Webinars

Upcoming Webinars

Contemplative practices have inspired profound scientific inquiry into the mechanisms of the mind, but understanding them fully requires more than just translation or analysis of Buddhist texts.

This webinar brings together critical humanistic insights into the use of Buddhist texts and cultural contexts in contemplative science. The webinar will explore the pitfalls of relying too heavily on traditional texts, uncover the hidden assumptions within Buddhist terminology, and discuss the limitations of purely neurobiological models of meditation.

By integrating perspectives on textual caution and cultural context, this session aims to provide researchers and scholars interested in contemplative research with tools to navigate the complexity of contemplative traditions while preserving their depth and transformative potential.

On the Importance of Context in the Study of Meditation, or: Why There Will Never Be an Enlightenment Machine – David McMahan

This presentation discusses some of the potential limitations of an exclusively scientific or neurological approach to the understanding of such practices. It argues for more consideration of the role of social and cultural context. What makes meditation “work”—or, rather, the work meditation does—is dependent not solely on the practice itself, or the neural states involved in the practice, but also on a complex of surrounding cultural factors that provides a repertoire of categories through which the experiences are interpreted and, most broadly, of possible ways of being in the world.

The Trouble with Contemplative Texts: Some Examples from Buddhist Practices – John Dunne

While it is tempting to refer to Buddhist texts and technical terms when crafting scientific publications about contemplative practices, it is best to do so with considerable caution, if at all. Texts that look descriptive may actually be polemical; terms that seem straightforward may harbor unneeded and unverifiable assumptions; and (just like the rest of us) the underlying motivations of Buddhist authors may at times be primarily concerned with winning arguments, repeating required formulas, or defending dogma, even when they seem to be describing meditative practices. Taking examples from specific texts and practices, this talk unpacks some of these problems and suggests strategies for working with texts from contemplative traditions in a way that preserves their contributions while avoiding potential pitfalls.

Previous Webinars

The first ISCR webinar, “Mindfulness-Based Interventions and Clinical Applications: Methods and Mechanisms,” moderated by Dr. David Vago, incoming President of ISCR, took place on November 19th.

This dynamic 90-minute session featured leading experts—Dr. Zindel Segal (University of Toronto), Dr. Anthony King (Ohio State University), and Dr. Elizabeth Hoge (Georgetown University)—who shared groundbreaking research and practical applications of mindfulness in treating depression, anxiety, PTSD, and more.

Thank you to all who participated in this engaging and insightful event!

The webinar recording is password protected, only ISCR members and webinar attendees are able to watch.