Diego has dedicated over forty years to external scientific research and internal meditative exploration of the mind and consciousness. He started as a
pharmacologist, specializing in psychopharmacology and addiction, always interested in what constitutes a healthy mind, and how to cultivate it.
He lived over 13 years in Dharamsala, India, studying with HH the Dalai Lama, yogis and eminent masters of mind training, and for over 25 years curated the dialogues between Science and Buddhism (among them the Mind and Life dialogues) with the Dalai Lama, which in turn resulted in thousands of research papers. Today, Diego works at the intersection of Neuroscience, Coaching, Mind Training and Practice of Meditation, helping individuals and teams overcome confusion, lack of clarity, and re-igniting their potential and thriving lives.
For more information: www.diegohangartner.org
The Science of Meditation – how can two so different traditions converse?
Over the last twenty years, western neuroscience and clinical science have been increasingly interested in exploring the benefits of meditation. When and where did that begins? How has the research been conducted, and what are some of the findings that have initiated a paradigmatic change about how we understand well-being and health?
In my presentation, I will address these questions from several perspectives: neuro-scientific insights will be paired with understandings and tools stemming from clinical science, psychology, even management skills in order to address these issues. However, I will not be talking primarily about the findings, but will be speaking from my own experience as a curator, moderator and participant in the Mind and Life dialogues (as a co-founder of Mind and Life Europe and as the COO of the Mindcand Life Institute in the USA). I will highlight the insights I gained as an active research collaborator and long-term practitioner (the so-called “monks in the lab”), addressing some of the challenges, fundamental incompatibilities and complementary aspects that emerged in those ventures.