<p>This article explores the life of Katokpa Sönam Gyeltsen (kaḥ thog pa bsod nams rgyal mtshan) based on his autobiography titled <em>Dri med yid bzhin nor bu'i phreng ba</em> (<em>Rosary of Stainless Wish-fulfilling Jewels</em>). The article begins with a brief history of the abbots of the famous Katog (kaḥ thog) monastery in eastern Tibet, and a clarification of the identities of several of these figures. The article then focuses on Sönam Gyeltsen's autobiography with special attention to his account of activities in Bhutan and Sikkim. (Ben Deitle 2006-02-13)</p>
Land systems are the result of human interactions with the natural environment. Understanding the drivers, state, trends and impacts of different land systems on social and natural processes helps to reveal how changes in the land system affect the functioning of the socio-ecological system as a whole and the tradeoff these changes may represent. The Global Land Project has led advances by synthesizing land systems research across different scales and providing concepts to further understand the feedbacks between social-and environmental systems, between urban and rural environments and between distant world regions. Land system science has moved from a focus on observation of change and understanding the drivers of these changes to a focus on using this understanding to design sustainable transformations through stakeholder engagement and through the concept of land governance. As land use can be seen as the largest geo-engineering project in which mankind has engaged, land system science can act as a platform for integration of insights from different disciplines and for translation of knowledge into action.
BACKGROUND:Extending previous research, we applied latent profile analysis in a sample of adults with a history of recurrent depression to identify subgroups with distinct response profiles on the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and understand how these relate to psychological functioning.
METHOD:
The sample was randomly divided into two subsamples to first examine the optimal number of latent profiles (test sample; n = 343) and then validate the identified solution (validation sample; n = 340).
RESULTS:
In both test and validation samples, a four-profile solution was revealed where two profiles mapped broadly onto those previously identified in nonclinical samples: "high mindfulness" and "nonjudgmentally aware." Two additional subgroups, "moderate mindfulness" and "very low mindfulness," were observed. "High mindfulness" was associated with the most adaptive psychological functioning and "very low mindfulness" with the least adaptive.
CONCLUSIONS:
In most people with recurrent depression, mindfulness skills are expressed evenly across different domains. However, in a small minority a meaningful and replicable uneven profile indicating nonjudgmental awareness is observable. Current findings require replication and future research should examine the extent to which profiles change from periods of wellness to illness in people with recurrent depression and how profiles are influenced by exposure to mindfulness-based intervention.
BACKGROUND:Extending previous research, we applied latent profile analysis in a sample of adults with a history of recurrent depression to identify subgroups with distinct response profiles on the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and understand how these relate to psychological functioning.
METHOD:
The sample was randomly divided into two subsamples to first examine the optimal number of latent profiles (test sample; n = 343) and then validate the identified solution (validation sample; n = 340).
RESULTS:
In both test and validation samples, a four-profile solution was revealed where two profiles mapped broadly onto those previously identified in nonclinical samples: "high mindfulness" and "nonjudgmentally aware." Two additional subgroups, "moderate mindfulness" and "very low mindfulness," were observed. "High mindfulness" was associated with the most adaptive psychological functioning and "very low mindfulness" with the least adaptive.
CONCLUSIONS:
In most people with recurrent depression, mindfulness skills are expressed evenly across different domains. However, in a small minority a meaningful and replicable uneven profile indicating nonjudgmental awareness is observable. Current findings require replication and future research should examine the extent to which profiles change from periods of wellness to illness in people with recurrent depression and how profiles are influenced by exposure to mindfulness-based intervention.
Mindfulness as depicted by Levinthal and Rerup (2006) involves encoding ambiguous outcomes in ways that influence learning, and encoding stimuli in ways that match context with a repertoire of routines. We add to Levinthal and Rerup's conjectures by examining Western and Eastern versions of mindfulness and how they function as a process of knowing an object. In our expanded view, encoding becomes less central. What becomes more central are activities such as altering the codes, differentiating the codes, introspecting the coding process itself, and, most of all, reducing the overall dependence on coding and codes. Consequently, we shift from Levinthal and Rerup's contrast between mindful and less mindful to a contrast between conceptual and less conceptual. When people move away from conceptuality and encoding, outcomes are affected more by the quality than by the quantity of attention.
