Mind+&+Life+Institute+Conference

Educators, Scientists and Contemplatives Dialogue on Cultivating a Healthy Mind, Brain and Heart** //[|Mind & Life Institute]// October 8–9, 2009 • Washington, D.C., USA Tweets about institute: See hash tags #HHDL and #EWC09. //[|Featured Speakers]// //How can we educate people to be compassionate, competent, ethical and engaged citizens in an increasingly complex and interconnected world?// = =
 * Educating World Citizens for the 21st Century:

SESSION 1 - Envisioning the World Citizen, Thursday, 10/8, 9:15am-12pm
[|HH Dalai Lama] [|Marian Wright Edelman], J.D., Children's Defense Fund
 * Speakers:**

[|Matthieu Ricard, Ph.D.] [|Jacquelynne S. Eccles, Ph.D.] [|Linda Darling-Hammond, Ed.D.]
 * Panelists:**

[|Daniel Goleman, Ph.D.]
 * Moderator:**

[|Thupten Jinpa, Ph.D.]
 * Interpreter:**


 * Noticings:
 * Some participants in bare feet.
 * Total silence when Dalai Lama came out on the stage.
 * No computers allowed.
 * Presenter asked if we would dedicate this session to a child who is having difficulty with something.

Thomas Freedman:

 * Xenophobia in the world
 * 3 bombs confront our children
 * nuclear bomb
 * debt bomb
 * climate bomb
 * What is right versus wrong? (children)
 * What is constructive versus destructive?
 * Challenges for children (stress, being better than others, competition, hunger, illness, anxiety, depression, lack of facilities, lack of mentorships, unemployment, limited instruction, lack of social support with high pressure, high stakes testing,
 * **What habits of the mind are necessary?**
 * **What habits of the body are necessary?**
 * Citizens need cognitive, ethical and emotional skills, character with adaptive behavior
 * Responsibility to develop ethics for a new millenia & teaching children compassion (heart and mind)
 * It is impossible to separate heart and minds.
 * We need to educate children to be in touch with their emotions.
 * We need to make a commitment to social justice.
 * We need to develop skills in ethical attention, speech and action.
 * **How do educational systems need to change to become mindful and nurturing for both teachers and students?**

Daniel Goleman:

 * Education in the American school has largely been to develop workers.

Dalai Lama:

 * Everyone wants a happy life.
 * Everyone has a right to a happy life and to overcome disturbances.
 * 200 million people killed in the 20th century
 * More depression and suicide
 * People are more restless in their minds.
 * Children don't care much for complicated things.
 * I am the eldest brother of two.
 * I think my younger brother was more aggressive.
 * More hopes and doubts bring more distrust and suspicion, stress.
 * There is more attachment with negative emotions.
 * More suffering, divorce, etc..
 * Leadership comes out more educational system that is self-centered with competitive learning solutions.
 * **How do we create more opportunities for interdependence and cooperation?**
 * **We can learn if we observe carefully.**
 * Build communities/schools that support genuine affection.
 * **If we all want to be happy we need to teach pathways to happiness and pathways away from suffering.**
 * **and the vision to know the difference.**
 * We should be wise selfish versus foolish selfish.
 * Inner calm reduces stress, fear, anxiety.
 * self-confidence reduces stress.
 * Inner beauty is more important than external beauty.
 * Inner beauty is inner light.
 * We all have the material facilities we need.
 * Money fails to give us peace.
 * Modern education system is inadequate.
 * This conference is a sign that something is moving.
 * Promotion of inner behaviors (compassion).
 * In educational system we can promote this.
 * 6 million people don't care about religion but most care about education.
 * This is the way to spread compassionate learning.
 * Secularlism is respect for all religions.
 * Nihilism is the rejection of all religions.
 * Requirement for happy life is compassion.

SESSION 4, Friday,
Linda Lantieri http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWPmHkkLUak&feature=player_embedded Thomas Friedman Ritchie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHx27DVhWo4&feature=player_embedded