Australian Institute for Consciousness Studies

This workshop covers material from the paper Dysfunction, Dispositional Narrative and Meditation, that Clarke Scott will present at this years Australian Meditation Conference.

Here is the abstract:

The stories we tell ourselves, about ourselves, often lead to dysfunctional cognitive states that may lead to misunderstanding our place in the world. Because this dispositional narrative is rooted in a misconception, the question may be raised: can meditation effect dispositional narrative in such a way as to lead to a flourishing life? Clarke’s talk will present current research that suggests this is indeed the case, and details the efficacy of meditation as both a diagnostic and therapeutic tool used to extirpate dysfunctional cognitive states that obstruct genuine happiness.

Places for the workshop are limited.

Workshop Details:

Sunday August 1st, 10:00am — 5:00pm
Cost: $90.00
Tickets: http://www.meditationevents.com.au/
Venue: Yoga Concepts, Level 1, 458 Bridge Road, Richmond
(Blue door next to Kanzaman Lebanese Restaurant)

Workshop Schedule:
Session One: 10.00 am—12.00: Lecture, 1 meditation session and Q &A.
Session Two: 1.00 pm—2.30: Lecture, 2 meditation sessions and Q&A.
Session Three: 3.00pm —5.00 Lecture, 2 meditation sessions and Q & A.

notes: each meditation session is 24 minutes in length.

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I often characterize the Buddhist tradition as an “ongoing process of replacing dysfunctional states of mind with functional states of mind”. Although this tradition has worked well without science to date (I wrote about this here: Does Buddhism need science?), to my mind, science is key for a truly objective approach to finding the correlates of human flourishing that would be universally accepted.

The Dalai Lama has long been interested in science because just as scientific knowledge is based on testable and repeatable experiments, so is Buddhism. Clearly the methods of each tradition are quite different. However, the Buddhist maxim is “do the experiments for yourself” like a goldsmith tests gold to gauge its value.

There is no “call to authority” as a final arbiter of wisdom in the either tradition—direct experience plays that role.

Studies of the effects of meditation are not new; what is new is the concept of the hybrid. Someone educated in Buddhist theory and practice directly involved in the research project. Being trained in both traditions, these hybrids can act as interpreters. By drawing knowledge of phenomenal structures of consciousness directly from their own mind, they can articulate this directly to scientists, and in their own language. Thus giving science—for the first time—ongoing access to new data and from here—new discoveries. taken from Does Buddhism need science?

It is my hope that we are seeing the beginning of something quite special taken foot in the West. Something that will benefit all sentient beings. With that, here is a video of the Dalai Lama strongly advising Buddhist monks and nuns to embrace the scientific paradigm.

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I would like to announce the Australian Institute for Consciousness Studies has become an official partner of the International Shamatha Project. AICS looks forward to our participation in this historic research project. With the endorsement of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, which you can read here, and the backing of the Phuket International Academy, I am very excited by the possibility of the future for Australian Institute for Consciousness Studies, International Shamatha Project and contemplative science in general.

In that regard, AICS has begun two grass-root projects here in Australia—the Australian Contemplative Science Initiative and the Tasmanian Contemplative Observatory Project—in order to do our part to help make the International Shamatha Project a success.

The first of these is a project to help establish a genuine appreciation of contemplative science within the general scientific and academic communities here in Australia. Details on this project have not yet been finalized but, they are most likely to entail the publication of an article and perhaps literature to be given to academics throughout Australia, in which the methodologies and motivations behind contemplative science are explained.

While the second project—the Tasmanian Contemplative Observatory Project—is an important adjunct to the former, in which we hope to establish a suitable environment for people from all over the world who wish to refine their attentional skills. The land purchased will also serve as an educational institution and facility for group retreats and contemplative science conferences. Again, details on this project will be made available shortly.

What is the International Shamatha Project?

The International Shamatha Project is an international Buddhist research project modeled after the Human Genome Project, which was one of the most ambitious and successful scientific projects in recent history. It entailed the collaboration of many scientific laboratories throughout the world to map the human genome. Throughout the years that this project was conducted, researchers around the world shared their finding so that the project could be completed most effectively for the benefit of all of humanity. Like this great, collaborative, scientific project to explore the human genome, the International Shamatha Project will bring together dedicated Buddhist teachers and meditators from both Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism to collaborate in exploring the most effective methods and conditions for achieving shamatha in today’s world. Individual retreat centers will network with each other by way of the internet, sharing their experiences, problems, remedies, and insights. We will also collaborate with psychologists and neuroscientists conducting research on shamatha meditators to help discover which methods of shamatha are most appropriate for which kinds of people in the modern world. Scientists may also discover the objective psychological and neurological signs corresponding to the nine stages of development leading to shamatha, thus providing a scientific map of the gradual achievement of shamatha. We have begun such collaboration in the Shamatha Project, and I am proposing that this work now be expanded worldwide, to include multiple teachers and traditions.

