At its core, the work of the Compassion Center is the product of a special relationship between Emory University and the Nobel Peace Laureate, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. This story begins when Lobsang Tenzin Negi, then a Tibetan Buddhist monk, entered Emory’s Institute of Liberal Arts and began work with his advisor, Dr. Robert A. Paul. Paul was an ideal mentor given his extensive knowledge of both Tibetan and western models of the mind. A cultural anthropologist and psychoanalyst, Paul played a significant role in encouraging Negi to develop links between the western and Tibetan traditions. This mentor-student team worked with the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Emory’s central administration, led by Dr. Gary Hauk, to formalize a series of agreements culminating in the establishment of the Emory-Tibet Partnership (ETP).

Over two decades, ETP matured into a multidimensional organization bridging the best of the Tibetan and western academic traditions.  Through its collaboration with the Dalai Lama on innovative educational programs, ETP evolved into a true, bi-directional academic endeavor with an international footprint. Encouraged by this effort, the Gaden Phodrang Trust of the Dalai Lama expressed its wish to support continued collaboration through the establishment of a new center at Emory to carry on this work and accompanying research. The Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics was formed in 2017 to house the programs formerly administered under the Emory-Tibet Partnership, including ETSI, CBCT^® (Cognitively-Based Compassion Training), and SEE Learning^® (Social, Emotional and Ethical Learning), while supporting further program development, scaling, and assessment.