Cambridge UK Leads - An Opportunity in 2015

Hi all

For centuries Cambridge and its University have been at the front edge of thought and deed. 

Challenge and courage are in the fenland air.

The 21st century is providing a new challenges.  Mature learning and young talent are still here amongst us.  As is courage

Alan Turing presented his mathematical and philosophical paper in Cambridge in 1936.   That paper led us to the new digital computerised knowledge world which 7.5 billion people now inhabit. 

In 1936 Alan Turing was twenty four.  As another Michaelmas Term commences youth is in that fenland air.

An inter-generational, inter-disciplinary, international dialogue is being proposed for Spring 2015.  Cambridge could be at its centre.

Judge for yourself.  Complete a short survey.  Read the Proposal letter and Briefing Notes. below.

Clarkson and Wilberforce - St John's College Cambridge

Proposal for Thupten Samdup

Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama

London, 21 September 2013

Mind and Life at Cambridge University, Spring 2015.

Mind and Life works at the intersection of contemporary science and contemplative traditions. The Mind & Life Institute seeks to bridge and integrate contemplative wisdom and practices with modern research capabilities, and then use the resulting knowledge to catalyze and initiate programs to alleviate suffering and support human flourishing around the world.

We propose a three-part program to be held at Cambridge University and involving other leading universities in the UK:

Session 1: The Science of Compassion

During this session, the leading and most important compassion research will be showcased:

1. early infant and childhood studies that show human beings possess an innate capacity for altruism, generousity and compassion, and

2. neuroscience of how compassion training changes the brain and behavior.

Possible participants would be: Tania Singer, Director of the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig; Paul Gilbert, Darby, OBE;

Session 2: Applied Secular Ethics

Mind and Life views Secular Ethics as a comprehensive program that seeks the moral development of the human being through Social Emotinal Learning (SEL) and Mindfulness to compassion training and creative altruistic action. During the second session, models of application will be showcased from each of these areas, which lead to pro-social, ethical, character development. We are aware that these age-appropriate interventions and accomplishments need to be addressed from pre-school through primary, secondary years of education and onward to students in higher education settings. Additionally we will describe work being done on contemplative and ethical leadership for young adults.

Session 3: Youth and graduate’s session

For this session, we envision that university students from all over the UK will be invited to interact with HH on the themes of sessions 1 & 2. Prior to doing so they would have met with students at their universities  and would represent their university student group. with each other before the meeting on this day. These students will be selected from multiple educational institutions and following the gathering will act as ambassadors back to their universities.

This will require widespread activities before the actual meeting: identifying schools, colleges, universities, inspire the students to do work relevant to the topic, and then select them to attend the proceedings of the first day. On the second day they will present their perspectives and be given the opportunity to ask questions to His Holiness. Following the meeting, they will return to their educational institutions and serve as ambassadors and have the responsibility to apply their new insights to their respective settings.

Session 4: Public Talk

His Holiness will hold a public talk in London on the themes explored on the three prior sessions. The surplus revenue of the public talk would compensate for the costs incurred for the three sessions above.

Prepared by:

Arthur Zajonc, President Mind and Life Institute.

Diego Hangartner, Director Mind and Life Europe.

Briefing note – Mind Life Institute project proposal to Cambridge

– 21 September 2013 –

1.     The Dalai Lama has made three visits to Cambridge. Firstly In 1973; he was greeted by the Vice-Chancellor, Lord Adrian (he spoke in the Senate House and King`s College) - secondly in 1993 (he spoke in King`s College Chapel and the Cambridge Union).

2.     In 2013 he was invited by the `Global Scholars Symposium` (Gates, Rhodes, etc scholars), so the visit involved students only and one college, St John's. There was no formal or official University involvement. This enabled Cambridge at University level to remain semi-detached. However I understand the Vice Chancellor did congratulate the Master of St John`s College after the event last April.

3.     That visit ran from 20th to 24th April. The Dalai Lama and his entourage were hosted by Professor Dobson and St John's College. The highlights were two lectures and extended question and answer sessions in the college chapel, its capacity stretched to seven hundred, a morning of talk to and dialogue with young people in the Cambridge Union and an open, friendly and creative dialogue with Chinese students.

4.     The Dalai Lama was clearly happy with the tone and the ambience of the event - its youthful initiative and energy, the dialogue, the physical and academic environment informed by its monastic origins, the relevance of the issues raised to the work and thinking being done by his own Mind and Life Institute.

5.     The Dalai Lama initiated his Mind and Life Institute (MLI) project in the late 1980's with international, but mostly U.S.A., support and money. its aim is to extend dialogue between the "old sciences" with some emphasis on Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and the "new sciences" largely western. The MLI has grown; it has a powerful board and impressively qualified executive officers; it is serious, academically respected and well funded. The chairman is Dr Thupten Jinpa who has been an adviser and the lead translator to the Dalai Lama for many years. Jinpa read philosophy at King's College Cambridge in the late 1980's. He returned in the 1990's as a research fellow at Girton College, to complete a PhD.

6.     An initial project proposal written by Arthur Zajonc, President Mind and Life Institute, and Diego Hangartner, Director Mind and Life Europe, dated 21 September 2013 was passed to Cambridge on 24 September.

7.     The proposal is thoughtful and important. Its aims and format are consistent with:

o    Discussions at the event in Cambridge in April 2013

o    Development over twenty five years of the MLI's work with international, including Chinese, scientists and with leading universities in the U.S.A. and elsewhere

o    Recent and current work at Cambridge University on the Idea of a University, the role of religious study, and in bio and other sciences.

8.     It is clear that His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the MLI intend to proceed with this significant project in the spring of 2015. (His Holinees will be eighty in June 2015.)

9.     Whether it is hosted at Cambridge or Oxford or elsewhere in the UK or at an American university or at a major university elsewhere is the open question.

10.  There may be political concerns at the idea of Cambridge University publically hosting His Holiness the Dalai Lama at a high level, high profile, international conference.

11.  In addition to other members of the university, the proposal has support from the Master of Magdalene College.  Lord Williams, previously Archbishop of Canterbury, knows HHDL and has worked with him.    

Paws4Now

Bill Papworth, Cambridge, England.