John D. Dunne (PhD 1999, Harvard University) holds the Distinguished Chair in Contemplative Humanities, an endowed position created through the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He also holds a co-appointment in the new Department of Asian Languages & Cultures.
John Dunne's work focuses on Buddhist philosophy and contemplative practice, especially in dialog with Cognitive Science and Psychology. His publications appear in venues ranging across both the Humanities and the Sciences, and they include works on Buddhist philosophy, contemplative practice and their interpretation within scientific contexts.
John Dunne speaks in both academic and public contexts, and he occasionally teaches for Buddhist communities, most notably at Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe. In addition to serving as a faculty member for the Center for Healthy Minds, he is a Fellow and former Board member of the Mind and Life Institute. Dr. Dunne also serves an academic advisor for the Ranjung Yeshe Institute.
For more information, see John Dunne's full CV.
John Dunne's work focuses on Buddhist philosophy and contemplative practice, especially in dialog with Cognitive Science and Psychology. His publications appear in venues ranging across both the Humanities and the Sciences, and they include works on Buddhist philosophy, contemplative practice and their interpretation within scientific contexts.
John Dunne speaks in both academic and public contexts, and he occasionally teaches for Buddhist communities, most notably at Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe. In addition to serving as a faculty member for the Center for Healthy Minds, he is a Fellow and former Board member of the Mind and Life Institute. Dr. Dunne also serves an academic advisor for the Ranjung Yeshe Institute.
For more information, see John Dunne's full CV.
Updates and Activities
Registration for the Next Varela Symposium is open....
Recent Publications
- Dunne, J. (2019). "Is Buddhism Scientific or Religious?" Tricycle.
- Rosenkranz, M., J. Dunne & R.J. Davidson. (2019). “The Next Generation of Mindfulness-Based Intervention Research: What have we learned and where are we headed?” Current Opinion in Psychology 28: 179-183.
- Wielgosz, J., S.B. Goldberg, T.R. Kral, J. Dunne & R.J. Davidson. (2019). “Mindfulness Meditation and Psychopathology.” Annual Review of Clinical Psychology 15: 2.1-2.32.
- Dunne, J. (2018). “Reflexivity in Buddhist Epistemology: Implications for Cooperative Cognition.” In Dualities, Dialectics, and Paradoxes in Organizational Life. Edited by W. Smith et al. Perspectives on Process Organization Studies. New York: Oxford University Press: 82-105.
- Fucci, E., O. Abdoun, A. Caclin, A. Francis, J. Dunne, M. Ricard, R.J. Davidson, & A. Lutz. (2018). “Differential Effects of Non-Dual and Focused Attention Meditations on the Formation of Automatic Perceptual Habits in Expert Practitioners.” Neuropsychologia 119: 92-100.
- Condon, P., J. Dunne & C. Wilson-Mendenhall. (2018). “Wisdom and Compassion: A New Perspective on the Science of Relationships.” Journal of Moral Education 48/1: 98-108.
- Dunne, J. & Goleman, D., editors. (2018). Ecology, Ethics and Interdependence: The Dalai Lama in Conversation with Leading Thinkers on Climate Change. Boston: Wisdom Publications.
In collaboration with Tricycle, John Dunne is offering a new online course, "Buddhism for Beginners."
With Daniel Goleman, John Dunne has published an edited volume,
Ecology, Ethics and Interdependence.
John Dunne's online course on Buddhist philosophy, "The Essence of Awakening," remains available through Tricycle Magazine.
"Unsaying, Not Knowing, and Pointing at the Moon: Language and Non-dual Practice," John Dunne's weekend seminar at Upaya Zen Center in February, 2018 is now available in Upaya's podcast series here.
For the 2017 Ranjung Yeshe Institute International Symposium, the tenth in the series, Dr. Dunne gave the keynote address, "Science and Buddhism: Why Bother?". All of the talks by a distinguished group of scholars are available here.
Many lectures from the 2106 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies, 2016, are now available. Below is Dr. Dunne's talk, "The Transdisciplinary Study of Contemplative Practices: Challenges and Opportunities."