Talk Description
Mindfulness has become a household term in American society, but not everyone agrees on what it means. In this talk, Frank M. Diaz will describe the similarities and differences between Buddhist and contemporary psychological framings of mindfulness and suggest an ethical path forward for studying and applying mindfulness in secular settings. He will also describe what it has been like to teach mindfulness to students in a secular institution, focusing on how his courses have evolved from addressing mindfulness as a means to wellness to taking an approach that places a greater emphasis on ethics and self-inquiry.
About Frank Diaz
Frank M. Diaz is a professor at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. An active scholar and teacher in the field of contemplative science, he is also affiliate faculty for the IU Cognitive Science Program and founder and director of the Institute for Mindfulness-Based Wellness and Pedagogy. At Indiana University, Frank established one of the country’s first academic courses focused on mindfulness in teaching and performing arts and leads several mindfulness initiatives through partnerships with the Jacobs School of Music, Lifelong Learning, and the Eskenazi Museum of Art.
Diaz has taught meditative practices to thousands of students through courses and workshops at educational, religious, and non-profit institutions across the United States, and his work has been featured in media outlets such as CNN, NPR, Science Daily, and HuffPost. Frank is also the Hoshi and Resident teacher for the Open Mind Zen sangha of Indiana.
