Fran Grace

The “Map of Consciousness”: A New Paradigm for Mysticism and Healing

Do mystics and saints heal people? A recent article in the Los Angeles Times—“The Dalai Lama Has IT, But What Is IT?”—raises this age- old question. Interviewees described their feelings of joy and serenity when in the presence of people like the Dalai Lama and Mother Teresa. Dr. Paul Ekman, a University of California Medical School (San Francisco) professor, confessed that he experienced a profound healing when the Dalai Lama held his hands: “He held my hands while we talked, and I was filled with a sense of goodness and a unique total body sensation that I have no words to describe.” Though not a religious believer, Dr. Ekman’s lifelong struggle with anger left in that moment.1

Effect of Seminar on Compassion on Student Self-compassion, Mindfulness and Well-being: A Randomized Controlled Trial

ABSTRACT Objective: Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to have psychological benefits in college students. We explored the effects of an academic Seminar on Compassion on student psychological health. Participants: Forty-one participants (14 male, 27 female, mean age 19.8 ± 1.4 years) were assessed pre- and post- spring semesters 2013 and 2014. Methods: Students were randomized to the Seminar on Compassion or a wait-list control group. Participants completed self-report measures on anxiety, depression, perceived stress, self-compassion, compassion and mindfulness. Salivary alpha-amylase was also assessed. Results: At baseline, self-compassion and mindfulness were negatively correlated with depression, anxiety, and perceived stress. There were significant changes between the intervention and control group from Time 1 to Time 2 in mindfulness, self-compassion, compassion, and salivary alpha-amylase; however, there were no significant changes in depression, anxiety, and perceived stress. Conclusions: The course was effective in increasing mindfulness, self-compassion and compassion, and decreasing a salivary marker of stress.

A Buddhist in the Classroom, by Sid Brown

Sid Brown’s new book on teaching offers us a Buddhist-inspired pedagogy of liberation: ‘‘Education is not about moralizing or coercion; it’s about liberating and enabling students to work through the challenges of life, of the world.’’ (ix). Brown is Associate Professor of Religion at the University of the South (Sewanee), and has been a practicing Buddhist since 1983. A lifelong lover of nature, she also serves as the Director of Environmental Studies at Sewanee. Brown is aware that academicians are suspicious of a person with religious commitments because, as the dictum goes, ‘‘religion has no place in the classroom.’’ But, she notes, teachers constantly bring their worldview into the classroom through the textbooks they choose, the ways in which they structure class sessions, and how they interact with students. Refreshingly, Buddhist in the Classroom is not an argument for the ‘‘values’’ side of the values versus facts debate in higher education. It is this simple: She is a Buddhist guided by Buddhist values, and these values influence her course designs and way of being with students. ‘‘Dr. Brown, the Plant Companionship Experiment is not working for me.’’ Even seasoned teachers get nervouswhen students openly complain that an assignment has faltered. We teachers can be attached to our bright pedagogical ideas and may find it frightening to invite student feedback. How does Buddhist practice shape a teacher’s response to student discontent? This particular assignment for the ‘‘Buddhism and the Environment’’ seminar was precious to Sid Brown and developed over the course of several