John D. Dunne
Credentials: Distinguished Professor of Contemplative Humanities
Email: jddunne@wisc.edu
Address:
(608) 262-3352
1230 Van Hise Hall
Office Hours: Monday, 1-2pm, or by appointment
Website: johnddunne.net
Language:
Principal Research Languages: Sanskrit, Tibetan; Other: French, Spanish, Hindi, Swedish
Areas of Expertise
Buddhist Philosophy and Contemplative Practice, Religious Studies, Cognitive Science, Contemplative Research
Education
Ph.D, Harvard University (1999)
Research Interests
John Dunne’s work focuses on Buddhist philosophy and contemplative practice, especially in dialog with Cognitive Science. His publications range from technical works on Buddhist epistemology to broader works on the nature of Buddhist contemplative practices such as Mindfulness. He speaks in both academic and public contexts, and his public engagements include programs at the Upaya Zen Center
in Santa Fe and the Gomde centers of Denmark and Austria. In addition to serving as a faculty member for the Center for Healthy Minds, he is a Fellow of the Mind and Life Institute, where he has previously served on the Board of Directors. Dr. Dunne also serves an academic advisor for the Ranjung Yeshe Institute
Recent and Selected Publications
| 2022 | Hirshberg, M.J., Colaianne, B., Greenberg, M.T. , Kurotsuchi Inkelas, K., Davidson, R.J., Dunne, J.D. Germano, D., Roeser, R.W. “Can the Academic and Experiential Study of Flourishing Improve Flourishing in College Students? A Multi-University Study.” Mindfulness. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-022-01952-1 [P] |
| 2022 | Dunne, J.D. and Manheim, J.S. “Compassion, Self-Compassion and Skill in Means: A Mahāyāna Perspective.” Mindfulness. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-022-01864-0 [P] |
| 2022 | Wilson-Mendenhall, C.D., Davidson, R.J., & Dunne, J.D. “Visualizing Compassion: Episodic Simulation as Contemplative Practice.” Mindfulness. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-022-01842-6 [P] |
| 2022 | Dunne, J.D. “Contemplative Science and Buddhist Science.” In Oxford Handbook of Buddhist Practice. Edited by P. Arai and K. Trainor. New York: Oxford University Press. [P] |
| 2021 | Inkelas, K.K., Colaianne, B., Hirshberg, M.J., Greenberg, M.T., Davidson, R.J., Dunne, J.D., Germano, D., & Roeser, R.W. “Does Variability Across Three Universities in the Implementation of a College Course on Human Flourishing Affect Student Outcomes?” Journal of College Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2021.1920956 [P] |
| 2021 | Wilson-Mendenhall, C.D. & Dunne, J.D. “Cultivating Emotional Granularity.” Frontiers in Pyschology 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.703658 [P] |
| 2021 | Lott, D. T., Yeshi, T., Norchung, N., Dolma, S., Tsering, N., Jinpa, N., Woser, T., et al. “No Detectable Electroencephalographic Activity After Clinical Declaration of Death Among Tibetan Buddhist Meditators in Apparent Tukdam, a Putative Postmortem Meditation State.” Frontiers in Psychology 11:1-9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.599190 [P] |
| 2020 | Compendium Selection Committee, Dalai Lama XIV, and Dunne, J.D. The Mind. Edited by Thupten Jinpa. Introduction by the Dalai Lama XIV. Contextual essays by J.D. Dunne. Translated by J.D. Dunne and D. Rochard. Science and Philosophy in the Indian Buddhist Classics, Vol. 2. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications |
| 2020 | Dunne, J.D. “Pac-Man to the Rescue? Conceptuality and Nonconceptuality in the Dharmakīrtian Theory of Pseudo-Perception.” Philosophy East & West 70/3: 571-593. https://doi.org/10.1353/pew.2020.0045 [P] |
| 2020 | Wilson-Mendenhall, C., J.D. Dunne & P. Condon. “Achieving Deep Integration Across Disciplines: A Process Lens on Investigating Human Flourishing.” In Self, Motivation, and Virtue: New Findings from Philosophy and Psychology. Edited by N. Snow & D. Narvaez. Routledge Studies in Ethics and Moral Theory. London: Routledge: 109-126. [P] [Publication pre-released in September, 2019]. [P] |
| 2019 | Dunne, J.D., E. Thompson & J. Schooler. “Mindful Meta-Awareness: Sustained and Non-Propositional.” Current Opinion in Psychology 28: 307-311. [P] |
| 2019 | Dunne, J.D. “Innate Human Connectivity and Śāntideva’s Cultivation of Compassion.” In Readings of Śāntideva’s Guide to Bodhisattva Practice. Edited by J. Gold and D. Duckworth. New York, NY: Columbia University Press: 235-252. [P] |
