MINDFULNESS.TV

A Documentary Story Of The Buddha's Life

2014-10-17T17:35:00.000-07:00

Buddha - A Documentary About Buddhism

Joseph Goldstein - Buddhism The essential points -

2014-04-28T06:01:00.000-07:00

Joseph Goldstein (born 1944) is one of the first American vipassana teachers (Fronsdal, 1998), co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) with Jack Kornfield and Sharon Salzberg, contemporary author of numerous popular books on Buddhism (see publications below), resident guiding teacher at IMS, and leader of retreats worldwide on insight (vipassana) and lovingkindness (metta) meditation.

While the majority of Goldstein's publications introduce Westerners to primarily Theravada concepts, practices and values, his 2002 work, "One Dharma", explored the creation of an integrated framework for the Theravada, Tibetan and Zen traditions.
Since 1967, Goldstein has practiced different forms of Buddhist meditation under well-known teachers from India, Burma and Tibet. His teachers include: Anagarika Sri Munindra, Sri S.N. Goenka, Mrs. Nani Bala Barua (Dipa Ma), the Venerable Sayadaw U Pandita, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Nyoshul Khenpo Rinpoche, and Tsoknyi Rinpoche.

Publications:
The Experience of Insight: A Simple and Direct Guide to Buddhist Meditation (1976)
Goldstein, Joseph; Kornfield, Jack. Seeking the heart of wisdom: the path of insight meditation. Shambhala. ISBN 978-1-57062-805-4.
Goldstein, Joseph. Insight meditation: the practice of freedom. Shambhala. ISBN 978-1-57062-025-6.
Goldstein, Joseph; Kornfield, Jack. The Path of Insight Meditation. Shambhala. ISBN 978-1-57062-069-0.
Insight Meditation: A Step-By-Step Course on How to Meditate (2002), with Sharon Salzburg
One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism (2002)
A Heart Full of Peace (2007)

B. Alan Wallace, Ph.D. on science, buddhism, skepticism and meditation | Part 1

2014-04-19T11:37:00.000-07:00

Prof. B. Alan Wallace talks about his new book, HIDDEN DIMENSIONS.

Bridging the gap between the world of science and the realm of the spiritual, B. Alan Wallace introduces a natural theory of human consciousness that has its roots in contemporary physics and Buddhism. Wallace's "special theory of ontological relativity" suggests that mental phenomena are conditioned by the brain, but do not emerge from it. Rather, the entire natural world of mind and matter, subjects and objects, arises from a unitary dimension of reality that is more fundamental than these dualities, as proposed by Wolfgang Pauli and Carl Jung.

To test his hypothesis, Wallace employs the Buddhist meditative practice of samatha, refining one's attention and metacognition, to create a kind of telescope to examine the space of the mind. Drawing on the work of the physicist John Wheeler, he then proposes a more general theory in which the participatory nature of reality is envisioned as a self-excited circuit. In comparing these ideas to the Buddhist theory known as the Middle Way philosophy, Wallace explores further aspects of his "general theory of ontological relativity," which can be investigated by means of vipasyana, or insight, meditation. Wallace then focuses on the theme of symmetry in reference to quantum cosmology and the "problem of frozen time," relating these issues to the theory and practices of the Great Perfection school of Tibetan Buddhism. He concludes with a discussion of the general theme of complementarity as it relates to science and religion.

The theories of relativity and quantum mechanics were major achievements in the physical sciences, and the theory of evolution has had an equally deep impact on the life sciences. However, rigorous scientific methods do not yet exist to observe mental phenomena, and naturalism has its limits for shedding light on the workings of the mind. A pioneer of modern consciousness research, Wallace offers a practical and revolutionary method for exploring the mind that combines the keenest insights of contemporary physicists and philosophers with the time-honored meditative traditions of Buddhism.

Discovering Buddhism Module 2 - How to Meditate

2014-04-01T16:58:00.000-07:00

Learn the definition and purpose of meditation, how to sit, how to set up a meditation session, different meditation techniques, and how to deal with obstacles to meditation.

Discovering Buddhism - Mind and its Potential

2014-04-01T16:49:00.000-07:00

Discovering Buddhism Module 1 - Mind and its Potential

Examine the mind and how it creates happiness and suffering. Learn to transform destructive thoughts and attitudes to create a positive and joyous mind!

