“One great question underlies our experience, whether we think about it or not: what is the purpose of life? From the moment of birth every human being wants happiness and does not want suffering. Neither social conditioning nor education nor ideology affects this. From the very core of our being, we simply desire contentment. Therefore, it is important to discover what will bring about the greatest degree of happiness”

- His Holiness Dalai Lama XIV Tendzin Gyatso

Join us for “Soft Heart, Strong Back: Contentment in Everyday Life,” Tuesdays 6:30 – 8:30pm starting Sep 27. Register at http://pioneervalley.shambhala.org

Contemplative Curriculum Development, August 7-12, 2011
The Association for Contemplative Mind in Higher Education (ACMHE) will host its 7th annual summer session devoted to cultivating contemplative practices in higher education.

The goal of the five-day session is to bring the discussion of integrating contemplative practice into higher education to the fore, and engage the conversation on a face-to-face level.

The faculty for this year’s session will include:

Daniel Barbezat, Professor of Economics at Amherst College,
Linda-Susan Beard, Associate Professor of English at Bryn Mawr College
Judith Simmer-Brown, Professor of Religious Studies at Naropa University
Joel Upton, Professor of Art and Art History, at Amherst College,
Patricia Wallace, Professor of English at Vassar College, and
Arthur Zajonc, Director of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society and professor of physics at Amherst College.