Mindfulness As A Foundation For Health: The Buddha the Scientist Symposium & Retreat in Vancouver
May 16 – May 20
Mindfulness As A Foundation For Health
The Buddha the Scientist Symposium & Retreat
May 16-20, 2025
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, BC (Canada)
The Mindfulness As A Foundation For Health Retreat offers a transformative opportunity to immerse yourself in the practice of mindfulness in the serene setting of UBC’s Point Grey campus in Vancouver.
From May 16-19, 2025, this retreat invites participants to cultivate presence, peace, and insight through guided meditation, walking meditation, mindful eating, and periods of noble silence, all under the guidance of Zen Buddhist monastics from Plum Village and Deer Park Monasteries.
On May 20, 2025, The Buddha the Scientist Symposium invites scientists from around North America to explore the intersection of Buddhism, psychology, and neuroscience through the embodied practice of mindfulness. The symposium combines mindfulness practice with groundbreaking scientific inquiry and discussion.
Retreat registration is sold out: you may join the waiting list. Symposium registration is still available!
About the Retreat
Rooted in the teachings of Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh, this retreat emphasizes the integration of mindfulness into daily life, providing a nurturing environment to slow down, connect with the present moment, and deepen your meditation practice.
Participants will have the rare opportunity to join scientists and scholars in shared mindfulness activities, creating a space where contemplative practice informs and enriches intellectual exploration.
Whether you are new to mindfulness or a seasoned practitioner, this retreat will support your journey of inner transformation and cultivate the clarity and compassion needed to make meaningful impacts in your life and the world.
Sample Schedule:
8am – 6pm daily:
- Sitting Meditation
- Dharma Talk
- Walking Meditation
- Mindful Lunch
- Deep Relaxation
- Dharma Sharing
- Panel/Q&A
Retreat registration is sold out: you may join the waiting list. Symposium registration is still available!
Location
These events will be held at University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.
Venue: University of BC Asian Centre – 1871 West Mall, Vancouver, BC
Accessibility: UBC bus loop is about a 15 minute walk to Asian Centre. Click HERE for map.
The closest parkade is the Fraser River lot. See HERE for more options. While we are not putting together ride-share, we do encourage self-organized carpooling or biking together.
The Asian Centre is a sunken building surrounded by gravel paths and gardens. To get there in a wheelchair, take the concrete path from the West Mall (behind the Institute of Asian Research). Enter the Asian Centre through the heavy double doors.
Cost
Accommodations are NOT included in the registration fees. When registering, you may choose whether to attend the 4-day Retreat, the 1-day Symposium, or both events.
UBC 4-day non-residential retreat (includes lunch, tea and snacks):
Supporting: 315 USD (approx 450 CAD)
Your kind contribution helps to make this retreat experience accessible to others.
Sustaining: 265 USD (approx 375 CAD)
This rate covers the base costs of your attendance at the retreat.
Reduced: 195 USD (approx 275 CAD)
This rate is an offering to make the retreat accessible to everyone. Your attendance is supported by others and availability at this rate is limited. We invite you to please only choose this option if the sustaining rate is beyond your means.
UBC Symposium in-person (includes lunch, tea and snacks):
20 USD (30 CAD)
Retreat registration is sold out: you may join the waiting list. Symposium registration is still available!
Dharma Teachers
About the Symposium
The Buddha the Scientist Symposium invites scientists from around the world to explore the intersection of Buddhism, psychology, and neuroscience through the embodied practice of mindfulness. The symposium combines mindfulness practice with groundbreaking scientific inquiry and discussion.
The Symposium will be offered in person on May 20 and also streamed via Zoom. Click here to register for just the livestream event if you cannot make it in person.
Inspired by “The Buddha, the Scientist” series held at Deer Park Monastery (2022, 2023) and Dartmouth College (2025), this retreat and symposium brings Thích Nhất Hạnh’s vision of integrating mindfulness into scientific communities to life.
Attendees will experience the unique format of practicing mindfulness alongside scholars, who then present their research in a reflective, inspirational symposium. Following the presentations, a panel Q&A will offer opportunities for meaningful dialogue.
Our aspiration is to support you in deepening your mindfulness practice while offering profound insights into how Buddhist wisdom and scientific discovery can unite to create lasting solutions for the world.
This event is co-hosted by UBC’s Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Program in Buddhism and Contemporary Society, The BC Children’s Hospital Centre for Mindfulness, and Monastics from Plum Village and Deer Park Monasteries
Retreat registration is sold out: you may join the waiting list. Symposium registration is still available!
Can’t make it live? Watch the livestream here.
Symposium Presenters
Dr. Michelle A Williams, Professor of Epidemiology & Population Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health & Stanford University
Dr. David R. Vago, Research Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Lynn Quarmby, Professor and Chair of the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at Simon Fraser University
Dr. Dzung X. Vo, Clinical Associate Professor & Adolescent Medicine Specialist, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia & Co-Director, BC Children’s Hospital Centre for Mindfulness.
Dr. Elli Weisbaum, Assistant Professor, Buddhism, Psychology and Mental Health Program (BPMH) and Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
Brother Pháp Liệu, A cardiologist before ordaining as a novice monk with Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh in 2003. Became a Dharma teacher in the Plum Village tradition in 2010.
Sister Hội Nghiêm, A former school teacher, ordained as a novice with Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh in 1999 and became a Dharma Teacher in 2007. Translator of The Buddha Body, the Buddha Mind, encompassing Thích Nhất Hạnh’s teachings offered during the first neuroscience retreat in Plum Village in 2006.
Brother Pháp Lưu, Ordained in 2003, and became a Dharma Teacher in the Plum Village Tradition in 2011. Co-chair of the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation and Advisory board member for Harvard University’s Thich Nhat Hanh Centre for Mindfulness in Public Health.
In Gratitude
In 2011, the University of British Columbia had the honor of hosting Thích Nhất Hạnh for a residential meditation retreat and public Dharma Talk. Building on this meaningful experience, we are very grateful that UBC has invited our sangha back for a retreat and public symposium featuring scholars, scientists, and other practitioners. This event will offer a unique opportunity to deepen mindfulness practice and explore the intersection of Buddhist wisdom and scientific discovery. All are warmly invited to join this transformative gathering.
760-291-1003