in Cognitive and Perceptual Learning of Dr. Takeo Watanabe

ThenewWatanabeLab,intheDepartmentofCogni-tive,Linguistic,andPsychologicalSciences,isalsoaffili-atedwiththeContemplativeStudiesInitiative.

“ Education, in order to accomplish its ends both for the

individual learner and for society, must be based upon

experience – which is always the life experience of some

individual…There is no discipline in the world so

severe as the discipline of experience subjected to the

tests of intelligent development and direction.”

John Dewey, Education and Experience (1938) pp. 89-90