The Dalai Lama with Emory-IBD Tibetan Studies faculty and students, 2006. (Emory University)
Thousands filled Emory University's gymnasium Saturday to listen as scientists and the Dalai Lama discussed how Buddhist practices can affect depression.
The researchers - some of the country's top experts on depression - said Buddhist meditation can play a big part in treating patients suffering from the debilitating disease. A one-size-fits-all approach does not work with depression because each case is unique, and often nontraditional therapies like meditation training are helpful when used with other treatments, the researchers said.
"With other diseases, we can measure things and predict what treatment we should us," said Dr. Charles Nemeroff, head of the Emory School of Medicine's department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. "But in the disease state of depression, it could be mindfulness, cognitive behavior therapy or medicine."The Dalai Lama praised a study being done by Emory researchers Dr. Chuck Raison and Geshe Lobsang Negi on how compassion meditation affects students' mental health. He said the study's results will have wide application to preventing depression. Speaking in English, he said:
"I think in our life, it is very important to have compassion,"The daylong conference, hosted by Emory and the Boulder, Colo.-based Mind & Life Institute, is part of a weekend of events at Emory with the Dalai Lama, who has accepted a distinguished professorship at the prestigious private college. Nearly 4,000 people attended Saturday's conference.
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(Associated Press)