Zotero Collections:
Geriatric depression and anxiety are very common but difficult to treat pharmacologically; patients are more sensitive to adverse effects and respond relatively less well to medication.(1) Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a psychological therapy that has been highly effective in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, particularly in preventing relapse of depression.(2) However, there has only been one previous exploratory study examining its effectiveness in treating older adults.(3) We hypothesized that MBCT group psychotherapy will improve acute anxiety and depression in late life.We examined a retrospective case series of six geriatric outpatients (aged ≥ 60) with major depression and/or anxiety disorders who underwent an eight-week group MBCT course (2 hours per week) delivered by a psychiatrist (SR) in Fall 2014. Patients with normal cognition or mild cognitive impairment were included, while patients with dementia, acute psychosis, or acute suicidal ideation were excluded. Psychotropic medications were not adjusted during the treatment period. Ethics approval was obtained at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, Canada. We compared patients’ self-report scores on the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory 2 (BDI-2), and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) pre- and post-MBCT.
Our patients were aged 66 to 82 (mean 74.5 ± 6.2), 66.7% were females, with an average of 4.8 (± 3.4) medical comorbidities and 6.3 (± 2.9) medications, including 1.0 (± 0.9) psychiatric medications. At baseline, patients (n = 6) had a mean BAI score of 24.5 (± 15.6), a BDI of 17.8 (± 12.8), and a MoCA of 27.0 (± 1.4). All patients completed the MBCT course and all self-reported enjoying the groups, with three patients attending all sessions and three patients missing only one session.
Following MBCT, in patients with baseline anxiety (BAI > 7) (n = 5), the BAI score was significantly decreased by a mean of 37.7% (± 13.7) (range 26.1% to 57.1%) reduced from 28.0 (± 14.5) to 18.6 (± 11.8) (t = 6.7, p = .003). Considering patients with baseline depression (BDI > 7) (n = 4), the BDI score decreased by 33.3% (± 38.2) (range from 8.7% to 77.8%), reduced from 26 (± 2.1) to 17 (± 9.1), although likely due to our limited sample size, this result was non-significant (t = 1.78, p = .17). Patients’ cognition (n = 6) did not change meaningfully (mean +0.2 points increase in MoCA ± 1.8). At the end of the MBCT course, patients reported practicing formal mindfulness on their own an average of 3.6 times per week for 13.3 minutes/day.
We observed strong effect sizes in both anxiety and depression for MBCT (Cohen’s d of 0.71 and 1.4, respectively), comparable to first-line antidepressants and individual cognitive behavioral therapy after generally longer treatment periods (e.g., a Cohen’s d of 0.4–1.3 after 15 weeks, with important placebo effects).(4,5)
Our findings suggest that group MBCT could be an effective, well-tolerated, and health resource-efficient alternative and adjunct to current treatments in older adults. This appeared to be the case in our small sample of patients with an average symptom severity in the moderate-to-severe range. Future randomized controlled trials should further assess the effectiveness of MBCT in late-life anxiety and depression.
<p>This paper examines the interpretation of prāsaṅgika-madhyamaka philosophy by the Nyingmapa (rnying ma pa) scholar Mipam Gyatso (mi pham rgya mtsho). It also looks at influences on Mipam Gyatso's presentation of prāsaṅgika-madhyamaka philosophy, including the work of Longchen Rapjampa (klong chen rab 'byams pa). (Ben Deitle 2006-02-23)</p>
<p><strong>Creator's Description</strong>: The influence of the brilliant scholar and painter Si tu paṇ chen chos kyi 'byung gnas reached far beyond the kingdom of Sde dge (Dege, 德格), extending even into Yunnan Province of southwestern China, where Si tu traveled three times, over a thirty-year period from 1729 to 1759. Almost from the moment that Si tu established his seat – Dpal spungs Monastery – until his death, he became increasingly involved and invested in 'Jang sa tham (Lijiang, 麗江). I will use several Tibetan sources to reconstruct Si tu's engagement in 'Jang sa tham, foremost being Si tu paṇ chen's own diaries. These Tibetan accounts will be corroborated and fleshed out using local Chinese records, such as contemporary gazetteers, royal genealogies, and temple records. Within both Tibetan and Chinese sources, one sees Si tu engaged in asserting his authority over monasteries in northern Yunnan, through his participation in their founding, consecration, ordination of monks, assignment of liturgies, and recognition of local incarnate lamas. Si tu also arrived during a critical period of transition for the area: the kingdom of 'Jang sa tham had just been abolished and Si tu cultivated the new imperial authority in the region, the Qing-appointed magistrates, as new local patrons. Visual evidence from the eighteenth century also suggests that the formerly vibrant local painting workshops ceased to exist, and the monasteries looked to Dpal spungs Monastery, with its prominent artistic traditions, as their new center. Using visual evidence gathered in situ during fieldwork, I will demonstrate 'Jang sa tham's new incorporation into the Dpal spungs artistic orbit in surviving wall paintings, which I argue drew directly from Si tu commissions that art historians are only now able to reconstruct. (2013-07-01)</p>
