Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain: Cultivating Inner Conditions for Genuine Happiness
U of M Center for Spirituality & Healing hosts Matthieu Ricard, trained scientist, Buddhist monk, and best-selling author
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WHAT:
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More than 35 years ago, Matthieu Ricard left a promising career in cellular genetics in France to study Buddhism in the Himalayas. Drawing upon his recent writings, his own research into brain plasticity and cognitive neuropsychology, and his collaboration with neuroscientists and Buddhist practitioners at the Mind and Life Institute (co-founded by the Dalai Lama), Ricard will examine the relationship between meditation, brain circuitry, and emotional balance as the guest lecturer for the annual Ruth Stricker Mind-Body Lecture presented by the University’s Center for Spirituality & Healing. A reception and book signing will follow the presentation. |
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WHEN:
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Friday, April 18, 2008
3 – 4 p.m. Lecture
4 – 4:30 p.m. Panel Discussion
4:30 – 5 p.m. Q & A, followed by book signing |
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WHERE:
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University of Minnesota, Northrop Auditorium
84 Church Street S.E., Minneapolis
http://www1.umn.edu/twincities/maps/NMA/
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COST:
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The event is free but space is limited. Please register by calling 612-624-9459. |
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BACKGROUND:
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“Has the word happiness itself been so overused that people have given up on it, turned off by the illusions and platitudes it evokes?”
This is the question Ricard explores in his book Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill. With 15 percent of North Americans experiencing major depression before the age of thirty-five, the answer to this question has never been more important.
As a trained scientist and Buddhist monk, Ricard is uniquely positioned as an authoritative voice for important dialogue between East and West. In collaboration with Professor Richard J. Davidson, head of the Laboratory for Affective Neuroscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Ricard has been both a key collaborator and the first experimental subject for a ground-breaking study on the effects of meditation on the brain. Ricard also manages a number of important humanitarian projects in Tibet, India, and Nepal. For more information, visit http://shechen.org.
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EDITOR'S NOTE:
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Matthieu Ricard, Center for Spirituality & Healing director Mary Jo Kreitzer, and lecture benefactor Ruth Stricker will be available for interviews in advance of the lecture. For more information about the speaker or about the Center, please contact Tony Baisley at 612-624-2141 or visit http://www.csh.umn.edu.
In celebration of the 23rd anniversary of Ruth Stricker’s The Marsh, A Center for Balance and Fitness, Ricard will offer a separate lecture further exploring the topic “Happiness: Looking Within – Putting Space Between Our Thoughts.” The Marsh event will be held on Thursday, April 17, at 7 p.m. For more information, please contact Jennifer Rasmusson at 952-930-8527.
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About the Center for Spirituality & Healing: Recognized nationally as a resource and leader in integrated health, the University of Minnesota's Center for Spirituality & Healing's goal is to transform health care by educating health professionals and students about complementary therapies and healing practices, conduct rigorous scientific research into complementary and non-pharmacological interventions, provide meaningful outreach programs, and work with partners to develop integrative clinical services. The inspiration behind the Center’s work is the knowledge that health and well-being are enhanced when the best of complementary and conventional care are integrated.
Contact: Tony Baisley, Center for Spirituality & Healing, 612-624-2141
Laura Stroup, Academic Health Center, 612-624-5680
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