<p>This brief article traces a Ming mission to Tibet and Nepal in 1413 by looking at several primary sources. During the mission, the envoy, Hou Hsien, had audience with Tsongkhapa (tsong kha pa), in response to which the latter sent his disciple Shakya Yeshé (shAkya ye shes) to the Ming court. Hou Hsien also met with the 5th Karmapa, Deshin shegpa (de bzhin gshegs pa). (Ben Deitle 2006-01-25)</p>
<p>The article looks at the complex relationships established between Tibet and China during the early Ming dynasty. The Chinese and the Tibetans were involved in governmental dialogue, as well as a good deal of trade and commerce. (Mark Premo-Hopkins 2004-04-20)</p>
Objective: To investigate whether observed interactions of mindfulness with the personality trait neuroticism extend to older adults and to aspects of psychological functioning other than depressive symptoms, and whether effects of mindfulness training in this population depend on levels of neuroticism.Method: We performed a secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for community-dwelling older adults. We investigated whether neuroticism moderates associations of dispositional mindfulness with various aspects of psychological and physical functioning at baseline, as well as effects of MBSR on these outcomes.
Results: Significant two-way interactions showed that greater mindfulness was associated with fewer depressive symptoms and less negative affect at baseline in individuals with average or higher levels of neuroticism. In contrast, mindfulness was associated with greater positive affect and vitality and fewer physical symptoms regardless of the level of neuroticism. There were no effects of MBSR on these outcomes at any level of neuroticism.
Conclusion: Mindfulness may be more protective against psychological ill-being in older adults with higher levels of neuroticism, but conducive to positive psychological and physical well-being regardless of this personality trait. The potential moderating role of neuroticism should be further evaluated in studies of mindfulness-based interventions in older adults.
Objective: To investigate whether observed interactions of mindfulness with the personality trait neuroticism extend to older adults and to aspects of psychological functioning other than depressive symptoms, and whether effects of mindfulness training in this population depend on levels of neuroticism.Method: We performed a secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for community-dwelling older adults. We investigated whether neuroticism moderates associations of dispositional mindfulness with various aspects of psychological and physical functioning at baseline, as well as effects of MBSR on these outcomes.
Results: Significant two-way interactions showed that greater mindfulness was associated with fewer depressive symptoms and less negative affect at baseline in individuals with average or higher levels of neuroticism. In contrast, mindfulness was associated with greater positive affect and vitality and fewer physical symptoms regardless of the level of neuroticism. There were no effects of MBSR on these outcomes at any level of neuroticism.
Conclusion: Mindfulness may be more protective against psychological ill-being in older adults with higher levels of neuroticism, but conducive to positive psychological and physical well-being regardless of this personality trait. The potential moderating role of neuroticism should be further evaluated in studies of mindfulness-based interventions in older adults.
Objective: To investigate whether observed interactions of mindfulness with the personality trait neuroticism extend to older adults and to aspects of psychological functioning other than depressive symptoms, and whether effects of mindfulness training in this population depend on levels of neuroticism.Method: We performed a secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for community-dwelling older adults. We investigated whether neuroticism moderates associations of dispositional mindfulness with various aspects of psychological and physical functioning at baseline, as well as effects of MBSR on these outcomes.
Results: Significant two-way interactions showed that greater mindfulness was associated with fewer depressive symptoms and less negative affect at baseline in individuals with average or higher levels of neuroticism. In contrast, mindfulness was associated with greater positive affect and vitality and fewer physical symptoms regardless of the level of neuroticism. There were no effects of MBSR on these outcomes at any level of neuroticism.
Conclusion: Mindfulness may be more protective against psychological ill-being in older adults with higher levels of neuroticism, but conducive to positive psychological and physical well-being regardless of this personality trait. The potential moderating role of neuroticism should be further evaluated in studies of mindfulness-based interventions in older adults.
