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The Mindful Law Professor

Faculty Spotlight

 












The Mindful Law Professor

Faculty Spotlight: Jason Meek

Jason Meek

Berkeley Law, UC Hastings Law

California

What is Your Contemplative Practice?


My contemplative practice varies from day to day.  I might even say it arises to meet me as the moment unfolds.  Right now, I am exploring contemplation as “observing as I observe” through distinct ways of knowing.  So, it can include a mindfulness sitting practice, a loving-kindness or Tonglen meditation, a movement or breath practice, and even expressive arts.  I aspire to cultivate curiosity and a sense of presence within all that I do.


When Were You Introduced to a Contemplative Practice?


I remember a number of occasions yet two stand out.  The first involves my childhood piano teacher, Mr. Rosen, a quirky yet immensely gifted musician who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.  I remember once watching him play with such abandon that it really startled me.  He seemed so far away.  I said to him afterwards something along the lines of “Wow, it was like you weren’t even here!” He replied, “I wasn’t.  I was in the music.  Didn’t you hear me?”  At that moment I began to understand that music could go far beyond just playing notes.  And where, exactly, is still unfolding for me, even after all these years.  The second involves my host mother, Mrs. Niimi, when I was a high school exchange student in Hiroshima, Japan.  She had trained extensively in the traditional arts of ikebana (flower arranging) and chado (tea ceremony).  It was through her that I was more formally exposed to the contemplative aspects of “being,” “doing” and “viewing.”  She also shared with me a Zen sitting practice, which is part of my own today.


How Have You Integrated Contemplative Practices into the Courses You Teach? 


I teach several courses in negotiation, both formally in law schools and informally in cohorts.  I integrate diverse practices including dialogue, critical self-reflection, journaling, and experiential learning (e.g. audio, visual, kinesthetic), in ways specifically designed to help adults uncover habits of mind and even somatic reactive patterns.  My facilitation then focuses on shaping a robust learning environment that allows students to comfortably notice what arises for them as they engage in the practices.  Over the last year, I have been developing a framework around these methods, which I am now assessing through reflexive qualitative research involving past students.  In many ways I feel gifted by the subject matter, which readily supports learning “from the inside out” as it draws effortlessly upon the deeper dimensions of our humanity.  


What Effect Do You Think It Has on Your Students?


Candidly, I am amazed by the depth and breadth of the learning that I have observed.  Students often write about paradigm shifts and other transformative changes, which seem to reflect entirely new capabilities for paying attention.  Not only are they more skillful in how they focus, they are also more generative and expansive in working with conflict situations.  I have seen that as they give themselves permission “not to know” and just notice their mental activities and patterns, dramatic shifts occur that improve their capacity for resilience.  And in the context of legal education, this is crucial for their professional skills development.   Much has been written, especially in the post-Carnegie period, around reform of the pedagogy in law schools.   I strongly believe that critical self-reflection must be integrated along with critical analysis to equip law students with the tools necessary to effectively practice law in our times.


What Impact Does Your Practice Have on Your Teaching?  On Life?


I know that contemplative practices have helped me become a more skillful teacher.  When I first started teaching a few years ago, I would arrive in class with a virtual script specifying in detail all the material I wanted to cover.  Over time, however, and by committing myself to show up in class consistent with how I do in other parts of my life, I have become much more comfortable being curious and “in the moment” with my students.  This has proven invaluable, especially when discussions take an unanticipated turn or I want to try something new.  If it all concludes with ease, of course that’s terrific.  But if it doesn’t, I am better able to see and question my own experience — “what should be” and any attachment or noise, if you will.  This allows every moment to be a teaching moment and a learning moment, which incidentally is very much a part of my perspective on life.


What Advice Would You Offer a Colleague Interested in Starting a Contemplative Practice?


Be curious, and give yourself permission to experiment.  Be wary of trying to “convince” your students of all the reasons “why” you incorporate it.   These practices are experiential and reflective in nature.  Meet them where they are and encourage them to draw their own conclusions.  There’s even learning in any resistance that may arise, whether yours or a student’s.  Also, reach out to a community or mentor who uses these practices in their teaching, whether within your own school or elsewhere, and commit to regularly exchange reflections.   The support I have received from like-minded colleagues, both within and outside of academe, has been invaluable.


Anything You’d Like to Add?


I’d be delighted to hear from and potentially collaborate with others who teach law students or lawyers using contemplative practices, especially in the context of negotiation and conflict resolution.

Inspiration & Insights

Teachers

-- Pema Chodron

-- Jack Kornfield

-- John O’Donohue

-- David Richo

-- Dr. Daniel J. Siegel

-- Alan Wallace.


Books

--The Power of Mindful Learning

     by Ellen Langer


-- The Heart of Higher Education 

    by Palmer & Zajonc

To see the whole truth, you must not be in a state of conflict between ‘what is’ and . . . what should be’.  What should be is always an illusion, which prevents you from looking at what is . . . .


Conflict fragments the mind, and is therefore incompatible with a state of understanding, in which the mind sees a totality.

-- David Bohm

This Month’s Law Professor Spotlight shines on Jason Meek, who serves as adjunct professor at Berkeley Law and UC Hastings Law.  Formerly a corporate deal lawyer, Jason founded and manages The iDeal World, a collaborative learning and problem solving firm focused on complex negotiations, cross sector projects and change initiatives.