Join us for a talk and discussion led by Dr. Heinz-Dieter Meyer, with Dean Martin Verhoeven as the discussant.

Nov. 12, 2024
12:30-2:00pm
DRBU Upstairs Lounge
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The heart-mind (Confucian: xin 心; Sanskrit and Pali: citta) is a conception of the human mind distinctly and consequentially different from Western, especially Cartesian conceptions of the rational mind. In this talk, I draw on Confucian and Buddhist teachings on the heart-mind to consider education as a transformative and embodied process. This opens the door for seeing and practicing education as a “turning around” (Greek: metanoia), a transformative and embodied ascent to a reordered moral taste, skill, and insight. It highlights the importance of integrating and balancing intellectual, bodily, and contemplative practices in education.

In preparation for the discussion following the talk, participants are invited to read Dr. Meyer’s article “The Heart-Mind (Xin; Citta) as That Which Needs Moral Formation”.

Hardcopies will be available in the Downstairs Lounge of DRBU one week prior to the event.

Heinz-Dieter Meyer (MA University of Goettingen, Germany; PhD Cornell University) is Professor of Education at State University of New York (Albany) where he teaches ethics, education philosophy, and mindfulness. He has previously taught at Goettingen University and has been a visiting professor at Penn State University, Beijing University, Boston University, the East-West Institute (Honolulu), and the University of Luxembourg. He is a recipient of the National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH) grant and served as Harman Fellow at Harvard University. Recent publications: Moral Agency in Eastern and Western Thought (Routledge 2024, with J. Jacobs); “Education as Heart-Mind Transformation. Aristotelian and Buddhist Perspectives” (2019). The Design of the University: German, American, and ‘World Class’ (Routledge 2017).

Symposium webpage: https://www.drbu.edu/symposium
For inquiries, please email:  symposium@drbu.edu