The Dalai Lama and Paul Ekman

Brothers in emotion research

A Unique Friendship

Dr. Paul Ekman has had the honor of developing a unique friendship with the His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet (known as "the Dalai Lama"). Through this friendship, the two have collaborated on several projects that have joined eastern traditions with western science.

The two met first in March of 2000 in Dharamsala, India. Traveling at the invitation of the Mind & Life Institute, Dr. Ekman participated in the eighth of a series of private dialogues between the Dalai Lama and preeminent western scientists.

Paul Ekman Dalai Lama meeting mind life institute

Emotional Awareness

Many hours of conversation have been filmed, and edited, with Ekman’s commentary. Highlights of their conversations can be found in Emotional Awareness: Overcoming the Obstacles to Psychological Balance and Minding Emotions.

The Dalai Lama and Paul Ekman share their thinking about how to avoid destructive emotional episodes and maximize constructive emotional experience by cultivating awareness of our impulses and feelings of the moment.

Paul Ekman Dalai Lama emotional awareness

Global Compassion

Their next dialogue took place at Tibet House in New Delhi, India during January of 2012. That meeting has been published as a series of videos on this site, and as a book entitled Moving Toward Global Compassion.

Paul Ekman Dalai Lama global compassion

Atlas of Emotions

In 2016, Drs. Paul and Eve Ekman created the Atlas of Emotions at the request of the Dalai Lama. The Atlas is an interactive tool which builds your emotional vocabulary and illuminates your emotional world.

The Dalai Lama and Paul Ekman share their thinking about how to avoid destructive emotional episodes and maximize constructive emotional experience by cultivating awareness of our impulses and feelings of the moment.

Eve Ekman Dalai Lama Atlas of Emotions

Increase your emotional awareness and detect deception

Learn to read and respond to micro expressions

Dr Ekman's Blog

Selections from popular articles