PRESENTATIONS Causes, Conditions and Remedies of Depression (4th Body, Mind and Life Conference) 12-14 October, 2016 [Men-Tsee-Khang - སྨན་རྩིས་ཁང་།]

Book excerpt: MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS THE 14TH DALAI LAMA Recently, we conducted a research on a group of meditators, to study the changes in their body elements. The study was done in collaboration with American scientists, and it was discovered that after about three weeks of practicing meditation, their blood pressure had decreased, mind became clearer and calmer and it further reduced stress. There are many aspects of brain that are new to us and are yet to be explored. It is in fact very important to practice meditation to literally change our brain. We must be able to prove scientifically that love and compassion are necessities to maintain physical and mental wellbeing at both individual and social level. Modern science deals mainly with brain, leaving aside the aspect of ‘mind’. It is important to make efforts towards cultivation of moral ethics that is directly associated with mental aspect. In the ancient times, there was no connection between spirituality and science. Now we are all aware of the significance of the mental aspect, and we need to analyze and conduct scientific studies on the subject of consciousness. In Tibetan Monastic communities, there have been cases where certain realized practitioners were clinically declared dead but their bodies remained fresh for several days without any decomposition. There was a case in which the body of a monk who was declared brain dead not only remained fresh but also gained strength a couple of days after death. These cases need to be studied thoroughly, and in the course of analysis, the findings of the investigation and research as the fundamental principle must be embraced. Above is an excerpt from His Holiness’s address at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Science in the capital of Uttar Pradesh state on the occasion of the 58th annual conference of the Neurological Society of India. His Holiness spoke on “Brain science and ancient Indian Buddhist thought”.