Janet Gyatso is Hershey Professor of Buddhist Studies and Associate Dean for Faculty and Academic Affairs at Harvard Divinity School, and author of Being Human in a Buddhist World: An Intellectual History of Medicine in Early Modern Tibet, published by Columbia University Press and winner of the 2017 AAS E. Gene Smith Award for Best Book in Inner Asia.
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- Practices Specific to Tibetan Buddhism,
- Literature Specific to Tibetan Buddhism,
- Contemplation by Tradition,
- Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezik),
- Means of Accomplishment (sadana, druptap),
- Literature of Buddhist Contemplation,
- Practices of Buddhist Contemplation,
- Generation phase (utpattikrama, kyerim),
- Deity yoga (devata-yoga, lhé nenjor),
- Buddhist Contemplation
<p>Critically exploring scientific thought and its relation to religion in traditional Tibetan medicine, Being Human expands our sense of Tibetan cultural history, unpacking the intersection of early modern sensibilities and religious ideals during the time of the Fifth Dalai Lama. Studying the adaptation of Buddhist concepts and values to medical concerns, the book also advances an appreciation of BuddhismÕs role in the development of Asian and global civilization. Through its unique focus and sophisticated reading of source materials, Being Human captures the religious character of medicine in Tibet during a period when it facilitated a singular involvement in issues associated with modernity and empirical science, all without discernible influence from the European Enlightenment. The book opens with the bold achievements of medical illustration, commentary, and institution building, then looks back to the work of earlier thinkers, tracing a subtle dialectic between scriptural and empirical authority on questions of history and the nature of human anatomy. It follows key differences between medicine and Buddhism in attitudes toward gender and sex, and the shaping of medical ethics to serve both the physician and the patientÕs well-being. Being Human ultimately finds that Tibetan medical scholars absorbed ethical and epistemological categories from Buddhism yet shied away from ideal system and absolutes, embracing instead the imperfectability of the human condition.</p>
; Reviews the book `Curators of the Buddha: The Study of Buddhism Under Colonialism,' edited by Donald S. Lopez, Junior.
This book has explored the disparities between medical mentality and religious soteriology in Tibet and the ways Buddhism positively affected the ways and means of Tibetan medicine. Medical knowledge in Tibet faced at least two challenges, both having to do with ideals. The first is the incongruity between the need to catalogue information and the need to heal individuals. The second has to do with a proclivity to favor ideal bodies—now in the sense of optimal or perfected—over ordinary ones. This is the problem of how the perfect and divine relate to the human body with which medicine deals. The <i>Four Treatises</i>'s bid for a religious authority of its own did not solve all of the problems that medicine encountered as it evolved in Tibet. By way of conclusion, this book evaluates the conceptual challenges faced by Tibetan medicine and the strategies it marshaled to further medical knowledge and attend to patients in locally credible ways. It also discusses the complex interaction of medicine with Buddhist formations, and proposes ways to account for both influence and difference.
OBJECTIVE: To conduct a pilot trial of internet-based, cancer-adapted yoga for women receiving breast cancer treatment.DESIGN: Women undergoing radiation or chemotherapy for breast cancer were recruited for 12, 75-min, biweekly, cancer-adapted yoga classes delivered via internet-based, multipoint videoconferencing. Data were collected on feasibility and acceptability, including qualitative feedback from participants and the yoga instructor.
RESULTS: Among 42 women approached, 13 declined eligibility screening, and 23 were ineligible. All 6 women who were eligible provided consent, but 2 withdrew prior to beginning yoga classes. The remaining 4 participants attended 1-11 of 12 online yoga classes. In post-intervention interviews, participants and the instructor agreed that internet-based yoga classes hold great potential for increasing access and improving psychological outcomes in adults with cancer. Qualitative feedback from participants revealed suggestions for future trials of internet-based, cancer-adapted yoga classes, including: continued use of group format; offering more varied class times to accommodate patients' demanding schedules and fluctuating symptoms; enrolling patients after they have acclimated to or completed cancer treatment; streamlining the technology interface; and careful attention to participant burden when designing surveys/forms. The instructor recommended closed session courses, as opposed to rolling enrollment; teaching the same modified poses for all participants, rather than individual tailoring; and using a large screen to allow closer monitoring of students' class experience.
CONCLUSIONS: Internet delivery may increase patients' access to cancer-adapted yoga classes, but cancer-related and technological barriers remain. This study informs how to optimally design yoga classes, technology, and research procedures to maximize feasibility and acceptability in future trials.