| 2019 | Rosenkranz, M., J.D. Dunne & R.J. Davidson. “The Next Generation of Mindfulness-Based Intervention Research: What have we learned and where are we headed?” Current Opinion in Psychology 28: 179-183. [P] |
| 2019 | Wielgosz, J., S.B. Goldberg, T.R. Kral, J.D. Dunne & R.J. Davidson. “Mindfulness Meditation and Psychopathology.” Annual Review of Clinical Psychology 15: 2.1-2.32. [P] |
| 2018 | Condon, P., J.D. Dunne & C. Wilson-Mendenhall. “Wisdom and Compassion: A New Perspective on the Science of Relationships.” Journal of Moral Education 48/1: 98-108. [P] |
| 2018 | Dunne, J.D. “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, NY: Oxford University Press: 82-105. [P] |
| 2018 | Fucci, E., O. Abdoun, A. Caclin, A. Francis, J.D. Dunne, M. Ricard, R.J. Davidson, & A. Lutz. “Differential Effects of Non-Dual and Focused Attention Meditations on the Formation of Automatic Perceptual Habits in Expert Practitioners.” Neuropsychologia 119: 92-100. [P] |
| 2016 | Dunne, J.D. “Comments on Waking, Dreaming, Being by Evan Thompson.” Philosophy East & West |
| 2015 | Lutz, A., A. Jha, J.D. Dunne, & C. Saron. “Investigating the Phenomenological Matrix of Mindfulness-related Practices from a Neurocognitive Perspective.” With A. Lutz, C. Saron & A. Jha. American Psychologist 70/7: 632–58. [P] |
| 2015 | Harrington, A. & J. Dunne. “When Mindfulness is Therapy: Ethical Qualms, Historical Perspectives.” With Anne Harrington. American Psychologist 70/7: 621–31. [P] |
| 2015 | Dunne, J.D. “Buddhist Styles of Mindfulness: A Heuristic Approach.” In Handbook of Mindfulness and Self-Regulation. Edited by B. Ostafin, M. Robinson & B Meier. New York: Springer Publishing: 249-270. [P] |
| 2015 | Dunne, J.D. “What is Inner Science?” In In Vimalakīrti’s House: A Festschrift in Honor of Robert A. F. Thurman on the Occasion of his 70th Birthday. Edited by C. Wedemeyer, J. Dunne & T. Yarnall. New York: The American Institute of Buddhist Studies at Columbia University: 319-344. [P] |
| 2011 | Dunne, J.D. “Toward an Understanding of Non-Dual Mindfulness.” Contemporary Buddhism 12/1: 71-88. [P] |
| 2011 | Dunne, J.D. “Key Features of Dharmakīrti’s Apoha Theory.” In Apoha: Buddhist Nominalism and Human Cognition, edited by M. Siderits, T. Tillemans & A. Chakrabarti. New York: Columbia University Press: 84-108. [P] |
| 2008 | Lutz, A., H. Slagter, J.D. Dunne & R. Davidson. “Attention Regulation and Monitoring in Meditation.” Trends in Cognitive Science 12/4: 163-169. [P] |
| 2007 | Lutz, A., J.D. Dunne & R. Davidson. “Meditation and the Neuroscience of Consciousness: An Introduction.” In Cambridge Handbook of Consciousness. Edited by E. Thompson, M. Moscovitch & P.D. Zelazo. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press: 497-550. [P] |
| 2006 | Dunne, J.D. “Realizing the Unreal: Dharmakīrti’s Theory of Yogic Perception.” Journal of Indian Philosophy 34/6: 497–519. [P] |
Books and Edited Volumes
Compendium Selection Committee, Dalai Lama XIV, and Dunne, J.D. 2020. The Mind. Edited by Thupten Jinpa. Introduction by the Dalai Lama XIV. Contextual essays by J.D. Dunne. Translated by J.D. Dunne and D. Rochard. Science and Philosophy in the Indian Buddhist Classics, Vol. 2. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications
Dunne, J.D. and Goleman, G., editors. 2018. Ecology, Ethics and Interdependence: The Dalai Lama in Conversation with Leading Thinkers on Climate Change. Boston: Wisdom Publications.
Yarnall, T., Wedemeyer, C. and Dunne, J.D., editors. 2015. In Vimalakīrti’s House: A Festschrift in Honor of Robert A. F. Thurman on the Occasion of his 70th Birthday. New York: The American Institute of Buddhist Studies at Columbia University.
Dunne, J.D. 2004. Foundations of Dharmakīrti’s Philosophy. Studies in Indian and Tibetan Buddhism, T.J.F. Tillemans, Series Editor. Boston: Wisdom Publications. ISBN 086171184X.
Teaching
Prof. Dunne regularly teaches ASIAN/PSYCH 120, “The Art and Science of Human Flourishing.”
In addition to developing curricular material on flourishing and well-being, Prof. Dunne teaches courses on Buddhist philosophy, mindfulness, and contemplative practice. He also teaches advanced courses in Sanskrit and Tibetan language.
For more information, please visit his website johnddunne.net