Body and Mind: Science and Spirituality Perspectives

An International Conference

December 6 - 8, 2006
Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

New!!

The program of the conference, with some of the abstracts and papers -- March 12, 2007.

The final program of the conference is now complete -- November 29, 2006.

Those who would like to attend the conference please download the registration form, fill it and send it back to the conference organizer. Registration fees can be paid only in cash at the conference site, or the other alternative is to transfer the fund, in Thai Baht, to the account of the Thousand Stars Foundation, Accounce Number 052-0-02254-8; Account Name: The Thousand Stars Foundation; Krung Thai Bank Public Company Limited, Siam Square Branch. In case you pay the fees by bank transfer, please fax your deposit slip to us together with your registration form. We don't have facilities for accepting funds internationally, nor do we accept fees in other currencies other than Thai Baht. So if you do not reside in Thailand, please come and pay in cash, but please do register if you intend to come and attend. Registration forms can be downloaded as a PDF file or an RTF file.

Introduction

Recently there have been many interests in how the ancient spiritual practices are integrated into today's scientific perspectives. For example, there have been many research works on how meditation could alter the states of the brain and how it could induce neural changes. Attention has also been paid to mind training exercises in clinical practices. These attempts point to a growing interest in how body and mind do interact with each other, and especially how the religious perspectives could contribute to better knowledge and technique that could help today's world, and how health care professionals should learn how to integrate spiritual dimensions in their practices.

The international, interdisciplinary conference on "Body and Mind: Science and Spirituality Perspectives" aims at exploring these fascinating interaction between science and religion. It seeks to foster better understanding the various dimensions in which body and mind are interwoven; how the physiology of the brain, for example, is influenced by the mind. Other topics include integration of body and mind in various religious traditions, scientific and holistic approaches to body and mind, healing for HIV/AIDS and cancer patients, palliative care, alternative medicine, Tibetan medicine, Thai medicine, comparisons between religion and science on the mind and the body, role of prayers and meditation in everyday life, food and health and other related issues.

The conference is organized by the Thousand Stars Foundation, a non-profit organization whose aims are to promote knowledge on Tibetan language, culture and religions, to foster a better understanding between the Theravada and Vajrayana Buddhist traditions, to engage in community development in the Tibetan cultural area, and to promote dialogs between Buddhism and science. The conference is partly supported by a grant from the Metanexus Institute through its Local Societies Initiative Program.

Call for Papers

Papers and abstracts are being called for the conference. Interested persons should send an abstract of no more than 150-200 words to Dr. Soraj Hongladarom at the address below. Please also refer to the important dates below.

Speakers

Peter Grossenbacher

Through his scientific research work at England's University of Cambridge, the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health, and Naropa University in Colorado, Dr. Grossenbacher has broadened psychological science to more fully address human capacities of awareness. He has conducted brain imaging studies on conscious experience using positron emission tomography, electrophysiology, and functional magnetic resonance imagery. This work builds on his undergraduate training in cognitive science and mathematics (University of California at Berkeley) and doctoral training in experimental psychology and cognitive neuroscience (University of Oregon). His book, Finding Consciousness in the Brain: A Neurocognitive Approach, offers new insights into the brain's involvement in cognition, perception, and attention.

As Chair of the Contemplative Psychology Department at Naropa University, he oversees an innovative curriculum melding scientific and contemplative modes of inquiry, and encouraging learners to come to know themselves more deeply through meditation. As Director of Naropa's Consciousness Laboratory, he leads research teams of graduate and undergraduate students exploring the contemplative varieties of spiritual and religious experience. His research has been covered by the New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, and Discover Magazine, as well as numerous radio interviews and newspaper articles. 

Ven. Kunga Sangbo Rinpoche

Prof. Kunga Sangbo Rinpoche is a renowned scholar and Vajrayana master from the Sakya tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. He is abbot of Jyekundo Monastery in Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province and reincarnated lama of Tashigang Monastery in Lhasa. He has compiled and edited 25 volumes of Sakya teachings published by the Nationalities Publishing House in Beijing. He has lectured on various contemporary topics including death and dying, dream practice, healing and meditation.

