Mind & Life Europe Calendar

Partnership Events 

with Tergar Meditation Community

August 11th,

18:00 CEST 

Dialogue with Mingyur Rinpoche, Dr. Antione Lutz and Dr. Marieke van Vugt 

"Natural Qualities of the Mind"

Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg, Germany

This event will be live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel 

Get your ticket for the in-person event here!

hybrid

in-person & online

Partnership Events

Colloques de Cerisy 

August 15th - 19th

Colloques de Cerisy 

More information coming soon!

ESRI

August 22nd - 26th 

ESRI 2022 | Learning with Others: Living Connection and Transmission

Location: Lama Tzong Khapa Institute, Pomaia, Italy

The application period for ESRI has now passed. Thank you for all your applications. 

in-person

MLE Retreat

August 26th - 28th

MLE Retreat: Contemplating Connection 

Location: Lama Tzong Khapa Institute, Pomaia, Italy

The application period for the retreat has now passed. Thank you for all your applications. 

Core Enaction Series

18:00 CEST

September 14th, 2022

Part 1, Session 1 on Geneaology

Introduction by Amy Varela, Luisa Damiano, Valérie Bonnardel and John Protevi

Register here to attend with a committment to attend all sessions

Core Enaction Series

18:00 CEST

September 28th, 2022

Part 1, Session 2 on Geneaology

 "The cybernetic origins of Varela’s Enactive Approach" with Bruno Clarke

Register here to attend with a committment to attend all sessions

Core Enaction Series

18:00 CEST

October 19th, 2022

Part 1, Session 3 on Geneaology

 "The cybernetic origins of Varela’s Enactive Approach" with Juan Carlos Letelier

Register here to attend with a committment to attend all sessions

Core Enaction Series

18:00 CEST

October 26th, 2022

Part 1, Session 4 on Geneaology

"Autopoiesis" with Tom Ziemke

Register here to attend with a committment to attend all sessions

Core Enaction Series

18:00 CET

November 9th, 2022

Part 1, Session 5 on Geneaology

"Autopoiesis" with John Protevi

Register here to attend with a committment to attend all sessions

Core Enaction Series

18:00 CET

November 23rd, 2022

Part 1, Session 6 on Geneaology 

"Autonomous systems" with Evan Thompson

Register here to attend with a committment to attend all sessions

Core Enaction Series

18:00 CET

December 7th, 2022

Part 1, Session 7 on Geneaology

Discussion

Register here to attend with a committment to attend all sessions

MLE Friends

July 13th

18:00 CEST

Webinar with Thorsten Barnhofer

"Mindfulness-based intervention in the prevention and treatment of depression: we are already there and we are only just beginning"

(exclusive access for MLE Friends)

MLE Inititatives

July 4th - 8th

ENCECON | ICP Workshop 

"Embodied Experience of Intersubjectivity: Exploring the Boundaries Between 'Self' and 'Other'" 

Location: Domaine de Fréchet, France

Learn more here

Varela 20/30

June 15th 

18:00 CEST

 Francisco & Friends: webinar with Sergio Neuenschwander

"The highs and lows of gamma oscillations: what neuronal synchronization tells us about the brain"

Click here to watch the recording!

MLE Friends

June 8th 

18:00 CEST

Webinar with Fabienne Picard 

"Epilepsy and Ecstatic Experience"

(exclusive access for MLE Friends)

Partnership Events

Varela International Symposium 

May 28th - 29th 

Varela International Symposium co-organized with Upaya Institute and Zen Center

Laying Down a Path in Walking (Mind in Life) - Interdependence and Enaction

Click here to watch the recordings!

Mind Matters

May 25th 

15:00 CEST

MLE 'Mind Matters' webinar series with Barry Kerzin

"No Center, No Edge: Letting Go of a Fixed Identity"

This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording now!

MLE Friends / CCE 

May 18th 

18:00 CEST

Community of Contemplative Education: webinar with Anna Bornstein

"Bringing Calm to Kids: the ‘Dream of the Good’ Project in Sweden"

(exclusive access to MLE Friends and the CCE community) 

Varela 20/30

May 11th

18:00 CEST

Francisco & Friends: webinar with Adam Engle (with French Interpretation)

"The Secret Sauce of Mind & Life: The Entrepreneur (Adam), the Contemplative (the Dalai Lama) and the Academic (Francisco)"

This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording now!

Varela 20/30

May 4th 

18:00 CEST

Francisco & Friends: webinar with Richard Davidson (with French Interpretation)

"Francisco: In Love with the World" 

This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording now!

