It is impossible to summarize the expansive Mind and Life Summer Research Institute (SRI), held at the Garrison Institute from 1–6 June. This conference was quite impressive in terms of its breadth and depth, as well as the quality of participants and speakers. I will share some highlights of key experiences. I felt professionally fulfilled attending this holistic, well-produced, and experiential conference on contemplative education in the global community.
The overarching theme was research and development findings as well as building social community within the contemplative educational global context, including pre-K through 12th grade education, higher education, neuroscience research, and the intersections of these fields. I am an educational leader myself, in both pre-K through sixth grade and in Naropa University’s Wisdom Traditions Master of Divinity program. Feeling like a kid in a candy store, I met with a variety of panelists and speakers in rich conversations about what scholars and researchers are approaching as the dilemmas in contemplative education today. Of particular interest to me were the themes of ecology, awareness practices, the arts, and issues in higher education such as social justice, inclusion, and diversity, which affect pre-K–12th grade education as well. These fields are under attack in our current climate and yet remain some of the most important and driven areas for expansion and deepening. It was a true pleasure to engage with global partners in discussing challenges, resources, and successes in these fields. The greatest resource is our colleagues—and of course, our students!
SRI incorporated art and somatic exercises, meditation and mindfulness practices, nourishing food, musical sharing, humor and kindness, a pickup futbol (soccer) game, and breakout sessions to share ideas and research in smaller groups.
A new aspect of conferences for me was the incorporation of a scribe artist, Kelvy Bird, who captured some of the visual and textual themes after each panel and speaker session. She interwove and expressed these visually on large posters for participants to enjoy and integrate. We are often inundated with fantastic content and information in such conferences and yet don’t have time to take thorough-enough notes or synthesize all the interdependent ideas brought forth. Through these posters Kelvy created, participants deepened our exposure and understanding of the rich content imparted each session. Additionally, panels were live-streamed so far away folks could still engage with panels and debrief sessions each evening. And there was access given to all sessions to rewatch or engage with content a second time. This is truly a treasure trove of wisdom and scholarship.
Middle Way School (MWS) in the Hudson Valley has been partnering with Middle Way Education (MWE) for seven years:
to empower students to take their places in the modern world. Our pedagogy and school culture draw upon foundational Buddhist teachings and traditions as well as the latest research in child development, neuroscience, and technology. MWS offers an exceptional education, creating conditions for wisdom and compassion to flourish.*
As the principal lab school in the US—along with four Khyentse Foundation schools in Asia—MWS has been the testing ground for how secular Buddhist elementary school curricula can flourish to empower aware, caring, world citizens, inclusive of academics woven with natural sciences, Dharma and meditation, community caretaking, and practical arts. In the coming months, this partnership will yield a newly available Curricular Framework, an open source teaching tool, starting from 12th grade and down.
As the senior director of Dharma Education at Middle Way School, I have the humbling, service-leadership call to develop and deliver professional development for our full staff. I also work as a bridge between “ordinary” society and Buddhadharma principles in everyday life and education. I plan and teach Dharma classes, interface with parents, and work with the leadership team to develop and implement new policies.
All of these areas are integrated with Dharma values and Buddhist tenets, which is something new for schools, whether public or private. In our case, the context is secular Buddhism. Students are not taught doctrine or prayer per se, but instead we teach the values of kindness and compassion, wisdom and discernment, in connection to a fully integrated modern curriculum. In particular, with my background in systems thinking and policy studies in educational leadership at the University of Northern Colorado, it is a great joy to infuse our current organizational policymaking and community building with the principles of wisdom and compassion brought forth from a 2600-year-old tradition. This lineage is still highly relevant today.
The social fabric at Middle Way School is based in the collaborative way our teaching staff co-create content and structures. Our programming is holistic, including social-emotional development and interpersonal skills, as well as traditional academic content and immersion in the natural environment. Here, students learn about and care for the beings and ecosystems intertwined with our human family. We had the honor and pleasure to host several organizers of the 2025 Summer Research Institute—Dr. Rob Roeser, Dr. Pooja Sanhi, and Tim Martin—to our school last week to share insights into how a secular Buddhist curriculum has unfolded for the past seven years and to further forge connections toward supporting contemplative education worldwide.
I was wholly impressed not only with the leadership of the SRI present and the tireless organizers and producers of the event, but also with the breadth of scholars, researchers, practitioners, and educators invited from all corners of the globe. A myriad of leaders and learners brought rich ideas, exposing attendees to new forms and facets of contemplative education. I was moved by the array of heart-centered practices, the palpable common wish to reduce aggression and violence in the world, and to increase peace and connectivity.
To this end, SRI focused on the importance of SEL (Social-Emotional Learning ) in pre-K through higher education—indeed through all stages of human growth and development. At SRI, as well as at our school, SEL is not an extra tacked on to other subjects or relegated to the sideline. Rather, it is a core component of all learning and social integration. In our society at large, it is the key to both understanding disconnection and suffering, and healing personal, communal, and systemic woes. At Middle Way School:
[the SEL teacher] has joyfully embraced the task of creating connections between her deep understanding of children and the wisdom of the dharma. She teaches movement to the entire school community, which includes traditional yoga practice for the students. In addition, she is trained in the SEE curriculum and is a support for the social, emotional and ethical learning teachers bring to their classrooms.*
One strength of this institute lies in vitalizing past, present, and future applications for contemplative education. This focuses on both research and implementation practices. As a leader with a degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, I am deeply interested in how experiential research affects future policy change and implementation. I appreciate how Mind & Life’s Summer Research Institute focused not only on examining what is in place and what ideas we all have for positive future change but reimagining our approaches and our design bases. By questioning our assumptions—and uprooting biases—of what underlies the way we engage in academia and research, we make positive changes in educating both children and adults. As lifelong learners, we are inspired by our students. We learn from them as well as our colleagues and our cultures to see what is needed.
How do we respond in adaptive ways to our fast-paced society, which is reacting out of trauma and emergent needs, so that we can take the time to thoughtfully redesign and develop new skills, contexts, and systems? Those systems can be based in meditation and mindful, heart-centered approaches. We must support more relevant, meaningful, and awareness-based educational practices and systems for the betterment of humanity and the increase of peace beyond borders.
Hats off and a deep bow to everyone involved with the Summer Research Institute. May the work of Mind and Life flourish for the benefit of all beings, cultures, systems, and in particular the children of our world, that they may go forth with hope, resilience, inspiration, and nuanced ways of meeting global challenges skillfully and with tenderness of heart.
See more
Summer Research Institute (Mind and Life)
Garrison Institute
Middle Way School
Curricular Framework (Middle Way Education)
Kelvy Bird
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