Thubten Phuntsok

Thubten Phuntsok is a professor of Tibetology at Central Nationalities University, China. He was trained as a medical doctor in the Tibetan tradition and has published several books on Tibetan medicine. Among his publications are Elements for the Study of the Physical Condition (1999) Beijing, and Therapeutic Principles in Tibetan Medicine (2000) Beijing.

Siroj Sorajjakool

Siroj Sorajjakool is professor of religion, psychology, and counseling at Loma Linda University and pastoral counseling supervisor at Loma Linda and at Claremont School of Theology. He has a Ph.D. in theology and personality from Claremont School of Theology. He has published extensively in Thai and English.

In his new book, When Sickness Heals, published the John Templeton Press, Dr. Siroj Sorajjakool draws on more than ten years of studies on health benefits in relation to spirituality, especially focusing on the function of "meaning." He expounds on his theory that healing is primarily the function of meaning, and meaning transcends sickness and even death itself. He concludes that what people ultimately seek in life is the healing of their souls.

A health crisis can lead to a discovery or rediscovery of meaning. Chronic illness, suffering, and pending death often spur a cry or prayer for God's intervention. But when miracles do not happen, individuals are faced with an important developmental task. The journey involves individuals reconfiguring their belief system in order to accommodate chronic or terminal illness. This transition leads to changes in theological understanding and movement from belief in the God of intervention to the God who remains with us through the valley of the shadow of darkness.

Sorajjakool brings many Eastern and Western resources to his conversation on health, meaning, and healing. He incorporates the perspectives of theologians and philosophers like Paul Tillich, Carl Jung, Søren Kierkegaard, Raimundo Panikkar, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and John Macquarrie; as well as references to religious texts, including yin and yang, and alchemy.

Geshe Nyima Dakpa Rinpoche

Geshe Nyima Dakpa Rinpoche is an experienced guide to the potent material of the Bön tradition. The founder of Bön centers throughout the West, with a main center in Los Angeles, he travels frequently in the USA to teach, but is based in India. He is the author of Opening the Door to Bön, published by Snow Lion.

Jean Kristeller

Jean Kristeller is Director of the Center for the Study of Health, Religion and Spirituality at Indiana State University in the US. Dr. Jean Kristeller has been practicing and studying mindfulness meditation for over 20 years. She has published several articles and chapters on meditation and is currently writing a book on meditation to be published by Guilford press. Dr. Kristeller and her colleagues have received two NIH grants to study the effects of mindfulness meditation on eating dysregulation. Her research has been discussed in Newsweek magazine and is also described in the following article from the Terre Haute Tribune Star. Dr. Kristeller has recently received a $1.8 million grant form the National institutes of Health to continue her studies of mindfulness meditation in the treatment of binge eating disorder.

Somparn Promta

Somparn Promta is associate professor at Department of Philosophy, Chulalongkorn University. His work is centered around the applications of the teachings of Theravada Buddhism to everyday life and practice. He has written numerous books and articles on such diverse issues as Mahayana Buddhism, Buddhism and Contemporary Problems, Buddhist Philosophy, and many others. Currently he is engaged in a research program on Buddhist attitudes toward human cloning and stem cell research.

Vuthipong Priebjariyavat

Woody Prieb, or formally Dr. Vuthipong Priebjrivat, is a rare combination of corporate, academic and religious accomplishments. Woody, affectionately nick-named by his American friends and colleagues, is currently president of a nonprofit research institute. He was the founding president of Thailands first credit rating agency and before that had served as vice president for corporate planning of a major commercial bank. During his academic career, Woody had taught at a prestigious university in Thailand and was a visiting professor at the University of North Carolina. He had also written extensively for academic and professional journals on topics covering economics, finance, business and public policy. His popular writings however mostly concern politics and government and include a best-selling political satire titled Corruptology: How to Loot the People in Four Easy Lessons. A while ago, Woody spent some time as Buddhist monk. He has since extensively studied various metaphysical and religious thoughts, particularly those of eastern origin. Currently, he also gives lectures to monks at Mahachulalongkorn Buddhist University in Bangkok. Woody received a B.S. in civil engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); and MS in environmental engineering from Stanford University; and an M.B.A and a Ph.D. in economics and public management from the University of Chicago. He has also received numerous awards including: a Kings Scholarship, a Rockefeller Scholarship, a Citibank International Fellowship and a Fulbright Award. His talk on Dharmodynamics is about the blending and integration of modern science and Buddhism.

