$50,000 to the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds

The Dalai Lama announced his plan to donate $50,000 to the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at Madison, this Sunday.

Dr. Richard Davidson, the Center's Director, is studying whether meditation can promote compassion and kindness, reported The New York Times.

"It's about changing habits of the heart," said Dr. Davidson, of which his research showed that meditation could change brain-wave patterns.

But what inspired him to pursue such an experiment?

USA Today reported that last May, Davidson visited his holiness and he challenged Davidson to "use sophisticated tools" to "investigate things like kindness and compassion."

There has not been a decision on how to use the grant, but Davidson assures that it will be used "in the most beneficial way possible."