Follow this course on the FPMT Online Learning Center at http://onlinelearning.fpmt.org and learn more about Discovering Buddhism at http://www.fpmt.org/education/programs/discovering-buddhism.html.

Eckhart Tolle Gives Guided Meditation

2014-03-29T08:28:00.000-07:00

Learn to "awaken" with this amazing audio "guided mediation" given by "Eckhart Tolle".
Simply close your eyes and let go, "be" in the "peaceful stillness" that "is" you.

The Zenji Museum of Buddhism -- the preferred religion of Einstein, Gandhi, Jung, Vivekananda ...

2014-03-26T11:42:00.000-07:00

Albert Einstein, Carl Jung, Schopenhauer, Gandhi, Vivekananda, H.G. Wells, Will Durant and the world's greatest visionaries hailed Buddhism as the "religion of the future" and the "most perfect religion the world has ever known". The Zenji Museum will be the most comprehensive museum on Buddhism and Yoga thus bringing together all traditions of Buddhism and Yoga together. The Buddha was considered the greatest yogi ever by the East's greatest philosophers and the Zenji Museum will feature the most singular and unrivalled collection of art relating to Buddha Shakyamuni as well as icons like Amitabha, BodhiDharma and more. Please visit www.Zenji.org and join the Karma Revolution by downloading the international epic Karma Yoga: The New Revolution from RightKarma.net. Good Karma can change your life and change the world!

What is Zen and not so Zen?

2014-03-13T17:47:00.000-07:00

Sante Poromaa Sensei has been practising Zen since the early eighties, and teaching full time for over a decade. He started practice as a student of Roshi Philip Kapleau, author of "The Three Pillars of Zen", and he later became a student of Kapleau's successor, Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede.

He has received formal permission to teach in this lineage, and their Zen teaching draws strongly on the Japanese tradition, but without slavish adherence to forms that may be inappropriate in a European context. Over the years, his style has evolved as he seeks to ensure that the valuable practices of this ancient tradition are both preserved and made accessible and relevant to modern people. His approach is above all an experiential one -- the student is encouraged to explore the nature of reality first hand, through practice. Yet he also draw on the rich literature of Zen, including three major koan collections (The Mumonkan, The Blue Cliff Record, and the Book of Serenity), Buddhist sutras and the writings of the great Zen Masters. He has also read widely in other traditions and disciplines and their teishos (lectures given to students) can range over subjects as diverse as physics, consumerism, climate change and parenthood. He is active in the contemporary intellectual and cultural life of Sweden, participating in public panel discussions and advisory groups, originally trained as artists. Sante Sensei has published a book on the common ground between science and Buddhism, The Net of Indra. - from http://www.zentraining.org

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B. Alan Wallace • Introduction to the Vajra Essence by Dudjom Lingpa

2014-02-28T18:14:00.000-08:00

With his trademark enthusiasm, respected translator Alan Wallace introduces us here to one of the most cherished works of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, Dudjom Lingpa's Vajra Essence. Written in the nineteenth century, the Vajra Essence presents the practice of Dzogchen, the Great Perfection - the highest of all the meditation traditions - and its contents have only been revealed to those with the requisite training. With permission from his teachers, Wallace reveals here the work's opening section, which presents the methods for calming the mind and bringing it to a state of effortless concentration, the practice of shamatha. In his earlier work, Attention Revolution, Alan Wallace guided readers through the stages of traditional shamatha step by step. Here he uses the wisdom of the Dzogchen teachings to open up this practice into a space of freedom from hope and fear. He makes obscure concepts intelligible to contemporary readers and allows us to glimpse the profound realizations of a great spiritual adept, Dudjom Lingpa.

"Wallace's translation of the shamatha section from Dudjom Lingpa's Dzogchen tantra known in Tibetan as the Nelug Rangjung is an invaluable contribution to the teachings available to serious Western Buddhist practitioners." Lama Tharchin Rinpoche.

"Alan Wallace brings great wisdom and fresh insight to the teachings of one of the great masters of the Nyingma tradition, Dudjom Lingpa. His commentary is wise, thoughtful, and wonderfully compassionate." Tsoknyi Rinpoche.