<p>In this paper, Gyatso looks at Tibetan historians' accounts to sketch out a history of the gcod tradition. Good reference for primary source materials in her citations. (BJN)</p>
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<p>The article outlines the origin and development of the Chöd (gcod) tradition. Chöd is a traditional meditative techinque used for cutting attachment to the ego. Not ready to dismiss the traditional positing of its source in Indian Buddhism, the article purports a wider understanding of the milieu contributing to the development of Chöd. (Mark Premo-Hopkins 2004-03-22)</p>
<h2>Abstract</h2><p>Tai Chi posture, has recently been shown in a number of random controlled trials to improve balance, posture, vigour and general well-being in a variety of client groups. These are problems commonly encountered by people with Multiple Sclerosis. The present study was therefore designed as a pilot evaluation of the usefulness of Tai Chi/Qi Gong for people with Multiple Sclerosis. Eight individuals with Multiple Sclerosis were monitored over a 2-month baseline and 2-month intervention. Statistically significant pre to post improvements for the group as a whole were achieved on measures of depression and balance. A 21-item symptom check-list indicated small improvements over a broad range of other self-rated symptoms.</p>
Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has produced behavioral, psychological, and physiological benefits, but these programs typically require a substantial time commitment from the participants. This study assessed the effects of a shortened (low-dose [ld]) work-site MBSR intervention (MBSR-ld) on indicators of stress in healthy working adults to determine if results similar to those obtained in traditional MBSR could be demonstrated. Participants were randomized into MBSR-ld and wait-list control groups. Self-reported perceived stress, sleep quality, and mindfulness were measured at the beginning and end of the 6-week intervention. Salivary cortisol was assessed weekly. Significant reductions in perceived stress (p = .0025) and increases in mindfulness (p = .0149) were obtained for only the MBSR-ld group (n = 22). Scores on the global measure of sleep improved for the MBSR-ld group (p = .0018) as well as for the control group (p = .0072; n = 20). Implications and future research are discussed.
Up to 50% of breast cancer survivors on aromatase inhibitor therapy report musculoskeletal symptoms such as joint and muscle pain, significantly impacting treatment adherence and discontinuation rates. We conducted a secondary data analysis of a nationwide, multi-site, phase II/III randomized, controlled, clinical trial examining the efficacy of yoga for improving musculoskeletal symptoms among breast cancer survivors currently receiving hormone therapy (aromatase inhibitors [AI] or tamoxifen [TAM]). Breast cancer survivors currently receiving AI (N = 95) or TAM (N = 72) with no participation in yoga during the previous 3 months were randomized into 2 arms: (1) standard care monitoring and (2) standard care plus the 4-week yoga intervention (2x/week; 75 min/session) and included in this analysis. The yoga intervention utilized the UR Yoga for Cancer Survivors (YOCAS©(®)) program consisting of breathing exercises, 18 gentle Hatha and restorative yoga postures, and meditation. Musculoskeletal symptoms were assessed pre- and post-intervention. At baseline, AI users reported higher levels of general pain, muscle aches, and total physical discomfort than TAM users (all P ≤ 0.05). Among all breast cancer survivors on hormonal therapy, participants in the yoga group demonstrated greater reductions in musculoskeletal symptoms such as general pain, muscle aches and total physical discomfort from pre- to post-intervention than the control group (all P ≤ 0.05). The severity of musculoskeletal symptoms was higher for AI users compared to TAM users. Among breast cancer survivors on hormone therapy, the brief community-based YOCAS©® intervention significantly reduced general pain, muscle aches, and physical discomfort.
A current interest in education is the growing awareness that the development of social and emotional skills in children is critical for the foundation of academic knowledge in the classroom. The early childhood educator is in a position to be a powerful nurturer of the social emotional development in young children. It is important, therefore, to challenge early childhood teachers, particularly veteran teachers, to take a closer look at their own social and emotional skills and to systematically reassess these skills through an emotionally intelligent "lens". The field of emotional intelligence is a new and exciting area of academic research that looks at emotional abilities within the following four domains: (1) perception skills; (2) accessing skills; (3) understanding skills; and (4) regulation skills. This article presents a user-friendly methodology to assess and enhance the emotional intelligence abilities of teachers, and thereby impact the abilities of the young children they teach.
