The Mind & Life Institute is a nonprofit organization that was co-founded in 1987 by the His Holiness the Dalai Lama, neuroscientist Francisco Varela and entrepreneur Adam Engle for the purpose of creating rigorous dialogue and research collaboration between modern sciences, the world’s living contemplative traditions, philosophy, humanities and social sciences. We believe this integrated, multi-disciplinary research collaboration is the most effective approach to investigating the human mind, developing a more complete understanding of the nature of reality, alleviating suffering and promoting well-being on the planet.

Over the past 25 years, the Mind & Life Institute has become a world leader in cultivating this integrated investigation and developing research fields that explore the effects of contemplative based practices on the brain, human biology and behavior, including the fields of Contemplative Science and Contemplative Studies.

At the Mind & Life Institute, we envision a world that fully comprehends the critical importance of training the mind and developing inner resources in ways that alleviate suffering rather than cause suffering; a world in which everyone has access to age-appropriate and culturally appropriate means for accomplishing this inner development.

The goals of the Mind & Life Institute are to:

• Develop the strategy and conceptual framework for a rigorous, integrated, multi-disciplinary investigation of the mind that combines first- and second-person direct human experience with a modern scientific third-person inquiry

• Develop a global community of scientists and scholars to conduct this investigation, and global communities of financial partners to provide the material resources to support this research

• Delineate specific research projects which are strategically designed to advance these emerging fields of research

• Communicate research findings to provide a scientific basis for developing and refining practices and programs designed to improve lives and societies; practices that cultivate the human qualities of attention, emotional balance, kindness, compassion, confidence and happiness

To execute our vision and goals we have developed a comprehensive strategy of integrated initiatives:

• Mind and Life Dialogues with His Holiness the Dalai Lama

• Mind and Life Publications, which report on these Dialogues

• Mind and Life Summer Research Institute, which helps train scientists and scholars in the emerging fields of Contemplative Science and Contemplative Studies

• Mind and Life Francisco J. Varela Research Awards, which provide pilot research grants to pioneering investigators in Contemplative Science and Contemplative Studies

• Mind and Life Institute Collaborative Coordinator Initiative, which promotes cooperation among the emerging research centers and laboratories in Contemplative Science and Contemplative Studies

• International Symposia on Contemplative Studies, a recurring networking and information-sharing conference for the emerging fields within Contemplative Science and Contemplative Studies

• Mind and Life Humanities and Social Sciences Initiative, which ensures that the emerging fields of Contemplative Science and Contemplative Studies are multi-disciplinary and integrate first, second, and third-person modes of investigation, and provides funding for such investigations

To find out more about the Mind & Life Institute, please visit our website at www.mindandlife.org

The Baumann Foundation is a San Francisco-based think-tank that explores the experience of being human in the context of cognitive science, evolutionary theory and philosophy to foster greater clarity about the human condition. The work of the Foundation reflects the vision and passion of its founder, Peter Baumann: “Conscious experience is compromised because of identification with mental self-concepts. Comprehending the nature of mental concepts and the dynamics of identification can foster greater clarity about the human condition and individual experience.”

The foundation is focused on the exploration of subjects such as perception, cognitive biases, mental representation, mindfulness, attention, dynamics of self-identification and how these relate to and inform conscious experience. 
 On March 24th, 2012, we will host the first annual Being Human Symposium (“Being Human 2012”) at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco where leading scientists and philosophers will present scientific and philosophical insights that are reshaping our understanding of human nature and explore how they can effect our experience of daily life.

Under the banner of The Baja Project, scientists Richie Davidson, Phil Zelazo and Sona Dmidjian are engaged in a five-year research project focused on the process and potential of ongoing human development beyond identification with mental self-concepts.