"Stilling the Mind is a much needed, very welcome book on shamatha meditation, a topic pivotal to the Buddhist path from beginning to end. With over forty years of practice and study of Buddhism coupled with a lively, ongoing exploration of Buddhism and science, Dr Wallace is uniquely qualified to bridge this timeless traditional wisdom and its contemporary Wesrtern context. I am confident that these teachings will be of immense benefit." Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche.

Bodh Gaya. Donde el Buda se Ilumino - Sub Español

2013-05-26T06:34:00.003-07:00

Bodh Gaya ó Bodhgaya es una ciudad del distrito de Gaya, del estado de Bihar, en el noreste de la India.Es un lugar santo del budismo, allí alcanzó la iluminación el príncipe Siddharta, quien habría de convertirse en Buda.
La tradición budista afirma que alrededor del siglo V AC, el príncipe Siddharta Gautama llegó a la localidad de Bodh Gaya como un monje asceta. Se sentó bajo el árbol bodhi (ficus religiosa) donde, después de tres días y tres noches de meditación continuada y pugna interior contra las tentaciones de los Maras, Shakyamuni Buda alcanzó la Iluminación ó Nirvana. Desde entonces, la localidad se convirtió en un lugar de peregrinación para los budistas de todo el mundo y fue el centro del budismo mundial hasta el declive de esta religión en India.
Celebración de ritos religiosos en Bodh Gaya.

Uno de los templos más grandes del budismo fue el Templo de Mahabodhi, fundado por el emperador indio y devoto budista, Asoka, unos 250 años después de la Iluminación del Buda. No obstante, el templo fue destruido tras la conquista islámica de India y reconstruido en el siglo XIX por Sir Alexander Cunningham, arqueólogo de la Sociedad Arqueológica Británica.

Se han construido otros múltiples templos budistas en la ciudad, siendo el segundo más antiguo después del Mahabodhi el templo cingalés construido por monjes provenientes de Sri Lanka. Otros budistas provenientes de Bután, China, Japón, Birmania, Nepal, Sikkim, Tailandia y Tíbet (dos) crearon templos, los cuales son representativos de las culturas y tradiciones budistas de sus países respectivos y alusivos a su arquitectura tradicional

What is Mindfulness Meditation?

2013-05-25T11:25:00.002-07:00

Mindfulness meditation is a two and a half millennia old Buddhist spiritual practice that focuses on the development of introspective consciousness.

Since the late 1950s Western physicians, psychologists, and health researchers have been studying the psychophysiological effects of various types of meditation, resulting in several literature reviews (Barrows & Jacobs, 2002; Banadonna, 2003; Murphy & Donovan, 1999; D.H. Shapiro & Walsh, 1983). The most widely known and researched techniques are Transcendental Meditation (TM) (Orme Johnson & Farrow, 1977) and Benson’s (1975) relaxation response method.

Of particular relevance is the Buddhist practice known as mindfulness meditation (Skt,smirti; Pali, sati) and its more advanced derivative, insight meditation (vipassana).

Mindfulness comes from the Pali word sati and the Sanskrit word smirti, which connotes awareness, attention, and remembering. The background and foreground of consciousness are, respectively, awareness and attention. Awareness provides global scanning and continuous monitoring of experience, while attention heightens sensitivity towards a restricted amount of experience, allowing for a deepening of one’s focus and investigation. The term remembering is also pivotal, given the fact that mindfulness is the continued intention to remain present, and to volitionally refrain from mental engagement that disrupts the unity of awareness and attention (Gremer, Ronald, & Fulton, 2005).

Mindfulness has been variously defined as “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally” (Kabat-Zinn, 1994, p. 4); as “bringing one’s complete attention to the present experience on a moment to moment basis” (Marlatt & Kristeller, 1999, p. 68); and, simply as “attentional control”(Teasdale, Segal, & Williams, 1995, p. 54).

A more psychologically oriented description defines mindfulness as a “limber state of mind” (Langer, 1989, p. 70); and as a cognitive process that employs the creation of new categories, openness to new information, and awareness of more than one perspective. According to Hirst (2003), “being mindful requires the person to attend, to be consciously aware of, the emergent nature of phenomena in consciousness, and to recognize the nature of attachments made to these phenomena as they occur” (p. 360).