Empathy was measured by an interview assessing emotions and cognitions in response to videotaped vignettes of persons in affective events and by empathy self-report questionnaires. As hypothesized, empathy was lower among conduct-disordered (CD) than comparison youth and was related inversely to antisocial and aggressive attitudes for all youth tested. Affectively, CD youth (n = 30) reported fewer concordant emotional responses to vignette persons than did a comparison peer group (n = 32). Cognitively, CD youth reported fewer correct identifications of vignette persons' emotions, lower mean levels of cognitive attributions for their own responsive emotions, and lower scores on empathy-related cognitive scales. Significant gender differences occurred, with girls scoring higher than boys on empathy questionnaires. Findings are discussed in terms of previous empathy and aggression research, and directions for future study are suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
<p>In Australia, 14% of children and adolescents have a significant mental health problem, which is similar to global prevalence estimates of 12%. Teaching children techniques in mindfulness meditation has been recommended to improve their mental health. However, the recommendations are based mainly on efficacy in adult clinical trials, and insufficiently on trials with children and adolescents in a classroom setting. This mindfulness meditation pilot project involved training teachers at two primary schools in the outer suburbs of Melbourne, Australia to deliver a ten-week mindfulness curriculum and optional daily mindfulness exercises to students in grades 5 and 6 (ages 10 to 12). Pre- and post-program, students completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and a modified version of the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). On both scales there was a significant decrease in overall average score and the number of children in the diagnostic categories, 25.6% scoring in the borderline or diagnostic category for the SDQ pre-program and 16.3% post-program. For the CDI this was 25.8% pre- and 21.6% post-. The study is limited by its use of a pre-post design without comparison group. However, qualitative findings from teachers assist in discerning key themes, and this pilot study suggests the potential of more formal experimental testing of mindfulness training as an element of a whole-school mental health promotion program.</p>
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Objectives. Mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy (MBCT) was originally developed to prevent relapse in recurrent depression. More recently it has been applied to individuals at high risk of suicide or currently suffering with anxiety and depression. The aim of this study was to consider the feasibility of MBCT for individuals with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD).Design. The design of the study was a repeated measures, quasi‐experimental design employing within‐subject and between‐subject comparisons of a sample of participants with BPD. Based on previous studies and theoretical models of the effect of mindfulness and of cognitive therapy, pre‐ and post‐group measures of mindfulness, depression, anxiety, dissociation, impulsivity, experiential avoidance, and attention were obtained.
Method. Participants attended an 8‐week adapted MBCT (MBCT‐a) group intervention. A total of 22 participants were assessed pre‐ and post‐intervention and were subsequently divided for analysis into two groups: treatment completers (N= 16) and non‐completers (number of sessions attended < 4; N= 6).
Results. The study found that MBCT‐a is acceptable to individuals with BPD. Using intention to treat analyses, only attentional control improved. However, post hoc analyses of treatment improvers (N= 9) identified changes in mindfulness and somatoform dissociation. A dose‐effect analysis suggested a weak improvement in mindfulness, experiential avoidance, state anxiety, and somatoform dissociation.
Conclusions. This study suggests that further exploration of MBCT for use with individuals with BPD is merited. The study lends tentative support for attentional and avoidance models of the effects of mindfulness.
Suggestions are made for future investigation of theory-of-mind development. There needs to be (1) more focus on the development of understanding of desire and intention; (2) research on the role of language in theory-of-mind development that integrates representational-development and social-interaction views; and (3) investigation of the real-world consequences of children's developing understanding of belief, desire, and intention.
Three studies documented the gender stereotypes of emotions and the relationship between gender stereotypes and the interpretation of emotionally expressive behavior. Participants believed women experienced and expressed the majority of the 19 emotions studied (e.g., sadness, fear, sympathy) more often than men. Exceptions included anger and pride, which were thought to be experienced and expressed more often by men. In Study 2, participants interpreted photographs of adults’ambiguous anger/sadness facial expressions in a stereotype-consistent manner, such that women were rated as sadder and less angry than men. Even unambiguous anger poses by women were rated as a mixture of anger and sadness. Study 3 revealed that when expectant parents interpreted an infant's ambiguous anger/sadness expression presented on videotape only high-stereotyped men interpreted the expression in a stereotype-consistent manner. Discussion focuses on the role of gender stereotypes in adults’interpretations of emotional expressions and the implications for social relations and the socialization of emotion.
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