Dalai Lama Awarded Templeton Prize

April 17, 2012 - PRLog -- The Mind & Life Institute is pleased to announce that the recipient of this year’s Templeton Prize, the largest cash prize for an individual, is the organization’s founder, Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama. The annual $1.7 million prize is given to an individual who has “made an exceptional contribution to the affirmation of life’s spiritual dimension,” a category exemplified by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. “With an increasing reliance on technological advances to solve the world’s problems, humanity also seeks the reassurance that only a spiritual quest can answer,” said Dr. John M. Templeton, Jr., president and chairman of the John Templeton Foundation and son of the late prize founder. “The Dalai Lama offers a universal voice of compassion underpinned by a love and respect for spiritually relevant scientific research that centers on every single human being.” The prize committee cited in particular the Dalai Lama’s encouragement of using science to investigate spiritual questions, which is the reason he established the Mind & Life Institute in 1987.

Over the years, Mind and Life has worked in close partnership with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Mind and Life’s Honorary Board Chair, and with the John Templeton Foundation. Each year, with funding from the foundation, the organization holds dialogues between neuroscientists, social scientists, and contemplative scholars, together with His Holiness. His insight and influence, together with the input of some of the world’s leading scientists, have contributed to the creation of several important programs, including an annual Summer Research Institute the International Symposia for Contemplative Studies, a series of books, and scholarships for scientists wanting to explore this field.

For the past eight years, several key Mind and Life programs have been supported by grants from the John Templeton Foundation, a visionary and forward-thinking foundation committed to serving as “a philanthropic catalyst for discoveries relating to the Big Questions of human purpose and ultimate reality.”

“We feel moved and pleased by the announcement of this award,” says Arthur Zajonc, president of the Mind & Life Institute. “It is a testament to the work we are all doing to help the world alleviate suffering and improve well-being. We applaud the John Templeton Foundation for their selection, and we look forward to continuing to work closely with both the foundation and His Holiness as we deepen our investigation into the mind.”

The award ceremony for the Templeton Prize will take place May 14 at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London.


About the Mind & Life Institute

The Mind & Life Institute is a Hadley, MA-based nonprofit organization dedicated to building a scientific understanding of the mind through the investigation of contemplative practices in order to reduce suffering and promote well being. The Mind & Life Institute implements this mission and vision through a strategy of integrated initiatives including Dialogues and Publications, the Mind and Life Summer Research Institute and accompanying Varela Awards, the Mind and Life Humanities and Social Sciences Initiative, the Mind and Life Contemplative Fellowship, and the International Symposia for Contemplative Studies (Denver ׀ April, 2012 ׀ www.contemplativeresearch.org). For more information, visit www.mindandlife.org, or contact Mark Cherrington ׀ mark@mindandlife.org ׀ (413) 387-0710 x 105.