Listen to a July 26, 2005, story from NPR’s Morning Edition in which scientists explore the idea that mindfulness and meditation can bring about a sense of well-being by changing the way the brain works. Part of that research involves studies of the brain activity of Buddhist monks.

The Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco, founded in 1987, is the only residential Buddhist hospice in the United States and seeks to be open and present for those facing death. B.J. Miller is executive director.

William M. Bodiford is professor of Asian languages and cultures at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is associate editor of the Encyclopedia of Buddhism and editor of Going Forth: Visions of Buddhist Vinaya. He can speak about Japanese Buddhism, including rituals and worship of local gods.

John D. Dunne is a professor in the department of east asian languages and literature and the distinguished professor of contemplative humanities at the Center for Healthy Minds. He was a former assistant professor in the religion department at Emory University in Atlanta. He is the author of Foundations of Dharmakirti’s Philosophy, an examination of Buddhist […]

Joseph Goldstein is co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Mass., where he is part of the IMS Guiding Teacher Council. He is the author of One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism.

Jack Kornfield, a Buddhist monk, is founding teacher of the Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, Calif. Kornfield is the author of Buddha’s Little Instruction Book, After the Ecstasy, the Laundry: How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path and other books on Buddhist life.

Read a Synagogue 3000 article about the growth of spirituality in the Jewish youth and the national expansion of Judaism.

Read the Religion & Ethics Newsweekly transcript of a Sept. 30, 2005 interview with Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi on Jewish renewal movements.

The Balm in Gilead is a nonprofit that gives faith communities resources to help stop the spread of AIDS.