Summit: Science and Wisdom of Emotions

The four day summit of The Science and Wisdom of Emotions helped to commemorate the dialogue held twenty years ago between the Dalai Lama and Western scientists that explored destructive emotions and how to cultivate our best human qualities. That original discussion was attended by a privileged few in a closed room in Dharamshala, India. On this occasion, more than 90,000 people registered and attended online from six different continents.

The lineup was incredible, and featured his Holiness the Dalai Lama as the keynote speaker. More than thirty international thought leaders shared their insights, including neuroscience researchers, mindfulness and compassion experts, psychologists and contemplatives. Incredibly inspiring! There were hours of programming each day, and I listened to them all, trying to absorb as much of the wisdom as possible. 

The guided meditations were mind bending experiences of how perceptions and intentions shape our world. In Beautiful Monsters, Tsoknyi Rinpoche confronted difficult emotions to offer compassion; in the Four Pillars of Wellbeing Mingyur Rinpoche explored awareness, connection, insight, and purpose; Four Elements with Sebene Salassie focused on the earth, water, air and fire within and around us.  There were at least two former monks: Thupten Jinpa (the Dalai Lama's translator and founder of the Contemplative Compassion Institute); and Kaira Jewel Lingo (an ordained nun of 15 years in Thich Nhat Hanh’s Order of Interbeing, now a lay Dharma teacher based in Washington, DC). Jon Kabot-Zinn also led a mindfulness session and keynote Q & A. 

My friend Linda gifted me with a pass to the recordings and transcripts, however I still took a tonne of notes and captured references to works I can savour and study in more in depth later:

• Mattieu Ricard, Buddhist monk, photographer and teacher (photo book on wonder), book on Altruism
• Atlas of Emotions, Paul and Eve Eckman
• Kaira Jewel Lingo, audio talks
• Ana Teresa Fernandez, artist and film maker
• Thupten Jinpa, A Fearless Heart and Contemplative Compassion Training
• Tsoknyi Rinpoche, Fully Being (online course), Open Heart, Open Mind (book)
• Mingyur Rinpoche, Joy of Living (online course) and Secret and Science of Happiness (book)
• Laurie Santos, Happiness Lab podcast (I have taken the Science of Wellbeing course and loved it!)
• Heart Sutra
• Seeds of Happiness and Sorrow, Thich Nhat Hahn
• 10% Happier (some meditations on You Tube)

The Dalai Lama's culminating keynote dialogue is available to view free of charge.  He reasons compassion is a natural human quality; not an emotion, but a state of being we can choose to embody.