UNIVERSITY

PARK, Pa. — Robert Roeser, Bennett Pierce Professor of Caring and

Compassion and professor of human development and family studies at Penn

State, will take part in a panel discussion with the Dalai Lama on March 15 at the Main Tibetan Temple in Dharamsala, India.

Roeser and the Dalai Lama will participate in a panel discussion

titled “Ethics and Compassion in Education Research” as part of the

Dharamsala Dialogue, a five-day discussion sponsored by the Mind &

Life Institute.

The event, set for March 12 to 16, will be livestreamed, including Roeser’s portion, which will air from 9 to 11:30 a.m. India Standard Time (11:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. EST).

“The goal is to create compassionate communities of learning in which

ethics and prosocial behavior are valued and recognized as central to

learning, well-being, and the process of becoming fully human,” Roeser

said.

Roeser researches contemplative practices, including mindfulness and

compassion in education. He also studies schools as central cultural

contexts for child and adolescent academic and social-emotional

development, and globalization and adolescent development in India.

Roeser also is a leader of the Student Flourishing Initiative, a

multi-university project that includes Penn State, which offers a course

designed to assist students in attaining holistic well-being, deeper

awareness and a strong foundation for success.

The dialogue will focus on education in light of the Dalai Lama’s

longstanding priority and deep commitment to secular ethics education

initiatives, Roeser said.

“The program gives attention to social-emotional education and how

compassion, ethics, and attention training can be more fully integrated

into existing educational frameworks,” he said. “The structure of the

program is designed to encourage interactive and inclusive conversation

between the faculty.”

There will be a few select scientific and practitioner presentations

each day, giving more time for genuine discussion between the Dalai

Lama, scientists, education researchers and practitioners, Roeser said.

“We believe this format will enable crucial questions about how to

expand the existing Social Emotional Learning framework to incorporate

compassion and secular ethics more fully,” Roeser said.

Also presenting with Roeser and the Dalai Lama on March 15 are

Matthieu Ricard, Buddhist monk at Schechen Monastery in Kathmandu,

Nepal; and Sona Dimidjian, an associate professor in the Department of

Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Since its founding 30 years ago, the Mind & Life Institute has

been the driving force in creating and growing the contemplative

sciences. Beginning as a series of dialogues between the Dalai Lama and

leading Western scientists and scholars, Mind & Life has since

expanded to become the leading convener, catalyst, and community builder

in supporting contemplative research and bridging practice and

real-world applications.