A weekend with some of the most thoughtful contemplative teachers and scientists is bound to be an opportunity for deep insights. The Wisdom 2.0 Mindfulness in America conference was such an event, and it more than fulfilled its promise. With speakers that included Richard Davidson, Sharon Salzberg, Dan Siegel, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Rhonda V. Magee, and David Simas as well as many, many more, the 500+ participants shared a profound learning experience.
Jon Kabat-Zinn urges the audience at Wisdom 2.0 Mindfulness in America to take action now. Photo Credit: Center for Compassionate Leadership.
The conference was shot through with the urgency we face given the threat to our species’ survival. Soren Gordhamer, founder of Wisdom 2.0, opened the conference with the question, “How do we save ourselves, and how do we save the world?” Dan Siegel, founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA, was even stronger and didn’t pull any punches in saying that the concept of a separate self is a “lethal lie, and if we don’t correct it, we’re gonna die.”
Soren Gordhamer and David Simas discuss building interconnectedness in today’s highly individualistic culture. Photo Credit: Center for Compassionate Leadership.
Our overwhelmingly individualistic culture has created rampant isolation and loneliness. Richard Davidson cited research showing that 70% of people in their 50s and 60s are lonely. David Simas agreed, positing that “isolation, disconnection, and loneliness are the core problem.” By being disconnected, we create an environment of competition and not cooperation, which leads to tragic outcomes, especially for marginalized communities. Rhonda V. Magee added, “How we tend to privatize our suffering and fear each other is directly related to what makes some communities more vulnerable.”
It would be easy to be overwhelmed by these alarming statements. This gathering allowed us to come together, collectively acknowledge our current state as simply what is, and explore in community what we can do about it. Together we discussed and explored ways to respond to these challenging times.
Richard Davidson’s session, “Well-Being as a Skill,” gave us a path for overcoming this fear. “We can take more responsibility of our brains by engaging in right practice. Fear contracts awareness.” By engaging mindfully, we open our awareness and act in acknowledgement of our deep interconnectedness with other beings instead of acting out of fear. Davidson added that scientifically, compassion plays a valuable role in this, as the highest level of brain activity is seen when we combine open awareness with compassion.
Wisdom about healing, trauma, and mindfulness from Shelly Tygielski and Sharon Salzberg. Photo Credit: Center for Compassionate Leadership.
How do we move toward healing the world? We start at the place where we have the capacity for change – with ourselves. In a session on trauma, Sharon Salzberg said, “The most pertinent practice to understanding the pain of someone else is to understand our own.” By opening our awareness to ourselves and embracing our circumstances just as they are, we enable ourselves to move outward in the world and take part in transformative social engagement. Multiple speakers expressed the message: “We don’t meditate to meditate. We meditate to live in the world.” True mindfulness and compassion impels us outward into the world. As Jon Kabat-Zinn said, “Mindfulness is waking up on every single level. It is one integrated whole with interconnectedness. Our real practice is how we live from moment to moment to moment.” As our practice opens our field of awareness, Rhonda V. Magee offered the clearest message of hope: “We move from awareness to action.”