Important Dates

Deadline of submission of abstract or paper proposal

15 September 2006

Authors notified of acceptance of abstracts by

15 October 2006

Deadline of submission of materials for photocopying (no more than 5 pp.)

16 November 2006

Conference Date

6 - 8 December 2006

Registration

Registration fees is 1,600 Baht; students pay only 800 Baht. It is preferable that participants pay for the registration fees in cash at the site of the conference. Students need to show a proof that they are actively enrolled in an educational institution. Those who need to wire transfer the fund or to send a bank draft in other currencies other than Thai Baht please contact the conference organizers about how to do this.

Please refer to this website for the most current exchange rate between Thai Baht and other currencies.

Those who would like to attend the conference please download the registration form, fill it and send it back to the conference organizer. Registration fees can be paid only in cash at the conference site, or the other alternative is to transfer the fund, in Thai Baht, to the account of the Thousand Stars Foundation, Accounce Number 052-0-02254-8; Account Name: The Thousand Stars Foundation; Krung Thai Bank Public Company Limited, Siam Square Branch. In case you pay the fees by bank transfer, please fax your deposit slip to us together with your registration form. We don't have facilities for accepting funds internationally, nor do we accept fees in other currencies other than Thai Baht. So if you do not reside in Thailand, please come and pay in cash, but please do register if you intend to come and attend. Registration forms can be downloaded as a PDF file or an RTF file.

Venue

The conference will be held at Room 105, Maha Chulalongkorn Building, Chulalongkorn University. Please click here for the campus map of Chulalongkorn University.

Accommodation

Participants are encouraged to contact the following hotels and guest houses for the accommodation needs in Bangkok. In case you would like to stay at the Sasa International House, which is the on campus accommodation, please contact Dr. Krisadawan Hongladarom at hkesang@yahoo.com; otherwise please contact the hotels or guest houses of your choice directly.

On Campus

Sasa International House
Phyathai Road, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Tel: (66.2) 216.8844 Fax: (66.2) 215.3880
E-mail: SasaHouse@sasin.edu or
hkesang@yahoo.com

Off Campus

Novotel Hotel, Siam Square
Siam Square Soi 6
BANGKOK 10330
THAILAND
Tel : +66-2-255-6888
Fax : +66-2-255-1824
E-mail : reserve@novotelbkk.com

Pathumwan Princess Hotel
444 Phyathai Road
Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330
Tel. +66-2-216-3700; Fax +66-2-216-3730
Email: ppb@dusit.com

Pan Pacific Hotel
952 Rama IV Road
Bangkok 10500 Thailand
Tel: +66 2 632 9000 Fax: +66 2 632 9001
E-mail: bangkok@panpacific.com

Budget accommodation

Krit Thai Mansion
931/1 Soi Kasemusun
Bangkok 10330
Tel: +66-2-215-3042
Fax: +66-2-216-2241

Note: The closest hotel to the conference site is the Novotel Siam Square (8 mins. walk); however, the on campus housing, though a bit further away (15 mins. walk), is cheaper and quite comfortable. Krit Thai Mansion is the cheapest among those listed here and is well recommended by travellers.

Abstracts should be sent to:

Dr. Soraj Hongladarom, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
Tel. +66(0)2218 4756; Fax +66(0)2218 4755
Email: hsoraj@chula.ac.th

Conference Website
http://www.thousand-stars.org/TSBSG/bodymind.html