Conveners: Jim Rheingans • Julian Schott
Please register by 10 October: meditationframes.istb@univie.ac.at
Mindfulness has become the term when referring to meditation. Denoting mostly secularised techniques derived from Buddhism, the largest proportion of Buddhist techniques, including Tibetan Buddhism, remain little explored.
This initial symposium is an interdisciplinary event between Buddhist studies and cognitive neuroscience related to Indo-Tibetan visual meditation practices, that aims to developing a conceptual framework for the exploration of Tibetan visual meditations.
Speakers: Tina Draszczyk • Peter Malinowski • Tilmann Reiss • Jim Rheingans • Julian Schott • Michael Sheehy • Tawni Tidwell
Schedule:
Opening
10:00
Jim Rheingans (Prof. of Tibetology, ISTB, University of Vienna): “Why research on conceptual frameworks of visual meditation practices? Towards a transcultural ‘dictionary’ between Buddhist Studies, Neuroscience, and Philosophy”
Concepts of Tantric Buddhist Visualisations
10:30
Julian Schott (Postdoc at the ISTB, University of Vienna): “Tattva, caryā, caṇḍālī, and the two kramas: frameworks of tantric yogic practices”
11:15
Tawni Tidwell (Research Asst. Prof., Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison): “Integrating Tibetan Medical and Neuroscientific Psychophysiological Approaches to Meditation”
12:00: Q&A
12:15-13:30: Lunch break
Presentations with Practical Exercises
13:30
Tilmann Reiss (Head of the "Ngagpa House", Germany): “Trulkor: Tibetan yoga and practice-traditions”
14:00
Tina Draszczyk (Independent Tibetologist and MBSR trainer): “Mindfulness from a Mahāyāna perspective in its sūtric and tantric aspects”
14:45-15:00: Coffee break
Towards a Dialogue with Cognitive Neuroscience
15:00
Jim Rheingans (Prof. of Tibetology at ISTB, University of Vienna): “Steps from a popular compassion training (Avalokiteśvara): An attempt at cultural translation”
15:30
Peter Malinowski (Reader in Cognitive Neuroscience, director of the Meditation Research Lab at the Research Centre for Brain and Behaviour, Liverpool John Moores University): “Neuroscientific Perspectives on Buddhist Meditation”
16:15
Michael Sheehy (Research Assoc. Prof.; Assoc. Prof. of Religious Studies by courtesy; Director of Research Contemplative Sciences Center, University of Virginia): “Towards a Typology of Contemplative Styles: A Transdisciplinary Prototype”
17:00 Q&A
