Dharamshala: - The Mind and Life XXIII Conference held in Dharamsala, India in October 28, 2013. The conference will continue till November 1.
The spiritual leader of Tibet His Holiness the Dalai Lama has joined the Tibetan Buddhist scholars and scientists in Dharamshala to explore ways to tackle - craving, desire, and addiction – which are most pressing causes of human suffering.
The Mind and Life Institute have brought together the scholars for the 27th Mind and Life conference in Dharamshala, India.
The five-day conference from 28 October – 1 November will focus its attention on craving, desire, and addiction, as these are among the most pressing causes of human suffering.
"By bringing contemplative practitioners and scholars from Buddhist and Christian traditions together with a broad array of scientific researchers in the fields of desire and addiction, hopefully new understandings will arise that may ultimately lead to improved treatment of the root causes of craving and its many manifestations," the Mind & Life Institute said in a statement.
Major issues relating human suffering to be discussed during the five -day meeting, include the problem of craving and addiction- cognitive and Buddhist Theory, brain generators of intense wanting and liking, psychology of desire, craving, and action: a Buddhist perspective, biological and cultural wiews, contemplative perspectives- craving to Freedom and flourishing: Buddhist perspectives on desire, and into the World- application of contemplative practices in treatment of addiction.
Scholars attending the conference include Kent Berridge, PhD, James Olds Collegiate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Psychology (University of Michigan); Sarah Bowen, PhD, Acting Assistant Professor Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (University of Washington); Richard J Davidson, PhD, William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry Director, Laboratory of Affective Neuroscience (University of Wisconsin–Madison); Wendy Farley, PhD, Professor – Department of Religion (Emory University); Vibeke Asmussen Frank, PhD, Deputy Director and Associate Professor – Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research (Aarhus University, Denmark); Roshi Joan Halifax,PhD, Founder, Abbot, and Head Teacher – Upaya Zen Center; Thupten Jinpa, PhD, Adjunct Professor (McGill University) Chairman – Mind & Life Institute; Marc Lewis, PhD, Professor – Behavioural Science Institute (Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands); Nora Volkow, MD, Director – National Institute on Drug Abuse National Institutes of Health; Diana Chapman Walsh, PhD, President Emerita (Wellesley College), Governing Board Member – The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT; and Arthur Zajonc,PhD, Professor Emeritus of Physics (Amherst College), President of Mind & Life Institute.
