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<p>This is the preface to <em>Soundings in Tibetan Civilization: Proceedings of the 1982 Seminar of the International Association of Tibetan Studies</em>. (Mark Premo-Hopkins 2004-02-12)</p>

<p>Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center provides an excellent reference resource for efficiently looking up titles for classical Tibetan literature, as well as for looking up Tibetan religious figures; it has more limited resources on Tibetan places. It is without question the preeminent site in the world for looking up a Tibetan title or person on-line and reflects the impressive scholarly knowledge of Gene Smith, its founder.Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center is the largest project in the world aimed at scanning Tibetan Buddhist literature in massive amounts. Some bodies of literature are available over the Web, but most are sold over the Web at a modest cost. One of the jewels of the collection is the 103 volumes of the Dege (sde dge) edition of the Kangyur (bka' 'gyur), the main scriptural canon of Tibetan Buddhism. It also provides a free on-line bibliography for classical Tibetan literature, and an outstanding biographical database on Tibetan religious figures. It is an excellent resource to do quick searches on Tibetan titles and personages. There is a modest selection of other types of resources, such as images and bibliographies of secondary literature.</p>

Introduction Dyspnoea has been defined as a ‘subjective experience of breathing discomfort that consists of qualitatively distinct sensations that vary in intensity’. However, the majority of available dyspnoea measures treat it as a single entity and rely on quantitative methodology. We propose that qualitative research can enhance our understanding of dyspnoea, in particular, how perception varies so much among patients with similar disease states. In this paper, we focus on how a specific type of inner attention—mindfulness—may alter perceptions of dyspnoea. The aim is to characterise mindfulness attention, which impacts on perceptions of dyspnoea and relate these to the multidimensional model of dyspnoea. We explore how an individual can change their perception and therefore relationship to similar disease states.Method 22 patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were recruited from primary and secondary care to an 8-week course in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). 12 patients took part in an in-depth qualitative interview 2 months after completing the MBCT course. Data were recorded, transcribed and then analysed using a framework approach, drawing on components of the multidimensional model of dyspnoea (multidimensional dyspnoea profile, MDP). Results We found that MBCT training involves developing three types of mindful attention (broad attention, informative attention and re-directive attention), which impact on perceptions of the sensory dimension of dyspnoea. MBCT appears to target affective and sensory perceptions articulated in the MDP model. Conclusion More research is needed into how mindfulness-based interventions may mediate the relationship between affective experience and the sensory perception of dyspnoea symptoms.