Mindfulness is more than a cognitive, perceptual function; it is “awareness of present experience with acceptance” (Gremer et al., 2005, p.7). Kabat-Zinn (1990) and Shapiro, Schwartz, and Bonner (1998) list 12 qualities or attitudes that support the practice of mindfulness, including nonjudging, nonstriving, acceptance, patience, trust, openness, letting go, gentleness, generosity, understanding, gratitude, and loving kindness.

Vietnamese Buddhist meditation master Nat Hanh (1976) defines mindfulness as, “keeping one’s consciousness alive to the present reality” (p. 11); while the German Buddhist monk and scholar Nyanaponika (1972)describes it as “the clear and single minded awareness of what actually happens to us and in us at the successive moments of perception” (p. 5).

The Sri Lankan monk, Gunaratana (1991), provides a more esoteric explanation, stating that mindfulness cannot be fully captured in words, because it is subtle, nonverbal, beyond conception, and must ultimately be experienced.

Bibliography:

Banadonna, R. (2003). Meditation's impact on chronic illness. Holistic Nurse Practitioner, 17, 309-319.

Barrows, K., & Jacobs, B. (2002). Mind-body medicine. An introduction and review of the literature. Medical Clinics of North America, 86 (1), 11-31.

Gremer, C., Ronald, S., & Fulton, P. (Eds.). (2005). Mindfulness and psychotherapy. New York: Guilford Press.

Gunaratana, H. (1991). Mindfulness in plain English. Boston: Wisdom.

Hirst, I. S. (2003). Perspectives on mindfulness. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 10, 359-366.

Kabat-Zinn, J.(1990). Full catastrophe living: Using the wisdom books of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and
illness. New York: Delta Books.

Kabat-Zinn, J.(1994). Wherever you go, there you are: Mindfulness meditation in everyday life . New York: Hyperion Books.

Langer, E. (1989). Mindfulness. Cambridge, MA: Da Copa Press.

Marlatt, G., & Kristeller , J. (1999). Mindfulness and meditation. In W. R. Miller (Ed.), Integrating spirituality into treatment (pp. 67-84). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Murphy, M., & Donovan, S. (1999). The physical and psychological effects of meditation. Sausalito, CA: Institute of Noetic Sciences.

Nhat Han, T. (1976). The miracle of mindfulness. Boston: Beacon Press.

Nyanaponika T. (1965). The heart of Buddhist meditation. York Beach, ME:Red Wheel/Weiser.

Shapiro, D. H., & Walsh, R. (1984). Meditation: Classic and contemporary perspectives . New York: Aldine.

Shapiro, S. L., Schwartz, G. E., & Bonner, G. (1998). Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on medical and premedical students. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 21, 581-599.

Teasdale, J. D., Segal, Z. V., & Williams, M. (1995). How does cognitive therapy prevent depressive relapse and why should attentional control (mindfulness) help? Behavior Research and Therapy, 33, 25-29.

Mindfulness May Improve Test Scores

2013-05-25T10:24:00.001-07:00

A recent study finds that a meditation practice improved Graduate Record Exam scores. Christie Nicholson reports

There’s a meditation practice called “mindfulness” that is about actively focusing on the present moment and increasing one’s attention span.

Recently scientists analyzed whether such a practice could help improve undergrads’ test scores in the Graduate Record Exams, the GREs. The idea is that if we limit mind wandering, our ability to focus improves, and so will our cognitive ability. [The paper is published in the journal Psychological Science.]

The researchers had 24 undergrads attend a mindfulness course and another 24 go to a nutrition class. Each 45-minute class met eight times over two weeks.

The mindfulness class taught students physical and mental strategies they can use to improve their ability to focus on the task at hand, and ignore interrupting thoughts. The nutrition class covered strategies for healthy eating.

The students took a working memory test as well as the verbal reasoning section of the GRE before and after the two-week courses.

The results? Students who received the mindfulness training saw much greater improvement in working memory and their GRE scores than those who took the nutrition class. Mindfulness training was associated with a 16-percentile boost in GRE scores, on average. No word on whether the nutrition class attendees are eating better.

EckhartTolle - A origem do Ego

2013-05-25T04:43:00.001-07:00

O ego é a fonte dos nossos pensamentos ou os pensamentos são gerados noutro lugar e atravessam o ego?
Existe um ego separado dos pensamentos? A identificação com os pensamentos, é o ego?
Estes são alguns temas abordados neste excelente vídeo.