<p>This special issue of <em>Pacific World</em> includes essays presented during a conference on Buddhism and cognitive science hosted by the Institute of Buddhist Studies and the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences on May 10, 2002. A second section of the journal includes essays presented during a conference entitled "Visions and Visualization: Buddhist Praxis on the Silk Road". This second conference was hosted by the Institute of Buddhist Studies and the Stanford Buddhist Studies Center on March 22, 2002. Articles, translations, and book reviews unrelated to these conferences are also included. (Zach Rowinski 2004-06-10)</p>
OBJECTIVES: The lower esophageal sphincter (LES), surrounded by diaphragmatic muscle, prevents gastroesophageal reflux. When these structures become incompetent, gastric contents may cause gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). For treatment, lifestyle interventions are always recommended. We hypothesized that by actively training the crura of the diaphragm as part of the LES using breathing training exercises, GERD can be positively influenced.METHODS: A prospective randomized controlled study was performed. Patients with non-erosive GERD or healed esophagitis without large hernia and/or previous surgery were included. Patients were randomized and allocated either to active breathing training program or to a control group. Quality of life (QoL), pH-metry, and on-demand proton pump inhibitor (PPI) usage were assessed at baseline and after 4 weeks of training. For long-term follow-up, all patients were invited to continue active breathing training and were further assessed regarding QoL and PPI usage after 9 months. Paired and unpaired t-test was used for statistical analysis.
RESULTS: Nineteen patients with non-erosive GERD or healed esophagitis were randomized into two groups (10 training group and 9 control group). There was no difference in baseline patient characteristics between the groups and all patients finished the study. There was a significant decrease in time with a pH < 4.0 in the training group (9.1±1.3 vs. 4.7±0.9%; P < 0.05), but there was no change in the control group. QoL scores improved significantly in the training group (13.4±1.98 before and 10.8±1.86 after training; P < 0.01), but no changes in QoL were seen in the control group. At longterm follow-up at 9 months, patients who continued breathing exercise (11/19) showed a significant decrease in QoL scores and PPI usage (15.1±2.2 vs. 9.7±1.6; 98±34 vs. 25±12 mg/week, respectively; P < 0.05), whereas patients who did not train had no long-term effect.
CONCLUSIONS: We show that actively training the diaphragm by breathing exercise can improve GERD as assessed by pH-metry, QoL scores and PPI usage. This non-pharmacological lifestyle intervention could help to reduce the disease burden of GERD.
<p>Franz-Karl Ehrhard provides an in-depth review of Kurtis R. Schaeffer's <em>Himalayan Hermitess: The Life of a Tibetan Buddhist Nun</em>. (Ben Deitle 2006-08-01)</p>
<p>A study of <em>The Book of the Kadam[pa Tradition]</em> (bka' gdams glegs bam) with special attention paid to the practice of the "Sixteen Spheres" (thig le bcu drug). The paper looks into the transmission of the text and the practice, and their influence on Avalokiteśvara related practices and iconography.</p>
The Tenth Karmapa Choying Dorje (1604-74) was a famous artist and leader of the Karma Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism during a formative period in Tibetan history. The religious and institutional shape of modern Tibet was decided in the turbulent conflicts and dramatic reorganisation of Tibetan society in the 17th century. This publication brings together specialists in literature, history, religion and art to discuss the context of this seminal Tibetan figure, placing him within the context of history, art and civilisation, and defining Tibet s place in the larger world of the time.
Ecosystems are capital assets: When properly managed, they yield a flow of vital goods and services. Relative to other forms of capital, however, ecosystems are poorly understood, scarcely monitored, and--in many important cases--undergoing rapid degradation. The process of economic valuation could greatly improve stewardship. This potential is now being realized with innovative financial instruments and institutional arrangements.
<p>This article traces the history of a text titled <em>Zhus lan bdud rtsi sman mchog</em> as a way of examining the relationship between the Nyingmapa (rnying ma pa) teacher Lhodrak Drupchen (lho brag grub chen) and his famous student Tsongkhapa (tsong kha pa), founder of the Gelukpa (dge lugs pa) school of Tibetan Buddhism. The author draws largely on the writtings of Lhodrak Drupchen. (Ben Deitle 2006-02-23)</p>
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