Meeting Report: Contemplative Science Summit Out of the Lab and Into the World: The Next Chapter of Contemplative Science

Summary

The field of contemplative science has made significant strides in the study of meditation, attention, and cognition in the past 15 years. The vast majority of this work has been conducted in a laboratory setting, which has provided insights into mechanisms and processes, but leaves open key questions of how these practices integrate into daily life and influence how practitioners move through the world. The Contemplative Science Summit was a day-long gathering that brought together contemplative scholars, researchers, and scholar-activists from a range of disciplines to present their work and explore how research in this field can move out of the lab and increase connection to the wider world. In alignment with this goal, the event was hybrid, with in-person participants gathering at the UC Davis Mondavi Center and remote participants joining the conversation over Zoom. The day opened with a land acknowledgement as well as agreements for mindful listening in multicultural contexts from the East Bay Meditation Center to remind all those present that contemplative science is not just the science of contemplative practice, but the practice of doing science contemplatively. After a welcome from Dr. Ron Mangun, Director of the Center for Mind and Brain, a presentation about the mission and work of the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute by Dr. Yan Li, and an orientation to the day from Dr. Clifford Saron, Director of the Saron Lab and Chair of the meeting Organizing Committee, the talks began. Midway through the day, there was an address from Dr. Estella Atekwana, Dean of Letters and Science at UC Davis, reflecting on the value of the meeting to the UC Davis community. The day was organized into three symposia, each comprising three talks. Videos of the meeting are available here. The meeting program includes talk titles, abstracts, and speaker bios.

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