Sample Q&A from the May 2010 Issue of Eckhart Tolle TV Q: Is the ego the source of our thoughts or are our thoughts generated elsewhere and passed through the ego? The ego arises out of the state of identification with thought. The moment of freedom arises when we realize that we are not our thoughts—rather, we are the awareness.

Eckhart Tolle - O papel do 'serviço aos outros' no impulso evolutivo

2013-05-25T04:41:00.002-07:00

Eckhart lembra que se a Presença emerge dentro de nós, não podemos deixar de prestar 'serviço aos outros'. Como se manifestará será único para cada um de nós.

Eckhart reminds us that if Presence is arising within us, we cannot help but be of service. How that manifests will be unique for each of us.

Eckhart Tolle - Pensar ou Não Pensar?

2013-05-25T04:33:00.000-07:00

Descubra a transformação que o espera quando aprender a operar no momento presente, em vez de operar em direção da sua atividade mental.

Kathryn Schulz: On being wrong

2013-05-13T16:56:00.002-07:00

Most of us will do anything to avoid being wrong. But what if we're wrong about that? "Wrongologist" Kathryn Schulz makes a compelling case for not just admitting but embracing our fallibility.
Kathryn Schulz is the author of "Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error," and writes "The Wrong Stuff," a Slate series featuring interviews with high-profile people about how they think and feel about being wrong

Aquascape Mindfulnesss Meditation | 20m - HD

2013-05-13T05:03:00.001-07:00

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Meditation-Related Increases in GABA(B) Modulated Cortical Inhibition

2013-05-10T09:25:00.003-07:00

^a York University, Department of Kinesiology and Health Science, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
^b Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
^c Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Monash University Central Clinical School, Commercial Rd. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
^d Cancer Care Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Meditation-Related Increases in GABA(B) Modulated Cortical Inhibition

Abstract
Background
Recent reports suggest meditation practice improves attentional performance and emotional regulation. The process of meditation apparently increases activation in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and stimulates the reticular nucleus of the thalamus, implicating the production and delivery of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). GABAergic inhibitory interneurons have a central role in cortical inhibition (CI), modulating cortical excitability and neural plasticity.

Objective/hypothesis
Changes in CI, after completion of a single meditation session, were investigated and compared to a non-meditating control activity.

Methods

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a non-invasive method of examining CI, was used to evaluate changes before and after a 60 min meditation session. Seventy right-handed healthy subjects (n = 35 meditators, n = 35 non-meditators) were assessed using TMS related measures of cortical silent period (CSP) and short intra cortical inhibition (SICI), with stimulation of the motor cortex coordinated with EMG recording of peripheral hand muscles.

Results
For the meditators, CSP and SICI were measured before and after meditation sessions while age–sex matched healthy control subjects were identically assessed after a non-meditating activity (television watching). The meditators showed a statistically significant increase in CSP after meditation compared to non-meditators after an equivalent period of television watching (P = 0.02) while no significant between-group differences were observed in the SICI.

Conclusion
These findings indicate meditation processes are linked to GABAergic cortical inhibition, a mechanism previously implicated in improved cognitive performance and enhanced emotional regulation.

Keywords
Meditation; Cortical silent period (CSP); Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS); Gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA); Short intra cortical inhibition (SICI); Motor cortex

Full article

Cerebral blood flow changes associated with different meditation practices

2013-05-10T07:51:00.003-07:00

Cerebral blood flow changes associated with different meditation practices and perceived depth of meditation

^a Almanson–Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
^b Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
^c Center for Functional Neuroimaging, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
^d Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
^e Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
^f Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation, Tucson, AZ, USA
^g Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Abstract

Our goal in this study was to advance the understanding of the neural pathways of meditation by addressing the cerebral blood flow (CBF) responses associated with two different meditation practices performed by the same individuals and how such changes related to the “stress” circuits in the brain. Ten experienced meditators performed two types of meditation, a “focused-based” practice and a “breath-based” practice. Subjects were scanned using perfusion functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a baseline state, both meditation states, and a post meditation baseline state. Using general linear model, we found that the frontal regions, anterior cingulate, limbic system and parietal lobes were affected during meditation and that there were different patterns of CBF between the two meditation states. We observed strong correlations between depth of meditation and neural activity in the left inferior forebrain areas including the insula, inferior frontal cortex, and temporal pole. There were persistent changes in the left anterior insula and the precentral gyrus even after meditation was stopped. This study revealed changes in the brain during two different meditation practices in the same individuals and that these changes correlated with the subjective experiences of the practitioners.