MLE Friends

Standing at the Edge

April 27th

18:00 CEST

Webinar with Luisa Damiano 

"Social Robotics: On the Edges of the Brain, Body, and Environment"

(exclusive access for MLE Friends) 

Varela 20/30

April 20th

16:00 CEST

Francisco & Friends: webinar with Tsoknyi Rinpoche

"Francisco, Integrating Life, Work and Dharma"

This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the reocrding! 

MLE Friends

April 13th,

18:00 CEST

'Beyond Confines' Webcast Track Philosophy Series 2 

Q&A on 'Consciousness East and West' with Michel Bitbol

(exclusive access for MLE Friends)

MLE Friends 

April 6th,

18:00 CEST

Webinar with Giuseppe Pagnoni 

"In-active Inference: The Epistemic Value of Contemplative Practice"

(exclusive access for MLE Friends)

MLE Friends

March 23rd

Launch of MLE 'Beyond Confines' Webcast, Track Philosophy, Series 2 with Michel Bitbol 

Exclusive access for MLE Friends

Find out more here!

Standing at the Edge

MLE Retreat

March 11th - 13th

MLE Online Retreat 2022: "Standing at the Edge in Contemplative Life: Integrating personal, professional, and spiritual aspects of our path"

Mind Matters

March 9,

18:00 CET

MLE 'Mind Matters' series: "An Ethics of Uncertainty"

with Stephen Batchelor.

This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the reocrding! 

Varela 20/30

February 23,

18:00 CET

Francisco & Friends: webinar with Clifford Saron, "The Little Black Dog and Other Tales - Travels with Francisco and Science in the Foothills of the Himalayas"

This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording!

Standing at the Edge

MLE Friends

February 9th 

18:00 CET

Webinar with Edel Maex

Theme: Walking at the edge: A psychiatrist's practice of Zen and Mindfulness

(exclusive access for MLE Friends)

Standing at the Edge

January 26, 18:00 CET

'Standing at the Edge': 2022 Opening Panel

with Roshi Joan Halifax, Father Francis Tiso, Marieke van Vugt, John Dunne, Andreas Roepstorff, Catherine Bastien-Ventura, Martijn van Beek.

This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording!

MLE

December 13, 18:00 CET

MLE 'Mind Matters' series: "Teaching Mindfulness-Based Programs with Quality and Integrity"

with Rebecca Crane. This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording!

Varela 20/30

December 9, 18:00 CET

Francisco & Friends: webinar with Valerie Bonnardel "Why is color still a good case study of embodied cognition and enaction?" (avec une traduction simultanée en français) 

This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording!

MLE Friends

December 2, 18:00 CET

Webinar:  "Politics of Being: Wisdom and Science for a New Development Paradigm"

with Thomas Legrand (PhD) (exclusive access for MLE Friends)

Varela 20/30

December 1, 18:00 CET

Annual Ouroboros Sessions: Life and Work of Francisco Varela

Lecture by Amy Cohen Varela; discussion on: Varela, "Intimate Distances" (2001). This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording!

Varela 20/30

November 25, 18:00 CET

Francisco & Friends: webinar with Wolf Singer "Why would a neurobiologist become interested in Buddhist Philosophy?" (avec une traduction simultanée en français) 

This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording!

Varela 20/30

November 17, 18:00 CET

Annual Ouroboros Sessions: Life and Work of Francisco Varela

Lecture by Natalie Depraz; discussion on: Varela, Depraz, "At the Source of Time" (2005). This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording! 

MLE Friends

November 16, 18:00 CET

Webinar: "Implementation of mindfulness and SEL skills into public schools in Finland" & "Learning from the religious and ethical critiques of mindfulness in public schools"

with Prof. Salla-Maarit Volanen and PhD student Ville Husgafvel (exclusive access for MLE Friends).

Varela 20/30

November 10, 18:00 CET

Francisco & Friends: webinar with Amy Cohen Varela

This event is open to the public and was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording!

Varela 20/30

November 3, 18:00 CET

Annual Ouroboros Sessions: Life and Work of Francisco Varela

Lecture by Hanne de Jaegher; discussion on: Varela, Depraz - "Imagining - Embodiment, Phenomenology, and Transformation" (2003). This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording!

MLE

October 27, 18:00 CET

MLE 'Mind Matters' series: "Contemplative and Scientific Ways of Knowing"

with B. Alan Wallace. This event is open to the public and will be live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording!

MLE Friends 

October 25, 18:00 CEST

Webinar: "Awareness-based Wellbeing in Schools"

with Kevin Hawkins (exclusive acess for MLE Friends).

MLE

October 23,14:00 - 22:00 CEST 

'Science Day' online public event: "Appearance & Reality - Quantum Physics meets Buddhist Philosophy"

a dialogue with Prof. John Dunne, Dr. Michel Bitbol, Dr. Carlo Rovelli, Geshe Tenzin Namdak, and Scott Snibbe. This event has been organised in conjuction with Science and Wisdom Live. 