The jigsaw classroom is a cooperative learning technique with a three-decade track record of successfully reducing racial conflict and increasing positive educational outcomes. Not only does it open the door to warmer, closer friendships within and across ethnic boundaries, it has also proved effective at raising the self-esteem of students while improving their performance and increasing their liking for school and their enthusiasm about learning.The jigsaw technique was first developed in the early 1970s by psychologist Elliot Aronson and his students at the University of Texas and the University of California. Since then, hundreds of schools have used the jigsaw classroom with great success.
<p>The <em>Journal of the Tibet Society</em> is a scholarly periodical devoted to all areas of research on Tibet and regions influenced by Tibetan culture, including the arts, astronomy, geography, history, linguistics, medicine, philosophy, religion, the social sciences, and other subjects. The Journal includes articles in English, French, German, and Tibetan. JTS is published by the Tibet Society, which previously published the <em>Tibet Society Newsletter</em> (1967-8) and then the <em>Tibet Society Bulletin</em> (1969-80). (Ben Deitle 2005-11-15)</p>
<p>This is the fifth issue of the Journal of the Tibet Society, published in 1985. Edited by Elliot Sperling, the issue features articles by Michael M. Broido, Eva K. Dargyay, and Todd Gibson, as well as book reviews. (Ben Deitle 2005-16-05)</p>
<p>This is the sixth issue of the Journal of the Tibet Society, published in 1986. Edited by Elliot Sperling, the issue features articles by Siegbert Hummel, David P. Jackson, Michael Walter, and Amy Heller, as well as book reviews. (Ben Deitle 2005-16-05)</p>
<p>This is the seventh issue of the Journal of the Tibet Society, published in 1987. Edited by Elliot Sperling, the issue features articles by Christopher I. Beckwith, Dan Martin, Elliot Sperling, and Alex Wayman. (Ben Deitle 2005-16-05)</p>
<p>This is the eighth issue of the Journal of the Tibet Society, published in 1988. Edited by Elliot Sperling, the issue features articles by Leonard W. J. van der Kuijp and Pieter C. Verhagan, as well as book reviews. (Ben Deitle 2005-16-05)</p>
<p>This article explores the relationship between the Tangut court and Tibetan lamas, particularly those of various Kagyü (<em>bka' brgyud</em>) orders. Toward the end of the Tangut Empire's existence, Tibetans held the post of "imperial preceptor" at the Tangut court. Sperling argues that this early example influenced later conceptions of the lama-patron relationship. Even after the Tangut state fell to the Mongols under Qubilai, several Kagyü lamas successfully transitioned into the Mongol court, even while Sakya lamas held the highest positions therein. Passages cited from Tibetan sources are presented in their original language at the end of the article. (Ben Deitle 2006-02-02)</p>
<p><strong>Creator's Description</strong>: Si tu chos kyi 'byung gnas's (1699/1700-1774) history of the Karma bka' brgyud pa is a vital source for the history of his subsect and for Tibetan history from the beginnings of the subsect up through the late eighteenth century. His historical writing is particularly significant, for in delineating the place of the Karma bka' brgyud pa in the Inner Asian world, he described a significant aspect of the relations that powerful rulers beyond Tibet's borders entertained with important Tibetan Buddhist teachers and leaders. These relations were rooted in perceptions of power, political and esoteric. However, with the triumph of the Dge lugs pa sect its scholars created an historical tradition that let that story pass unmentioned. Si tu, writing in a time of turbulence and Dge lugs pa ascendancy, stood against this politically inspired historical amnesia and helped preserve a crucial element of our understanding of Tibet's past. (2013-07-01)</p>
<p>BACKGROUND: Increasingly, researchers attend to both positive and negative aspects of mental health. Such distinctions call for clarification of whether psychological well-being and ill-being comprise opposite ends of a bipolar continuum, or are best construed as separate, independent dimensions of mental health. Biology can help resolve this query--bipolarity predicts 'mirrored' biological correlates (i.e. well-being and ill-being correlate similarly with biomarkers, but show opposite directional signs), whereas independence predicts 'distinct' biological correlates (i.e. well-being and ill-being have different biological signatures). METHODS: Multiple aspects of psychological well-being (eudaimonic, hedonic) and ill-being (depression, anxiety, anger) were assessed in a sample of aging women (n = 135, mean age = 74) on whom diverse neuroendocrine (salivary cortisol, epinephrine, norepinephrine, DHEA-S) and cardiovascular factors (weight, waist-hip ratio, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, HDL cholesterol, total/HDL cholesterol, glycosylated hemoglobin) were also measured. RESULTS: Measures of psychological well-being and ill-being were significantly linked with numerous biomarkers, with some associations being more strongly evident for respondents aged 75+. Outcomes for seven biomarkers supported the distinct hypothesis, while findings for only two biomarkers supported the mirrored hypothesis. CONCLUSION: This research adds to the growing literature on how psychological well-being and mental maladjustment are instantiated in biology. Population-based inquiries and challenge studies constitute important future directions.</p>
