慈悲科學研究See Learning：分享筆記
慈悲的期望
更強烈的願望
行動層次Topic: Social Emotional Learning Lecture –
An Exploration of the Empirical Study of the Science of Compassion and Its Future Prospects
Speaker: Professor Lobsang Tenzin Negi, Emory University, USA
Location: Fuzhi Campus
Date & Time: March 5, 2026 (Thursday), 9:00–12:00
Professor Lobsang Tenzin Negi was once a student of President Lozang.
Together with Daniel Goleman and Peter Senge, he promoted the Triple Focus Theory, which includes:
Three Core Capacities
Awareness
Compassion
Engagement
Three Levels of Application
Personal
Interpersonal
System
This educational and research initiative has been implemented in 78 countries.
In Taiwan, it is promoted with the support of the Lee Ren Education Foundation.
Guiding Concept:
Six Deep Changes – beginning with adults and influencing the education system.
Curriculum Design:
A complete educational curriculum from early childhood to age 18.
Definition of Compassion:
When seeing the suffering of others, a warm sense of care arises in the heart, together with the motivation to understand and take action to reduce or relieve that suffering.
The motivation to alleviate the suffering of others when encountering their pain.
A quality of kindness and care.
Willingness to provide the support others need.
The ability to recognize others’ lack or unmet needs.
A concern-centered orientation toward others.
The ability to understand the feelings of others.
It is the starting point of compassion and arises from neural resonance in the brain.
Three Types of Empathy
Emotional Empathy (Sharing)
Feeling the emotions of others.
Cognitive Empathy (Thinking)
Understanding another persons situation.
Motivational Empathy (Caring)
The willingness to help others.
1️⃣ The Wish
“I hope you are free from suffering.”
2️⃣ A Stronger Aspiration
“I truly hope you are free from suffering.”
3️⃣ The Level of Action
“What can I do to help you?”
(From goodwill → concern → action)
Researcher: Richard J. Davidson (2004)
Research Focus: Compassion Meditation
Key Findings
Meditation produces strong Gamma Waves in the brain.
It leads to High Neural Synchrony.
Effects
Improved concentration
Increased awareness
Enhanced positive emotions
Stronger motivation to help others
Greater efficiency in action
Conclusion:
The more compassion one develops → the more effective one’s actions become → the more positive one’s mindset grows.
Compassion practices may help improve or prevent:
Heart disease
Diabetes
Dementia
Cancer
It can help alleviate:
Depression
Anxiety
Occupational burnout
Stress leads to:
Increased Cortisol
Greater inflammatory responses
Effects of Meditation
Reduces cortisol levels
Improves mood
Enhances awareness
Increases sensitivity to compassion
Strengthens the ability to handle challenges
Compassion activates different areas of the brain that:
Perceive others’ suffering
Transform emotional responses through meditation
Recognize positive energy
Identify ways to support and help others
The process includes:
Moving through negative emotions
Not being defeated by them
Establishing positive neural pathways
Practicing Mindful Dialogue
Observe compassionate events in daily life.
Example
An elderly man in Brazil rescued a penguin.
He cleaned oil from the penguin’s body.
The penguin later swam 8,000 km every year to visit him again.
Such stories can inspire Mindful Dialogue.
Two meditation approaches:
Analytical Meditation
Observing internal emotions and thoughts
Stabilizing Meditation
Focusing the mind and cultivating calmness
Method
Recall a moment of kindness from your life
Feel the emotions from that moment
Re-experience the sense of compassion
Effect
Generates new insights
Strengthens compassionate awareness
SEE Learning Asia Co-Director Zondura shared an analogy:
A rainy day symbolizes “prosperity through water.”
Meaning
Water nourishes all living things.
Water symbolizes compassion.
Water nurtures the awakening of the Bodhicitta (the altruistic mind of enlightenment).
Therefore:
When compassion arises, life awakens and grows.
Note: These are shared notes from the lecture. Corrections and suggestions are welcome.
Scientific Evidence (CBCT)
Professor Negi developed Cognitively-Based Compassion Training (CBCT).
Research shows that systematic training can change brain structure and function, significantly increasing positive emotions and reducing Compassion Fatigue, which arises from empathy overload.
SEE Learning
Social, Emotional, and Ethical Learning – an educational framework integrating social-emotional development with ethical awareness.
The lecture, “An Exploration of the Empirical Study of the Science of Compassion and Its Future Prospects,” by Professor Lobsang Tenzin Negi of Emory University explored the scientific foundations, psychological mechanisms, and educational applications of compassion. Negi, a former student of President Lozang, has collaborated with scholars such as Daniel Goleman and Peter Senge to promote the Triple Focus framework, which emphasizes three capacities—awareness, compassion, and engagement—across three levels: personal, interpersonal, and systemic. This initiative, integrated into the SEE Learning (Social, Emotional, and Ethical Learning) program, has been implemented in 78 countries and supports educational development from early childhood through age 18.
Compassion is defined as the warm concern that arises when witnessing others’ suffering, accompanied by the motivation to understand and alleviate that suffering. The lecture distinguished four related psychological capacities: compassion (the motivation to relieve suffering), loving-kindness (the desire to support others and recognize their needs), sympathy (other-centered concern), and empathy (the ability to understand others’ feelings). Empathy, considered the starting point of compassion, includes emotional empathy (sharing feelings), cognitive empathy (understanding situations), and motivational empathy (caring and willingness to help).
Compassion can also develop through three stages: wishing others to be free from suffering, strongly aspiring for their well-being, and ultimately taking action to help them. Neuroscience research, particularly studies on compassion meditation, shows that such practices produce strong gamma brain waves and high neural synchrony. These changes enhance concentration, awareness, positive emotions, and motivation to help others, leading to more effective and compassionate actions.
The lecture also highlighted the benefits of compassion for physical and mental health, including potential improvements in heart disease, diabetes, dementia, depression, anxiety, and burnout. Meditation helps reduce stress-related cortisol levels, improve emotional regulation, and increase sensitivity to others’ needs.
Finally, practical compassion training methods were introduced, such as observing everyday acts of kindness, engaging in analytical and stabilizing meditation, and recalling compassionate memories. These practices help cultivate awareness, strengthen emotional resilience, and foster compassionate action in individuals and communities.