Keywords
Meditation; fMRI; Cerebral blood flow; Frontal lobe; Stress; Arterial spin labeling (ASL)

Full article

On mind wandering, attention, brain networks, and meditation

2013-05-10T07:34:00.003-07:00

Amit Sood, MD¹, David T. Jones, MD2

¹
1 Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program, Mayo Clinic,
Rochester, MN
2 Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Human attention selectively focuses on aspects of experience that are threatening, pleasant, or novel. The physical threats of the ancient times have largely been replaced by chronic psychological worries and hurts. The mind gets drawn to these worries and hurts, mostly in the domain of the past and future, leading to mind wandering. In the brain, a network of neurons called the default mode network has been associated with mind wandering. Abnormal activity in the default mode network may predispose to depression, anxiety, attention deficit, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Several studies show that meditation can reverse some of these abnormalities, producing salutary functional and structural changes in the brain. This narrative review presents a mechanistic understanding of meditation in the context of recent advances in neurosciences about mind wandering, attention, and the brain networks.

Key words: Meditation, mind wandering, default network, attention

Full article

Mindfulness starts with the body: somatosensory attention and top-down modulation of

2013-05-10T06:39:00.001-07:00

Mindfulness starts with the body: somatosensory attention and top-down modulation of cortical alpha rhythms in mindfulness meditation

Catherine E. Kerr¹*, Matthew D. Sacchet^2,3, Sara W. Lazar⁴,Christopher I. Moore⁵ and Stephanie R. Jones^4,5

¹Department of Family Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
²Neurosciences Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
³Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
⁴Athinoula A. Martinos Center For Biomedical Imaging, Mass General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA
⁵Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

Using a common set of mindfulness exercises, mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT) have been shown to reduce distress in chronic pain and decrease risk of depression relapse. These standardized mindfulness (ST-Mindfulness) practices predominantly require attending to breath and body sensations. Here, we offer a novel view of ST-Mindfulness's somatic focus as a form of training for optimizing attentional modulation of 7–14 Hz alpha rhythms that play a key role in filtering inputs to primary sensory neocortex and organizing the flow of sensory information in the brain. In support of the framework, we describe our previous finding that ST-Mindfulness enhanced attentional regulation of alpha in primary somatosensory cortex (SI). The framework allows us to make several predictions. In chronic pain, we predict somatic attention in ST-Mindfulness “de-biases” alpha in SI, freeing up pain-focused attentional resources. In depression relapse, we predict ST-Mindfulness's somatic attention competes with internally focused rumination, as internally focused cognitive processes (including working memory) rely on alpha filtering of sensory input. Our computational model predicts ST-Mindfulness enhances top-down modulation of alpha by facilitating precise alterations in timing and efficacy of SI thalamocortical inputs. We conclude by considering how the framework aligns with Buddhist teachings that mindfulness starts with “mindfulness of the body.” Translating this theory into neurophysiology, we hypothesize that with its somatic focus, mindfulness' top-down alpha rhythm modulation in SI enhances gain control which, in turn, sensitizes practitioners to better detect and regulate when the mind wanders from its somatic focus. This enhanced regulation of somatic mind-wandering may be an important early stage of mindfulness training that leads to enhanced cognitive regulation and metacognition.

Keywords: alpha rhythm, attention, chronic pain, depression relapse, mindfulness meditation, somatosensory cortex, thalamocortical loop

original: Kerr CE, Sacchet MD, Lazar SW, Moore CI and Jones SR (2013) Mindfulness starts with the body: somatosensory attention and top-down modulation of cortical alpha rhythms in mindfulness meditation. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 7:12. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00012

Received: 11 March 2012; Accepted: 11 January 2013;
Published online: 13 February 2013.

Edited by:

Amishi P. Jha, University of Miami, USA

Reviewed by:

Stephen Whitmarsh, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands
Philippe Goldin, Stanford University, USA

Copyright © 2013 Kerr, Sacchet, Lazar, Moore and Jones. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in other forums, provided the original authors and source are credited and subject to any copyright notices concerning any third-party graphics etc.

