Videos

Videos are separated into the four categories below.
The deeper nature of life – Interconnectedness = Compassion
In our hyperlinked world, we can know anything, anytime. And this mass enlightenment, says Buddhist scholar Bob Thurman, is our first step toward Buddha nature.

The first American to be ordained a Tibetan Monk by the Dalai Lama, Robert A.F. Thurman is a scholar, author and tireless proponent of peace. And yes, he is the proud father of Uma.

When you're no longer locked in yourself, and as the wisdom, or the intelligence, or the scientific knowledge of the nature of the world, that enables you to let your mind spread out, and empathize, and enhance the basic human ability of empathizing, and realizing that you are the other being, somehow by that opening, you can see the deeper nature of life, and you can, you get away from this terrible iron circle of I, me, me, mine, like the Beatles used to sing.”

What is happiness, and how can we all get some?
Biochemist turned Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard says we can train our minds in habits of well-being, to generate a true sense of serenity and fulfillment.

Consciousness is like a mirror that allows all images to rise on it. You can have ugly faces, beautiful faces. The mirror allows that, but the mirror is not tainted, is not modified, is not altered by those images. Likewise, behind every single thought there is the bare consciousness, pure awareness. This is the nature.”

"Matthieu Ricard, French translator and right-hand man for the Dalai Lama, has been the subject of intensive clinical tests at the University of Wisconsin, as a result of which he is frequently described as the happiest man in the world."

Robert Chalmers, The Independent

Right Here – Right Now.
Unleash a Torrent of Creative Energy by Listening to Her (Again)…
One morning, a blood vessel in Jill Bolte Taylor's brain exploded. As a brain scientist, she realized she had a ringside seat to her own stroke. She watched as her brain functions shut down one by one: motion, speech, memory, self-awareness ...

“So who are we? We are the life force power of the universe, with manual dexterity and two cognitive minds. And we have the power to choose, moment by moment, who and how we want to be in the world. Right here, right now.”

Neuroplasticity – See How You Feel
Neuroscientist and inventor Christopher deCharms demonstrates a new way to use fMRI to show brain activity -- thoughts, emotions, pain -- while it is happening. In other words, you can actually see how you feel. deCharms is also the author of the book Two Views of Mind, studying Buddhist theories of perception from a neuroscientist's perspective.

Ours is the first generation, he believes, to be able to train and build our minds as systematically as a weightlifter builds a muscle. What will we do with this?


Constructed for Change: Your Incredible Brain
Neuroscientist Michael Merzenich looks at one of the secrets of the brain's incredible power: its ability to actively re-wire itself.

“…science is telling us that you are in charge, that it's under your control, that your happiness, your well-being, your abilities, your capacities, are capable of continuous modification, continuous improvement, and you're the responsible agent and party.”

"Merzenich is perhaps the most recognizable figure in brain plasticity and how one develops competence through experience and learning."
Dominique M. Durand

Cognitive Neuroscience: This Is How We Do It
Biology, Psychology, Art – V. S. Ramachandran
"Neurology & Art " - 1:29:29 - Jan 3, 2009

V.S. Ramachandran is a mesmerizing speaker, able to concretely and simply describe the most complicated inner workings of the brain. His investigations into phantom limb pain, synesthesia and other brain disorders allow him to explore (and begin to answer) the most basic philosophical questions about the nature of self and human consciousness.

Neurologist V.S. Ramachandran looks deep into the brain’s most basic mechanisms.
Vilayanur Ramachandran tells us what brain damage can reveal about the connection between celebral tissue and the mind, using three startling delusions as examples.

“In all of us, it turns out, we are born with everything wired to everything else. So every brain region is wired to every other region, and these are trimmed down to create the characteristic modular architecture of the adult brain.”


Truth Be Told
Eve Ensler, creator of The Vagina Monologues, shares how a discussion about menopause with her friends led to talking about all sorts of sexual acts onstage, waging a global campaign to end violence toward women and finding her own happiness.

“…being in the face of things and seeing actually what's in front of us is the antidote to depression and to a feeling that one is worthless and has no value. Because before the Vagina Monologues, I will say that 80 percent of my consciousness was closed off to what was really going on in this reality. And that closing off closed off my vitality and my life energy. … happiness exists in action, it exists in telling the truth and saying what your truth is, and it exists in giving away what you want the most.”

What’s Truer than Truth?
The story of our shared humanity.

Author and activist Isabel Allende discusses women, creativity, the definition of feminism -- and, of course, passion.

“Women are 51 percent of humankind. Empowering them will change everything -- more than technology and design and entertainment. I can promise you that women working together -- linked, informed and educated -- can bring peace and prosperity to this forsaken planet.”

Brain Magic
Think of Keith Barry as a hacker of the human brain -- writing routines that exploit its bugs and loopholes, and offering a revealing look at the software between our ears.

Pry Your Mind Open
Contradictions and untouchable not-quite-truths of the modern mind
Philosopher-comedian and writer Emily Levine talks (hilariously) about science, math, society and the way everything connects. She's a brilliant trickster, poking holes in our fixed ideas and bringing hidden truths to light. Settle in and let her ping your brain.

“I was taught to do math and read at the same time. So you're six years old, you're reading Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It becomes rapidly obvious that there are only two kinds of men in the world, dwarfs and Prince Charmings. And the odds are seven to one against your finding the prince. That's why little girls don't do math. It's too depressing.”








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