In conversation with Dr. Lobsang Tenzin Negi, co-Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics at Emory University and Professor of Pedagogy in Emory University’s Department of Religion. This episode is in collaboration with the World Happiness Fest, taking place March 17th-22nd, 2022.
In this special exchange, Pooja and Professor Negi discuss the central tenants and urgency of compassion, a focus of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Dr. Negi expands on how although humans have made tremendous progress from an outward, material standpoint, we have neglected to develop the core inner values that lead to contentment and inner peace. In other words, we have been focused on educating the mind, while forgetting to educate the heart.
Dr. Negi shares how compassion is linked to the idea of safety and security in a world with so much diverse thought, biases, and differing groups of people. It is in this kind of world, especially, that people need to feel safe. He shares that at the heart of compassion is a sense of meaningful, tender connection with each other, and that creates a sense of security and trust, happiness and love.
Pooja and Dr. Negi also uncover the links between traditional Tibetan Buddhist mind training practices called "Lojong", which systematically look within, closely observing what triggers our emotions. This scientific examination parallels some of the main practices and strategies used in CBT, originating in the 1960's by Dr. Aaron Beck, globally recognized as the father of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and one of the world’s leading researchers in psychopathology.
--
LOBSANG TENZIN NEGI, Ph.D. is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics at Emory University, formerly the Emory-Tibet Partnership. Prof. Negi is also a Professor of Pedagogy in Emory University’s Department of Religion and the founder and spiritual director of Drepung Loseling Monastery, Inc., in Atlanta, GA.
Over the past two decades, Prof. Negi has been a pioneer of compassion training programs for adults and children and he has contributed to the development and burgeoning of compassion science through his research initiatives and collaborations.
Through his center, Prof. Negi has developed and now oversees three programs, which are dedicated to expanding compassion and engaging in research. In 2004, Prof. Negi developed CBCT® (Cognitively-Based Compassion Training), a secularized contemplative program based on Tibetan Buddhist mind training practices that deliberately and systematically works to cultivate compassion. He also oversees SEE Learning™ (Social, Emotional and Ethical Learning), a program that develops and implements curricula for kindergarten through university level education for the education of heart and mind. The third program of the center is the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative, a program he developed, at the invitation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, to develop and implement a comprehensive modern science curriculum specifically for Tibetan monastics.
Prof. Negi was born in Kinnaur, a remote Himalayan region adjoining Tibet. A former monk of 27 years, he began his monastic training at The Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamasala, India and continued his education at Drepung Loseling Monastery in south India, where in 1994 he received the Geshe Lharampa degree. Prof. Negi completed his Ph.D. at Emory University in 1999; his interdisciplinary dissertation centered on traditional Buddhist and contemporary Western approaches to emotions and their impact on wellness. His current research focuses on the complementarity of modern science and contemplative practice.
--
Follow Dr. Negi's work:
https://seelearning.emory.edu/node/5
https://compassionshift.emory.edu/
Follow & Attend the World Happiness Fest:
https://worldhappiness.foundation/fest/about/
--
More on this Podcast: https://www.calmandfreepodcast.com/
For more from Host Pooja Mottl: https://www.poojamottl.com/
Podcast Producer: https://www.go-toproductions.com/
Twitter @PoojaMottl: https://twitter.com/poojamottl
Instagram:
@TheCalmandFreePodcast https://www.instagram.com/thecalmandfreepodcast/
and @PoojaMottl https://www.instagram.com/poojamottl/
LinkedIn: @PoojaMottl https://www.linkedin.com/in/poojamottl/
--
Special Thanks :
Kris Kosach of the TPR Podcast for lending her VO for our Podcast Intro: https://www.sites.google.com/view/textproserocknroll/home
Jessica Panian https://www.jessicapanian.com/ for her help with our graphic design: https://www.jessicapanian.com/