*Correspondence: Catherine E. Kerr, Department of Family Medicine, Alpert School of Medicine, Brown University, 222 Richmond St, Providence, RI 02903, USA. e-mail: catherine_kerr@brown.edu

Intensive training induces longitudinal changes in meditation

2013-05-10T06:33:00.000-07:00

Intensive training induces longitudinal changes in meditation state-related EEG oscillatory activity

Manish Saggar^1,2*, Brandon G. King^3,4, Anthony P. Zanesco^3,4,Katherine A. MacLean⁵, Stephen R. Aichele^3,4, Tonya L. Jacobs⁴,David A. Bridwell⁶, Phillip R. Shaver³, Erika L. Rosenberg⁴,Baljinder K. Sahdra⁷, Emilio Ferrer³, Akaysha C. Tang⁸, George R. Mangun^3,4,9, B. Alan Wallace¹⁰, Risto Miikkulainen² and Clifford D. Saron^4,11

¹Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
²Department of Computer Science, University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA
³Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
⁴Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
⁵Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
⁶Mind Research Network, Albuquerque, NM, USA
⁷School of Social Sciences and Psychology, University of Western Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
⁸Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
⁹Department of Neurology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
¹⁰Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
¹¹The M.I.N.D. Institute, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA

The capacity to focus one's attention for an extended period of time can be increased through training in contemplative practices. However, the cognitive processes engaged during meditation that support trait changes in cognition are not well characterized. We conducted a longitudinal wait-list controlled study of intensive meditation training. Retreat participants practiced focused attention (FA) meditation techniques for three months during an initial retreat. Wait-list participants later undertook formally identical training during a second retreat. Dense-array scalp-recorded electroencephalogram (EEG) data were collected during 6 min of mindfulness of breathing meditation at three assessment points during each retreat. Second-order blind source separation, along with a novel semi-automatic artifact removal tool (SMART), was used for data preprocessing. We observed replicable reductions in meditative state-related beta-band power bilaterally over anteriocentral and posterior scalp regions. In addition, individual alpha frequency (IAF) decreased across both retreats and in direct relation to the amount of meditative practice. These findings provide evidence for replicable longitudinal changes in brain oscillatory activity during meditation and increase our understanding of the cortical processes engaged during meditation that may support long-term improvements in cognition.

Keywords: training, attention, meditation, beta, individual alpha frequency, EEG

Original: Saggar M, King BG, Zanesco AP, MacLean KA, Aichele SR, Jacobs TL, Bridwell DA, Shaver PR, Rosenberg EL, Sahdra BK, Ferrer E, Tang AC, Mangun GR, Wallace BA, Miikkulainen R and Saron CD (2012) Intensive training induces longitudinal changes in meditation state-related EEG oscillatory activity. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 6:256. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2012.00256

Received: 17 May 2012; Accepted: 23 August 2012;
Published online: 10 September 2012.

Edited by:

Amishi P. Jha, University of Miami, USA

Reviewed by:

Adam C. Snyder, University of Pittsburgh, USA
Baruch R. Cahn, UC Irvine Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, USA

Copyright © 2012 Saggar, King, Zanesco, MacLean, Aichele, Jacobs, Bridwell, Shaver, Rosenberg, Sahdra, Ferrer, Tang, Mangun, Wallace, Miikkulainen and Saron. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in other forums, provided the original authors and source are credited and subject to any copyright notices concerning any third-party graphics etc.

*Correspondence: Manish Saggar, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. e-mail: manish.saggar@gmail.com

Effects of mindful-attention and compassion meditation training on amygdala

2013-05-10T05:54:00.001-07:00

Effects of mindful-attention and compassion meditation training on amygdala response to emotional stimuli in an ordinary, non-meditative state

Gaëlle Desbordes^1,2*, Lobsang T. Negi³, Thaddeus W. W. Pace⁴, B. Alan Wallace⁵, Charles L. Raison⁶ and Eric L. Schwartz^2,7

¹Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
²Center for Computational Neuroscience and Neural Technology, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
³Department of Religion, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
⁴Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA
⁵Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
⁶Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine and Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences, College of Agriculture, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
⁷Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