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Today, I had my first chance to meet with some of the academics working in the Psychology faculty here at the University of Tasmania, and to take a tour of the facilities under the care of the wonderful Professor Jeff Summers—including a stop-over in the EEG lab and hence the silly looking cap I am wearing. Professor Summers was so kind as to lead me through the department, to introduce some of the staff, and most interestingly discuss some of their most recent research. It was only yesterday, in fact, that his research team got some unexpected results from a recent series of tests on attentional skills involving older Australians. While I cannot go into details for obvious reasons, from what I could tell there will be some interesting papers published as a result of this research.

In the Lab

Suffice to say, I was buoyed by the fact that the staff were open and willing to engage. In fact, we spoke openly about working together on meditation related research—both now and also into the future—and I even got to give a little impromptu Meditation 101 class.

Thus far at least, I have not found any obstacles we have met too large as to stop us from moving forward. I believe this is because most people intuitively get the importance of a collaborative approach to research into consciousness, and its related fields of study. For it is by combining the 3rd person objectiveness of rigorous science, and the phenomenologically rich and sophisticated contemplative traditions such as Buddhism, that will, in the end, benefit all of us. And so, AICS has today taken another tiny step towards a bigger future.

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via: ClarkeScott.org

Mark your calendars! July 31st is this years date for the Australian Meditation conference. The conference, I believe, has been running for two or perhaps even three years now, and focuses on bringing teachers of meditation together to discuss and present their work. From their website we get the following information:

The Conference brings together some of Australia’s leading meditation teachers, meditation researchers and performing artists in the field of contemplative/intuitive music.
The event provides practitioner-oriented education for wellness professionals. Our commitment is to bring together leaders in the field of meditation, presenting the latest information and approaches.
Storey Hall is in the heart of the city and offers a fully integrated venue, combining a great auditorium, exhibition space and an area for networking, refreshments and a vegetarian lunch.
This event promises to be a wonderful opportunity for anyone with a personal or professional interest in meditation to explore this marvellous practice in its many diverse forms.

Australian Meditation Conference

Date: 31 July 2010
Place: RMIT
Time: 8.30am—6.00pm. My talk is at 2.30pm
Presentation title: Dispositional Narrative, Dysfunction and Mental Training.

Abstract: The stories we tell ourselves, about ourselves, can often lead to dysfunctional cognitive states, which in turn lead to misunderstanding our place in the world. This dispositional narrative is based on fundamentally misunderstanding our own ontology—who we really are. This, then, begs the question: can mental training affect dispositional narrative in such a way as to lead to a flourishing life? Clarke’s talk will present current research that suggests this is indeed the case—thus detailing the efficacy of meditation as both a diagnostic and therapeutic tool used to explicate these dysfunctional cognitive states.

http://www.australianmeditationconference.com.au

I was invited to present at this years conference—thanks to the recommendation of a reader—which of course I accepted. However, I never did find out who this person is, and so if you are reading this, please email me so that I may thank you.

I hope to weave the story of the Australian Institute for Consciousness Studies into the talk, as it is the institutes work which will give meaning to much of what I will present. However, speaking with the organizers after submitting my abstract, I subsequently found out that the conference attendees are mainly non-academics (somehow I was under the impression this was an academic conference), so I might in the end change the talk, making the content a little lighter. Regardless of the style of the conference, I am more than happy to be invited to events such as this, for it helps to promote AICS, and of course, the Institute will only succeed if people know about our work. So, if you feel inclined and you are in the position to do so, please do recommend the AICS as a possible guest speaker. Given our affiliation with the Santa Barbara Institute, this goes for conferences outside of Australia as well.

Then, given, I am coming to Melbourne I wonder if it would be worth arranging a day of meditation—perhaps the day after the conference as this is a Sunday. This would give us 4 or 5 months to arrange the event. If you would like to discuss this please contact me.

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It is with great pleasure that I welcome the following eminent professionals to our board of directors and advisory board. Each new board member brings a unique skill and focus to AICS. Thus giving the Insitute a wide set of skills and experiences to draw from. You can find more information on each board member including links to their websites here http://australianinstitute.org/board-of-directors/

In the future, we believe there will be more members joining the AICS boards, particularly from within the cognitive scientific community. As well as strategic alignment with institutions working within the domain of the contemplative/science dialogue.

