As more people explore the option to alter their biology, gender issues have surfaced in so many ways it’s hard to recognize certain facets of culture we used to take for granted. There is no longer a ladies room or a men’s room for that matter in New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
It is strange that we can keep on upholding the notion of the superiority of our own civilization over earlier and currently different forms of society and cultures. And furthermore, it is strange that we find this position to be legitimized by the power that our economic superiority ensures us.
That is why the industrial agriculture and meat industry can exist. It is due to a basic experience of discernment and independence that violence in any form grows. That thinking does not allow us to see ourselves as part of a larger and interdependent whole, but creates a world where we feel separate from other people and everything else alive. It is a thought pattern that appeals to our fears and greed, which has defined the world in purely economic terms, builds on the idea of eternal growth and profit, and which constantly brings us to battle against others and nature.
The key word of our times is disruption. Whether it’s Blockchain, Bitcoin, or 1,000 other cryptocurrencies Smartphones that dis/connect Loneliness, anxiety, and zombie epidemics Always… Read More »THE PERFECT TIME
The lack of what might be called, as Jung suggested, soul connectedness, to the deeper aspects of our interior world, has become replaced instead with endless distraction and continuous, immediate, bombastic stimulation, and it is exhausting. We are not only constantly struggling with what assaults us daily, by the minute, in fact, but, instead of seeking out another with whom to commiserate, or a field of others to simply enjoy some real human connectedness, we are now trained to seek further stimulation and excitement, only to find it as empty of substance and dry of human touch.
Why do we allow this daily rampage to go on and on? Changing the law, by itself, won’t entirely solve the problem. But praying for peace and wishing for all others to renounce their violent habits and tendencies also will not soon solve the problem. This problem is not solely within our minds, and not solely environmental and cultural, or legal. It is the interplay of all of these: it is our collective karma to live in a society that glorifies the ability to violently defeat others.
This is a time for skillful and effective action, informed by meditation practice, inspired by compassion. With the rise of the far right movements emphasizing racism, misogyny, bigotry, xenophobia, and more, for me, sitting on the cushion, though always vital, is no longer enough.
All life has intrinsic value, irrespective of it’s value to humans, Norwegian Philosopher Arne Næss said. He believed that the environmental crisis of the 20th century had arisen due to the lack of acknowledgement in our modern societies concerning the value of the natural world as a whole and through a process of falling in love with the world, the wish to protect the environment itself would come naturally.
Christopher Judges takes a hard look at democracy and what moves in the current political climate around the world.
It is as if the house of human civilisation is on fire and a few of the inhabitants are trying to yell to the others that the house is burning. The other people hear it but would rather ignore it since it seems like a hassle to put it out, and would rather just continue what they are doing.
Engaged Buddhism is not a separate school from others; it is more of an interpretation of social commitment that appears in all trends of contemporary Buddhism. It emphases the unity needed between the inner work and the work in the world, the social action as deep compassion, the result of a deep understanding of reality, their dynamics and mutual causalities.
There is no copyright on the tendency to be close-minded, shutting off reason and empathy. It can unfold within the mind of anyone.
The resulting arrogance, and the aggressive and abusive behavior that the fundamentalist attitude breeds, can be changed by opening our hearts with kindness and freeing our minds through insight.
This election has caused me to spend time deeply reflecting on my own life choices and beliefs, and a deep question has been continually weighing on my mind: Why don’t more loving, intelligent people work harder to eliminate Big Money’s negative influence on almost every sphere of human activity?
Meditation develops one’s open-mindness, sensitivity and appreciation, while enhancing one’s ability to stay focused and engaged with more challenging experiences. Wouldn’t meditators of all traditions therefore have a key role in contributing to solutions for the difficulties the world is now facing?
The debate is open.
Human beings believe separateness is the true reality, not interconnectedness. They believe in the autonomy of me from you, the separateness of body from mind, climate from man’s activities. Think of the many trillions of different subjects in trillions of endless lists of separated items and disciplines to be fixed, improved, voted on or changed.
In contrast with the Buddhist message, which affirms the preciousness of our human birth and our original enlightened nature, there are psychological and socioeconomic forces in our western culture working in exact opposition. Several developments in our cultural history have dramatically shaped our view of ourselves, displacing us from cosmic significance and eventually led to a mood of nihilistic doubt about our awakened heart of compassion
Our states of mind and actions are what drive systems. If we wish to have economic, political and social systems that reflect love, compassion, care for our environment and overall well-being, we must embody and train in those qualities ourselves. We must begin to shift the focus within our individual lives.
The basic virtue of Superman is his altruism. He uses his powers to save people from their own follies. His actions are shocking because he is willing to take risks the rest of us can no longer contemplate. Superman has empathy for the suffering of others. His compassion, care and willingness to put his life on the line for another person make him a worthy hero to admire.
Today I went to a small secret place on the Island where I live. In the deep dark shiny woods, you can find it, along with all the elves, gnomes, trolls and pixies. It is a hippie community born out of the sixties and still very much alive.
Our world is beautiful and magical, mysterious, ugly and gruesome. Most people would agree that it’s an amazingly beautiful planet and we want it to stay that way. Nonetheless we as humans are living in a way that is fast destroying the foundation for our experience.
Introducing our new category ACTIVISM, with an essay by Shakti Das, American philosopher and writer. LEVEKUNST art of life highlights important issues to activate us all to do our best to restore peace and harmony in our human civilization. Enjoy this first important article, exploring the very concept of justice.