Varela 20/30

October 20, 18:00 CEST

Annual Ouroboros Sessions: Life and Work of Francisco Varela

Lecture by Andreas Weber; discussion on: Varela, Weber, "Life after Kant - Natural purposes and the autopoietic foundations of biological individuality". This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording! 

Varela 20/30

October 13, 18:00 CEST

Francisco & Friends: webinar with Antoine Lutz and Jean-Philippe Lachaux "The Francisco Varela experience: are you experienced?"

This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording.

Varela 20/30

October 6, 18:00 CEST

Annual Ouroboros Sessions: Life and Work of Francisco Varela

Lecture by Claire Petitmengin; discussion on: Varela, Depraz, Vermersch, 'The Gesture of Awareness' (1999). This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording.

Varela 20/30

September 23, 18:00 CEST

Francisco & Friends: webinar with Roshi Joan Halifax "Continuous Groundlessness, Continuous Discovery: Meeting Francisco in Practice"

This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording.

Varela 20/30

September 15, 18:00 CEST

Annual Ouroboros Sessions: Life and Work of Francisco Varela

Lecture by Michel Bitbol; discussion on: Varela, 'The phenomenology of Sunyata'. This event was live-streamed on the MLE Youtube channel. Click here to watch the recording.

Varela 20/30

September 9, 18:00 CEST

Francisco & Friends: webinar with Jon Kabat-Zinn "Where is the Ground? Reminiscences on Early Conversations with Francisco on the Gesture of Awareness, Embodiment, and MBSR"

This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording.

Varela 20/30

September 1, 18:00 CEST

Annual Ouroboros Sessions: Life and Work of Francisco Varela

Lecture by Antoine Lutz; discussion on: Varela, “Neurophenomenology. A Methodological Remedy for the Hard Problem” (1996). This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording.

MLE

June 17, 16:00 CEST

MLE 'Mind Matters' series: "What's Beyond Mindfulness?"

with Mingyur Rinpoche. This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording.

Varela 20/30

June 16, 18:00 CEST

Annual Ouroboros Sessions: Life and Work of Francisco Varela

Lecture by Hugues Bersini; discussion on: Varela, 'A Cognitive View of Immune System' (1994). This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording

online

Varela 20/30

June 14, 18:00 CEST

Francisco & Friends: webinar with Evan Thompson

'What is Enaction? ? A New Relationship Between Our Mind and the World'. This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording.

Varela 20/30

June 9, 05:30 CEST

Francisco & Friends: webinar with the Dalai Lama

'Dialogue for a Better World ? Remembering Francisco Varela' This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording.

Varela 20/30

June 2, 18:00 CEST

Annual Ouroboros Sessions: Life and Work of Francisco Varela

Lecture by Mog Stapleton; discussion on: Varela, 'Whence Perceptual Meaning' (1992). This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording.

online

MLE Friends

May 25, 18:00 CEST

Webinar "The no-nonsense meditation book"

with Prof. Dr. Steven Laureys (exclusive access for MLE Friends).

online

Varela 20/30

May 20

Les Colloques Cerisy - Tribute Day "Francisco Varela, a Thinker for Our Time" (Francisco Varela, Une Pensée Actuelle)

In cooperation with Les Colloques Cerisy (France). Click here to watch the recordings.

Varela 20/30

May 19, 18:00 CEST

Annual Ouroboros Sessions: Life and Work of Francisco Varela

Lecture by Ezequiel DiPaolo; discussion on: Varela, 'Organism: A Meshwork of Selfless Selves' (1991) and Varela, 'Patterns of Life' (1997). This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording.

online

Varela 20/30

May 14-16

Varela International Symposium - An Exploration of Uncertainty and Emergence in Self and Society

In cooperation with Upaya Institute and Zen Center (USA), Nirakara (Spain) and ADM (France). Click here to watch the recordings.

online

Varela 20/30

May 5, 18:00 CEST

Annual Ouroboros Sessions: Life and Work of Francisco Varela

Lecture by Adrian Palacios; discussion on: Varela, Thompson, 'Color vision: A case study for the foundations of cognitive science' (1990). This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording.

online

MLE Friends

April 28

Webinar "Embodied Critical Thinking"

with PD Dr. Donata Schoeller (exclusive access for MLE Friends)

Varela 20/30

April 21, 10:00 CEST

Annual Ouroboros Sessions: Life and Work of Francisco Varela

Lecture by Tom Froese; discussion on: Varela, 'Autonomy and Autopoiesis' (1981) and Varela, 'Steps to a Cybernetics of Autonomy' (1986). This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording.

