The Center for Contemplative Research (CCR), currently under development near the town of Castellina Marittima in Tuscany, is dedicated to contemplative and scientific research to address two closely-related questions pertaining to human existence: (1) what is the nature of genuine well-being and (2) what is the nature of human consciousness?

Shamatha, literally meaning “quiescence”, is the specific meditative discipline that will be the primary, initial focus of such research. Shamatha includes a range of methods for cultivating exceptionally refined states of attention, concentration, mindfulness, and introspection, which can then be used for exploring the inner space of human consciousness…Read More