Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics News and Events
5-14-24
Compassion Center Executive Director Lobsang Tenzin Negi Receives Emory University's Highest Recognition
We are thrilled to announce that our Executive Director, Dr. Lobsang Tenzin Negi, is this year's recipient of Emory University's Thomas Jefferson Award. Presented annually to a member of Emory's faculty or administration who demonstrates excellence, this award recognizes significant contributions made through leadership, scholarship, and service over time.
For more than 25 years, under the courageous direction of Dr. Negi, the Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics (the Emory Compassion Center) has developed and implemented innovative educational programs that build both character and intellect through the education of heart and mind, fulfilling a vision for humanity shared by both Emory University and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The impact of Dr. Negi's work extends far beyond Emory, touching countless lives worldwide. Dr. Negi attributes this success and global flourishing to the tireless efforts of the Compassion Center staff, the guidance of luminaries like the Dalai Lama, and, importantly, the generosity of donors around the world without whom none of this work would be possible.
Please join us in congratulating our dedicated leader on this well-deserved honor and celebrating the continued work of the Compassion Center to create a compassionate and ethical world for all.
CBCT® Expands Its Staff!
CBCT® expands its staff and warmly welcomes Cynthia Johnson, Marq Hardon, and Alice Goddard to the CBCT® team! Cynthia and Marq join the team as a Program Coordinators. Alice is the new Administrative Assistant. The Center is confident that Cynthia, Marq, and Alice will contribute significantly to the success of CBCT® and look forward to their valuable contributions and positive energy!
11-5-23
Emory University and Drepung Loseling Monastery Renew Partnership after 25 years of Fruitful Collaboration
For the past 25 years, the shared vision of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Emory University for an education of heart and mind has guided the work of Emory’s Compassion Center, resulting in the development of innovative educational programs that promote human flourishing. In recognition of the tremendous accomplishments that have been a result of the unique partnership, a renewed agreement was signed by the Abbot of Drepung Loseling Monastery, Geshe Lobsang Samten and the Dean of Emory College of Arts and Science, Barbara Krauthamer. This momentous occasion was witnessed by many including the President of Emory University, Gregory Fenves, the Provost of Emory University, Ravi Bellamkonda, Vice President Emeritus of Emory University and Emory’s first official historian, Gary Hauk, and Co-Founder of the Emory-Tibet Partnership and Dean Emeritus of Emory College, Robert Paul, among other distinguished guests.
This Silver Jubilee celebration was held in conjunction with our annual observance of Tibet Week, which included a variety of events including performances, art exhibitions, panels, and more. Some of the events of the Silver Jubilee and Tibet Week were recorded and you can watch them at the links below.
Partnership Renewal Ceremony
To commence this week-long celebration, we renewed the agreement between Emory University and Drepung Loseling Monastery described above.
Panel Discussion on “Bridging Two Worlds: Why the Emory Compassion Center Matters”
When the Emory-Tibet Partnership was founded twenty-five years ago, no one could predict that it would result in three ground-breaking programs positively impacting the lives of tens of thousands of people around the world. Why does the work of the Emory Compassion Center resonate with so many people? What is the vision that has guided that work and contributed to its success? And how can that work be sustained in an uncertain future? Join the co-founders of this remarkable organization along with two leaders from important Tibetan cultural institutions to explore why the Emory Compassion Center matters in a global society.
CuriosiTEA Talk
In 2021, the Carlos Museum commissioned two thangka paintings from the Norbulingka Institute in Dharamsala, India, one of the bhavacakra or “wheel of becoming,” and the other, the Samatha,or the “nine steps of the calming of the mind.” Unfortunately, the paintings were severely damaged in shipping from India to Atlanta. In this talk, Tibetan artist Buchung Nubgya and Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in Conservation, Ella Andrews, discuss their collaborative efforts to repair the two paintings.
Panel Discussion on “Bridging Science and Spirituality: ETSI’S 18-Year Journey”
ETSI’s eighteen-year-long journey has been, in essence, one of bridging science and spirituality, whether to enhance human well-being or to forge a more integrated way of understanding the world around us. This panel explores these and other exciting issues through the eyes of monastics participating in the program and the scientists and educators deeply involved in supporting these programs
Webinar on “Compassion Revolution: Understanding and Responding to the Dalai Lama’s Vision for the Future”
Twenty-five years after the founding of the Emory-Tibet Partnership, His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s entreaty for the world to focus on compassion has never been stronger. Recently, he called for a revolution that is neither political nor economic, but spiritual — a “compassion revolution” based on the basic human values shared by all.
What does the Dalai Lama mean by a “compassion revolution” and how might we help bring it about? To address these questions, and to highlight the work of Emory’s Compassion Center as it responds to the Dalai Lama’s challenge, a distinguished panel has been assembled—each a scholar, author and leader in the field of compassion and its cultivation: Dr. Susan Bauer Wu, President of the Mind and Life Institute and author of A Future We Can Love: How We Can Reverse the Climate Crisis with the Power of Our Hearts and Minds; Dr. Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence and A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision for Our World among other works; and Geshe Lobsang Tenzin Negi, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics and the developer of CBCT® (Cognitively-Based Compassion Training) at Emory University.
Panel Discussion on “Cultivating Compassion in Education Systems: SEE Learning implementation at the national, district, and school level”
SEE Learning is a global program aimed at cultivating students’ social, emotional, and ethical skills. Since its official launch in 2019, the program has grown to be implemented in more than 40 countries at differing scales. In this expert panel, affiliates from several different countries share their strategies adapting SEE Learning to their educational systems.
Panel Discussion on “Cross-Cultural Manifestations of Compassion Training”
This panel discussion featuring certified compassion trainers from Africa, Europe, and Asia, explores the opportunities and challenges for implementing compassion training in different contexts and responding to diverse cultures and backgrounds. As Emory embarks on an ambitious program – the Compassion Shift – to bring the promising benefits of compassion training across the world, there is much to learn about the interaction between the universal aspirations of the program and the local contexts where it is implemented.
5-27-23
High School Curriculum Integration Model
SEE Learning® is now piloting the SEE Learning® High School Curriculum Integration Model. This model consists of a series of 10 thirty-minute learning experiences where each discrete learning experience introduces students to a new SEE Learning® competency. This integration of SEE Learning® components into the curriculum serves as an authentic vehicle for students to develop personal connections to enduring social, emotional, and ethical competencies. As students explore how the competencies connect to the curriculum, they can begin the journey of connecting the competencies to themselves and their development.
Teachers around the world have been invited to explore the SEE Learning® High School Curriculum Integration Model with their students and create lesson plans. The current pilot regions include the United States, Chile, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Romania and India. This project provides an opportunity for the SEE Learning® team at Emory University to better understand the model of curriculum integration and to create pathways for students, teachers, and schools to develop competencies that foster awareness, resilience, and compassion. The lesson plans created through this project will be saved to create a lesson plan library that teachers can reference or use directly to integrate SEE Learning® into their curriculum.