online

MLE Friends

April 20, 18:00 CEST

Q&A Session based on webcast "Beyond Confines - Following our Tracks" (Education, Series 3)

with Katherine Weare on the topic "Emerging & Challenging Areas and Next Steps for Contemplative Education" (exclusive access for MLE Friends)

Varela 20/30

April 7, 18:00 CEST

Annual Ouroboros Sessions: Life and Work of Francisco Varela

Lecture by Evan Thompson; discussion on: Varela, 'Not One, Not Two' (1976). This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording.

online

MLE Friends

March 24

Webinar "Meditative Practice and micro-phenomenology"

with Prof. Dr. Claire Petitmengin (exclusive access for MLE Friends)

online

Varela 20/30

March 17, 18:00 CEST

Annual Ouroboros Sessions: Life and Work of Francisco Varela

Lecture by Louis Kauffman; discussion on: Varela, 'Calculus of Self-Reference' (1975) and Varela & Goguen, 'The Arithmetic of Closure' (1978). This event was live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel. Click here to watch the recording.

online

Varela 20/30

March 17

Annual Ouroboros Sessions: Life and Work of Francisco Varela

Start of the bi-weekly series; all sessions were be live-streamed on the MLE YouTube channel

In cooperation with Sebastjan Vorörs, Metanoia (Slovenia). Click here to watch the recordings.

MLE Friends

March 10

Release: MLE webcast "Beyond Confines: Following our Tracks" (Education, Series 3)

with Katherine Weare on the topic "Emerging & Challenging Areas and Next Steps for Contemplative Education" (exclusive access for MLE Friends)

MLE

February 17

MLE 'Mind Matters' series: "A Plea for All-Inclusive Altruism"

with Matthieu Ricard (open to the public); click here to watch the recording.

MLE

February 12-14

MLE Friends

February 9

Q&A Session based on webcast "Beyond Confines - Following our Tracks" (Education, Series 2)

with Katherine Weare on the topic "Contemplative Education - The Rocky Road to Implementation" (exclusive access for MLE Friends)

MLE Friends

January 18

Release: MLE webcast "Beyond Confines: Following our Tracks" (Education, Series 2)

with Katherine Weare on the topic "Contemplative Education - The Rocky Road to Implementation" (exclusive access for MLE Friends)

CCE Presentation by Nava Levit-Binnun

Theme: The Sagol Purple Schools Program - can we go both DEEP and BROAD with a mindfulness-based whole-school program? (exclusive for members of the CCE).

Q&A Session based on webcast "Beyond Confines - Following our Tracks" (Education, Series 1)

with Katherine Weare on the topic of "Foundations of Contemplative Education (CE)" (exclusive access for MLE Friends)

MLE 'Mind Matters' series: "Well-Being is a Skill"

with Dr. Richard Davidson (open to the public)

Release: MLE webcast series "Beyond Confines: Following our Tracks" (Education, Series 1)

with Katherine Weare on the topic of "Foundations of Contemplative Education (CE)" (exclusive access for MLE Friends)

Q&A Session based on webcast "Beyond Confines - Following our Tracks" (Philosophy)

with Michel Bitbol on the topic of "Quantum Mechanics - A Theory with no View of the World? (exclusive access for MLE Friends)

Launch: MLE webcast series "Beyond Confines - Following Our Tracks" (Philosophy)

with Michel Bitbol (MLE Association Member) on the topic of "Quantum Mechanics - A Theory with no View of the World? (exclusive access for MLE Friends)

MLE Dialogue with the Dalai Lama: "Cultivating our Common Humanity amidst Uncertainty"

Presenters: Amy Cohen Varela (Chairperson of MLE), Matthieu Ricard Honorary Board Member of MLE), Andreas Roepstorff (Professor, Interacting Minds Centre, Aarhus University and Board Member MLE)

Webinar "The Subtle Mind: Essence and Interdependence"

with Diego Hangartner, Pharm. D., PCC (exclusive access for MLE Friends)

European Summer Research Institute (ESRI)  (by application)

Theme 2020: Grounding Knowledge in Uncertainty

MLE 'Mind Matters' series: "Standing at the Edge"

with Roshi Joan Halifax and Amy Cohen Varela. Click here to watch the recording.

Webinar "The Power of Compassion - Lessons from the ReSource Project"

with Prof. Dr. Tania Singer (exclusive access for MLE Friends)

Webinar "The Mindful Brain"

with Dr. Elena Antonova (exclusive access for MLE Friends)

Webinar "Meditation and Pain from the Lenses of Phenomenology and Neurosciences"

with Dr. Antoine Lutz (exclusive access for MLE Friends)