The amygdala has been repeatedly implicated in emotional processing of both positive and negative-valence stimuli. Previous studies suggest that the amygdala response to emotional stimuli is lower when the subject is in a meditative state of mindful-attention, both in beginner meditators after an 8-week meditation intervention and in expert meditators. However, the longitudinal effects of meditation training on amygdala responses have not been reported when participants are in an ordinary, non-meditative state. In this study, we investigated how 8 weeks of training in meditation affects amygdala responses to emotional stimuli in subjects when in a non-meditative state. Healthy adults with no prior meditation experience took part in 8 weeks of either Mindful Attention Training (MAT), Cognitively-Based Compassion Training (CBCT; a program based on Tibetan Buddhist compassion meditation practices), or an active control intervention. Before and after the intervention, participants underwent an fMRI experiment during which they were presented images with positive, negative, and neutral emotional valences from the IAPS database while remaining in an ordinary, non-meditative state. Using a region-of-interest analysis, we found a longitudinal decrease in right amygdala activation in the Mindful Attention group in response to positive images, and in response to images of all valences overall. In the CBCT group, we found a trend increase in right amygdala response to negative images, which was significantly correlated with a decrease in depression score. No effects or trends were observed in the control group. This finding suggests that the effects of meditation training on emotional processing might transfer to non-meditative states. This is consistent with the hypothesis that meditation training may induce learning that is not stimulus- or task-specific, but process-specific, and thereby may result in enduring changes in mental function.

Keywords: meditation, mindfulness, attention, compassion, amygdala, emotion, fMRI

Citation: Desbordes G, Negi LT, Pace TWW, Wallace BA, Raison CL and Schwartz EL (2012) Effects of mindful-attention and compassion meditation training on amygdala response to emotional stimuli in an ordinary, non-meditative state. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 6:292. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2012.00292

Dalai Lama | Spirituality & the Environment

2013-05-09T17:07:00.002-07:00

His Holiness the Dalai Lama and religious leaders will participate in a discussion on "Spirituality & the Environment" at the University of Portland in Portland, Oregon, USA on May 9, 2013.

As we face the environmental issues before us, solutions will come through awareness and individual responsibility. The purpose of this event is not to focus on all that is wrong, but to inspire ourselves and future generations to act in a positive way for the environment. Individual responsibility arises from individual inspiration, formed and catalyzed by spirituality, philosophy, and policy. Therefore, this summit is designed as a platform for these three areas, all driving forces of action on this planet.”—Yangsi Rinpoche, Maitripa College President

dalailamaportland2013

The Dalai Lama leaves for US visit

2013-05-08T09:34:00.003-07:00

DHARAMSHALA, May 6: Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama left his exile hometown of Dharamshala, north India, for a fortnight’s visit of the United States of America on Sunday.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama greeting students from Oxford and Cambridge before his talk hosted by the Global Scholars Symposium at the Cambridge Union in Cambridge, England on April 20, 2013. (Photo/OHHDL?Jeremy Russell)

The Dalai Lama has been invited by various universities, colleges, and organisation to interact with students and give a series of lectures, public talks, discussions, and teachings on topics ranging from compassion to global environment.

The 77-year-old Tibetan leader is scheduled to begin his public engagements in Madison with the ‘Anwar Sadat Lecture for Peace on Peace Through Compassion: Connecting a Multi-Faith World’ organised by the University of Maryland on May 7. In the afternoon, the Dalai Lama will participate in ‘A Meeting of Two Oceans: Dialogue on Sufism and Buddhism’ organised by the Roshan Institute of Persian Studies. Live webcast of the two events is available here from 10:00am - 11:30am EDT and 1:30pm - 3:30pm EDT.

His Holiness will then travel to Oregon State, where he is scheduled to take part in various discussions and talks in Portland and Eugene at the invitation of the University of Portland, Maitripa College, and the University of Oregon. On May 11, the Dalai Lama will take part in an environmental summit on ‘Universal Responsibility & the Global Environment,’ during which the popular American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers will be performing for the Dalai Lama.

His Holiness will then visit Wisconsin State and give teachings on Je Tsongkhapa's ‘Praise to Dependent Origination (tendrel toepa)’ on May 14 in Madison followed by a panel discussion on ‘Change your Mind Change the World’ at the University of Wisconsin-Madison the next day.