Peter Boord Ph.D: Brain Dynamics Center & Director of the World Happiness Forum.
Peter’s EEG research has included: development and validation of algorithms for EEG analysis. Investigation of EEG spectral changes over the lifespan associated with changes in cerebral metabolic rate. Investigation of the timing (ERP latency) and location (LORETA) of threat stimuli compared to positive and neutral stimuli. Investigation of gamma phase synchrony associated with functional connectivity in temporo-amygdala networks. Investigation of phase-gradients in the EEG. Investigation of gamma phase synchrony changes in schizophrenia. And development of an algorithm for automatic ERP component identification. The algorithm reliably identifies ERP components by matching an individuals phase coherence across decomposed ERP trials with the phase coherence across subjects in the grand average ERP using a mahalanobis distance measure.

Professor Robert A. Thurman: Professor of Indo-Tibetan Studies, Columbia University.
Robert Thurman is Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion at Columbia University, President of Tibet House US, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Tibetan civilization, and President of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies. The New York Times recently hailed him as “the leading American expert on Tibetan Buddhism.” He has a B.A., A.M. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard and has studied in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in India and the United States.

Professor Shaun Gallagher: Professor of Philosophy and Cognitive Sciences, University of Central Florida.
Shaun Gallagher is Professor of Philosophy and Cognitive Sciences, and Senior Researcher at the Institute of Simulation and Training, at the University of Central Florida (USA); he also has an appointment as Research Professor of Philosophy and Cognitive Science at the University of Hertfordshire (UK). He has had numerous appointments as invited Visiting Scientist at the Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge (1994), as Visiting Professor at University of Copenhagen (2005, 2006, 2007), and most recently at the Centre de Recherche en Epistémelogie Appliquée (CREA), Paris ((2009-2010), and at the Ecole Normale Supériure, Lyon (2008, 2010). In 2012 he will be Visiting Professor at the Humboldt University in Berlin.

Roshi Joan Halifax, Ph.D: Founder and Director Upaya Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Joan Halifax Roshi is a Buddhist teacher, medical anthropologist, social activist, and author. She holds a Ph.D. in Medical Anthropology and has been on the faculty of Columbia University, University of Miami School of Medicine, and the New School for Social Research in New York. She has taught at many educational institutions in the United States, including Harvard University, University of Connecticut Medical School, and the University of Virginia Medical School. She was an Honorary Research Fellow at Harvard University in Medical Ethnobotany and one of the first NEA Fellows in Visual Anthropology.

Diego Hangartner, Pharm.D: Mind and Life Institute Chief Operating Officer and Director of Research Programs.

Diego has been associated with the Mind and Life Institute since the late 1990’s. Presently, he is Mind and Life Chief Operating Officer, and Director of Programs, Research International. He completed his studies in Pharmacology at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, specializing in psychotherapeutic and psychoactive substances. Having worked with drug addiction, he became interested in understanding the workings of mind and consciousness. After encountering Buddhism, he then spent 11 years in Dharamsala, India, where he first learned Tibetan and then studied for 7 years at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics. During those years, he did several retreats and worked as a translator and interpreter, translating Tibetan into English, German, French and Spanish.

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I am delighted to officially make the announce that B. Alan Wallace has accepted my request to become a board member of AICS. Alan, as you should well know, is dynamic lecturer, scholar, and one of the most prolific writers of Tibetan Buddhism in the West. Alan continually seeks innovative ways to integrate Buddhist contemplative practices with Western science and was the genesis behind AICS. For without his request the AICS would still be just a pipe-dream.

I want to thank Alan for accepting this role. You can see more on the Board of Directors page.

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I am delighted to officially announce affiliation between the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies and the Australian Institute for Consciousness Studies. For those who may be unaware, the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies (SBICS) is an organization established as a nexus for advancing interdisciplinary and cross-cultural understanding that joins scientific knowledge and spiritual practice. It is a non-sectarian organization that reaches out to the scientific and academic communities, a variety of contemplative traditions, and the general public.

Affiliation letter

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Again from my personal website: Here is a small post of the nature of mindfulness. You can see the full article What is Mindfulness here.

Mindfulness meditation has been practiced by many different contemplative traditions for centuries. Its ability to shed insight into perception beyond the senses is well known in these traditions. However, only recently has the Western world, and science in particular, picked up on the role that mind plays in how we view ourselves and the world around us. Because most people are extremely busy these days, being aware of your thoughts and emotions in every moment is not simple. We can get caught up in our daily activities easily, sometimes going on autopilot for hours. Our mind can carry us from one idea to the next, without being truly aware of this process or even the individual thoughts themselves. We can get carried away with memories of the past and projections into the future. Have you ever experienced a train of thought that goes something like this: Remember that pizza from my New York holiday…oh but the seats were very uncomfortable …seats…I need a new chair…chairs…pool chairs…oh my god when I am going to get the pool cleaned…I never have enough time to myself. Does that seem familiar? You can go from having a memory of a lovely holiday to getting stressed by some unfinished work within seconds, and more importantly without even noticing each individual thought.

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