Edited by Jon Kabat-Zinn and Richard J. Davidson with the collaboration of Zara Houshmand

"A fascinating dialogue on the frontiers between science and spirituality, between medicine and meditation". -Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence

Here is an intelligent dialogue at the intersection between science and contemplative traditions. An encounter that reveals the latest discoveries about the effects of the systematic cultivation of mindfulness and compassion on our self-healing capacity.

The book collects the conversations about meditation that took place between the Dalai Lama, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Richard J. Davidson and leading researchers – such as Alan Wallace, Zindel Segal, Matthieu Ricard, Ajahn Amaro, Sharon Salzberg, Robert Sapolsky, John Teasdale, Jack Kornfield, Jan Chozen Bays and others – during the thirteenth meeting organized by the Mind and Life Institute.

The dialogue revolves around questions concerning the science and clinical applications of meditation: How do meditative practices influence human pain and suffering? What role does the brain play in emotional health and well-being? To what extent does our mind influence the disease? What synergies can help us transform health care and understand our evolutionary limitations as a species?

Addressing these issues with the utmost rigor The healing power of meditation represents a milestone: the birth of the field of contemplative neuroscience.