What can technology learn from spirituality? For most Wired readers, the default answer is probably "nothing". But a conference called Wisdom 2.0 -- attended by Ford CEO Bill Ford and Twitter co-founder Evan Williams -- is trying to change that.

Wisdom 2.0 has grown very fast in only four years. From its first panel discussion in May 2010, between Google VP Bradley Horowitz and zen teacher Joan Halifax, the conference has stayed focused on its signature blend of technology and spirituality. In February 2013 Wisdom 2.0 filled the Concourse Exhibition Centre in San Francisco with some 1500 attendees, attracted by speakers including Ford CEO Bill Ford, Twitter co-founder Evan Williams, Huffington Post editor-in-chief Arianna Huffington and members of US congress Tulsi Gabbard and Tim Ryan. A remarkable cross section of technology, business and politics for a conference that whose main focus is on the work of spiritual teachers like Jack Kornfield and Eckhart Tolle.

For many people the question, "what can technology learn from spirituality?" will meet with the flat out answer, "nothing". Our secular society has learned to question spiritual teaching with the same skepticism we might bring to discussions of the supernatural and mysticism. But the success of Wisdom 2.0 suggests that its mission -- to explore how we live with greater presence, meaning, and mindfulness in the technology age -- is relevant to a growing audience. Technology confronts all of us with many challenges to our well being, from dealing with the "always on" work patterns facilitated by mobile technology, to managing the fragmented global communities of social media. As Wisdom 2.0 conference organiser Soren Gordhammer wrote in his 2009 book of the same title; technology is not the answer, but neither is it the problem. What matters instead is awareness, engagement and wisdom.

For spiritual teachings to become relevant to our modern lives, we first have to separate them from the supernatural and mystical baggage that makes them difficult for us to accept. In his 2007 talk at Google, Wisdom 2.0 speaker Jon Kabat-Zinn outlines the technique of mindfulness and its value in modern life. As Professor of Medicine Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts he talks from a wealth of experience. Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as "paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment". Mindfulness training helps patients connect directly to their present, and in turn reduces stress and suffering caused by dysfunctional thought processes. In the schema of mindfulness, pain is not the problem, but our response to pain is.

The medical benefits of mindfulness training are now widely acknowledged. Kabat-Zinn's early work on the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction programme helped patients suffering from severe and enduring pain and even terminal illness. The programme also forms the basis of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, a leading treatment for anxiety disorders and depression. Mindfulness training is now widely employed in education, as a technique for calming and improving the concentration of students. Perhaps more surprisingly mindfulness training is also being actively employed in business to improve productivity, in sports to improve performance, and even in the military with both frontline and recovering combatants.

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Technology and spirituality : can they be happy bedfellows?