Dan Hirshberg, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, Associate Director of the Leidecker Center for Asian Studies, and Director of the Contemplative Studies program, participated in the Mind & Life Institute’s first International Research Institute in Kyoto, Japan as a Senior Investigator.
Held at Myoshin-ji, a fourteenth-century Zen monastery, the Institute drew scholars, scientists, professionals, and contemplatives from eleven countries. Its theme was “Contemplative Practice in Context: Culture, History and Science,” exploring meditation in a broadly interdisciplinary, genuinely collaborative, and deeply enriching dialog.
For three decades, the Mind & Life Institute has catalyzed pioneering research and thoughtful interdisciplinary dialogue at the intersection of Buddhist thought, other contemplative wisdom traditions, and the modern Western sciences. Ultimately, their goal is to alleviate human suffering and foster individual and societal flourishing.