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<p>A review by Elliot Sperling of J. Kolmaš, ed., <em>Chinese Studies on Tibetan Culture</em>.</p>
<p>A review by Elliot Sperling of Ngapo Ngawang Jigmei, et al., <em>Tibet</em>.</p>
The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is part of a network implicated in the development of self-regulation and whose connectivity changes dramatically in development. In previous studies we showed that 3 h of mental training, based on traditional Chinese medicine (integrative body–mind training, IBMT), increases ACC activity and improves self-regulation. However, it is not known whether changes in white matter connectivity can result from small amounts of mental training. We here report that 11 h of IBMT increases fractional anisotropy (FA), an index indicating the integrity and efficiency of white matter in the corona radiata, an important white-matter tract connecting the ACC to other structures. Thus IBMT could provide a means for improving self-regulation and perhaps reducing or preventing various mental disorders.
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This study examined the interplay of social engagement, sleep quality, and plasma levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in a sample of aging women (n = 74, aged 61-90, M age = 73.4). Social engagement was assessed by questionnaire, sleep was assessed by using the NightCap in-home sleep monitoring system and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and blood samples were obtained for analysis of plasma levels of IL-6. Regarding subjective assessment, poorer sleep (higher scores on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) was associated with lower positive social relations scores. Multivariate regression analyses showed that lower levels of plasma IL-6 were predicted by greater sleep efficiency (P < 0.001), measured objectively and by more positive social relations (P < 0.05). A significant interaction showed that women with the highest IL-6 levels were those with both poor sleep efficiency and poor social relations (P < 0.05). However, those with low sleep efficiency but compensating good relationships as well as women with poor relationships but compensating high sleep efficiency had IL-6 levels comparable to those with the protective influences of both good social ties and good sleep.
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OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that socioeconomic status (SES) would be associated with sleep quality measured objectively, even after controlling for related covariates (health status, psychosocial characteristics). Epidemiological studies linking SES and sleep quality have traditionally relied on self-reported assessments of sleep.
METHODS: Ninety-four women, 61 to 90 years of age, participated in this study. SES was determined by pretax household income and years of education. Objective and subjective assessments of sleep quality were obtained using the NightCap sleep system and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), respectively. Health status was determined by subjective health ratings and objective measures of recent and chronic illnesses. Depressive symptoms and neuroticism were quantified using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale and the Neuroticism subscale of the NEO Personality Inventory, respectively.
RESULTS: Household income significantly predicted sleep latency and sleep efficiency even after adjusting for demographic factors, health status, and psychosocial characteristics. Income also predicted PSQI scores, although this association was significantly attenuated by inclusion of neuroticism in multivariate analyses. Education predicted both sleep latency and sleep efficiency, but the latter association was partially reduced after health status and psychosocial measures were included in analyses. Education predicted PSQI sleep efficiency component scores, but not global scores.
CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that SES is robustly linked to both subjective and objective sleep quality, and that health status and psychosocial characteristics partially explain these associations.
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