In our highly fragmented and environmentally endangered world, education is of central importance. There is a critical need to develop educational environments in which all of us, young and old, can develop our full cognitive, critical, creative, social and emotional potential to face the challenges of our fast-changing society, developing an ethical compass for orientation. A whole person education is the cornerstone for a healthy society.

What has to date largely been neglected, even in holistic approaches within western education, is a recognition of the central importance of the mind to all learning and human development. Contemplative Education (CE) is a holistic approach which focusses on helping students of all ages, and teachers of all kinds, develop the embodied and practice- based skills to understand and manage their own minds. These skills are transformative and foundational to all effective education and healthy human development. CE combines current knowledge from modern research, e.g. neuroscience, with the practices of traditional wisdom-based philosophies and practices.

There is growing evidence for the beneficial effects of CE, and particularly for mindfulness, which is showing clear impacts across the whole educational and wellbeing agenda, with outcomes that are beneficial for psychological, social, emotional, cognitive and physical wellbeing. As a foundational human capacity, CE can be central to help transform educational efforts to cultivate deep and authentic learning, wellbeing and flourishing, to become more ethical, compassionate and connected, and equip individuals to meet the escalating social and ecological crises facing our society and our planet.

The Community of Contemplative Education (CCE) was initiated by Mind & Life Europe in 2018 with the goal of creating a sustainable and vibrant community of the leading pioneers and experts to enhance collective learning and implementation around contemplative education in Europe to cultivate human flourishing through education. There is a great deal of excellent work on contemplative and mindfulness based approaches happening out there across Europe, in schools, universities, and the community, supported by change makers and even politicians in some countries, but it is at present scattered and incoherent without enough interchange and mutual learning. So this community aims to bring together and support this vital work.

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