A Rainy Day in November

We've had the lights on all day. Rain has been pouring down since mid-morning. It's a good day to do nothing. Or to read and ruminate.

My latest topic of interest is 'neuroplasticity' - meaning the ability of the brain to change under a variety of influences. Most interesting to me are the studies related to the effects of meditation, thought, and emotions. This was the topic of the annual conference of the Mind and Life Institute held in October in Dharamsala, India. This series of conferences began in 1987 in an attempt to bring together the widely divergent but equally rigorous studies of mental functioning found in ancient Buddhism and modern science. It originated in and reflects the Dalai Lama's wide ranging interest in science.

Several excellent books have been published documenting earlier conferences. This year's agenda looks so good and is so interesting in itself that I hope they publish very soon. (To see the agenda in PDF format, click here.)

I'm going to add more items to this category in the near future - so if it interests you, keep checking in.