Dear Collegues,
below you can read a message from Lillian Ward on behalf of the Contemplate Studies Centre, Research Team, including Julieta Galante, Ana Dragojlovic, and Cullan Joyce. You might already have received it via an other channel.

The Contemplative Studies Centre resides in Faculty of Medicine Dentistry and Health Sciences of  the University of Melbourne, Victoria in Australia.  The research team is requesting our participation in a comprehensive study into how people’s meditation practice unfolds over time.  They are seeking experienced meditation teachers in mindfulness traditions to get their perspective on how they understand this process.
If you are ready to contribute, please contact Lillian Ward  directly lillian.ward@unimelb.edu.au
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Here is the invitation of the Melbourne Research Team (12 September 2023):

Dear European Associations of Mindfulness,
I am reaching out on behalf of our research project titled Benchmarking change in meditation practice: A Delphi study. At the University of Melbourne Contemplative Studies Centre, we are launching this comprehensive study into how people’s meditation practice unfolds over time. We are seeking experienced meditation teachers in mindfulness traditions to get their perspective on how they understand this process. Apologies if you have already received this information via another channel.

Participation involves undertaking three online consultation surveys. These will attempt to capture the kind of changes teachers expect in their meditation students with continued practice. As participation is a significant commitment, we are pleased to offer participants an honorarium/donation of AU$100 (or equivalent) per survey.

This ground-breaking research project seeks to draw on the experience of teachers working deep in the field of meditation across diverse communities. Participants will contribute substantially to work that will shape future research and support the flourishing of practice.  

We kindly request that you encourage meditation teachers in your Member and Affiliate Associations to participate by sharing their valuable insights and experiences. We are excited about the potential impact of this study and truly believe that your organisation’s involvement will be instrumental in its success.

If you are interested in helping us, please encourage teachers in your network to provide their details to the research team by completing this Expression of Interest Form as soon as they can, as the form may be closed by the end of September. More information is available on the Project Website. For our records, please let us know once you have distributed these links. 

If you would like to learn more about the study or have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly. We would be more than happy to provide additional information or clarify any queries.

Thank you for considering our invitation, and we eagerly look forward to your organisation’s participation in this project.

Kind regards,

Lillian Ward on behalf of the Contemplate Studies Centre, Research Team: Julieta Galante, Ana Dragojlovic, and Cullan Joyce.