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© x kwan, 2006. Detail from picture Little Miss Perky by X. Kwan, posted in "Bushed" in the blog by F & X Kwan foot before foot: the photoblog. |
Here’s what’s new and spiffy in the integral- and buddhoblogospheres:
tinythinker in peaceful turmoil writes of some of his more serious attachments, how attachments can be intellectually described and then, very helpfully, pulls us up out of any intellectual tule fog with this visualization
Until you have started really seeing [your attachments], like strings on a puppet moving you about as conditions in your life appear to change, [intellectual depictions of what attachments are are inadequate]. And, of course, it's even harder to see that, in fact, there are no strings (yes, it is a bit reminiscent of the "no spoon" line from that Zennish motion picture). When one is/is in the realization, rather than anticipating it or acknowledging [it] after the fact, there is nothing to hinder or become hindered by.George of Sentient Developments has been posting what he calls a “Buddha Break” every few days since the 17th, in “an effort to write more about Buddhist topics and tie it into the context of [his] blog.” In his fifth and latest “break,” George writes about a meditation class conducted by his yoga instructor that had elements that are contrary to the practice he’s accustomed to, based on the vipassana tradition. Writes George
Once the meditation started we focused on the breath – a practice that I’m very familiar with. But after a few minutes of that he had us move ‘beyond’ a focus on the breath to a focus on the pure mind. This I could not understand nor accomplish. In fact, the idea of zoning-out like this is anathema to my own notions as to why we meditate and how we work to improve the practice of mindfulness. It might be my ignorance, but it seemed “unmindful” to try to attain a state of uber-relaxed ‘pure mind.’ I don’t even know what that means.
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Brad Warner's forthcoming book is up at Amazon, with a release date of Apr 28, 2007. Brad writes a bit about the release in a post titled "Where Do We Go When We Die?" in his blog Hardcore Zen. |
Up from the gutter and into the fast lane: Nagarjuna is in a slump; his bowling scores are way down and this after learning about some of the game's finer points. He is convinced that in order to get his game squared away he must get a boost of confidence – not only at the bowling center but in his life generally. He writes in Naked Reflections,
“[A]ct the way I wish to feel, and feel the way I wish to act.” In Star Trek, there is something called the “Rules of Acquisition” that act as the guiding principles of all self-respecting Ferengi in their daily conduct, aimed, as it is, at building wealth and power. I'm tempted to construct my own personal list of guiding rules or precepts with the maxim above at or near the top of that list.
Buddhism is very fortunate to have a stellar, hard-working guide at About.com in Anthony Flanagan. For quite some time the entries Anthony posts have been in blog format so I am happy to start appropriately recognizing his work as part of the buddhoblogosphere. Anthony’s latest post is about Rahula, the Buddha’s son. It is yet another expertly written essay of Anthony’s focusing on Buddhism basics in About Buddhism. Anthony's essays that are beyond or well beyond the basics are also expertly written. Svaha!
The latest issue of Holons [for Nov 06] – news from the Integral world [but decidedly NOT Frank Vissar’s Integral World] – includes reviews by C4 and Vincent Horn. Each mentions his work in his solo blog. C4 reviews the DVD release of the film Running Scared. C4 writes in his blog, ~C4Chaos, “Even Roger Ebert agrees with me :) So if you think you can handle it, check out the movie.” Vincent reviews Alan Wallace’s new book The Attention Revolution. Says Vince in Numinous Nonsense, delighted with the publishing credit, “Suweet. … Pretty cool because I also just recorded an interview with … Wallace for [the new group podcast blog] Buddhist Geeks.”
It takes a village: Jack [aka, Jeb] – well known to longstanding B’du readers for his defunct Wondering on the Way <q.v.> blog, which was the sterling Buddhist voice during the Katrina disaster – is building up Buddhist Village which acts as a community with an ezine at its hub. Check it out, AND latch on to the village feed.
Atheism Discussion
And finally, for today, Sean of Deep Surface and Bob of Dust are mainstays in a cross-blog discussion going on regarding atheism. In “Atheists and Development,” Sean writes that he agrees with famed atheist Sam Harris that “helping the faithful to understand reason is important for the survival of our species.” Stuart Davis in his stuartdavis blog had ripped into the idea, writing in an “Open Letter to Rational Pundits,” “We had better figure out how to see depth, experience altitudes of awareness, and embrace development, or those lower stations will render us undone.”Dust’s Bob had a serious, mad, but funny, too, and “Cranky, mean-spirited reaction to Stuart Davis’s blog,” writing to Stu that he is “flat, flat, flat-out full of shit when you parrot Wilber’s smoke and mirrors ‘solution’ to the world’s problems.”
In a later, calmer post, Bob writes, “How did I change my mind about religious faith? Or if you prefer, How did I develop to a more inclusive worldview? The answer to both questions is the same in my case: I was exposed, over time, to series of thoughtful, rational, evidence-based perspectives that eventually made utterly transparent the silliness, ignorance, and self-limiting nature of religious dogma. And until integral or developmental theorists can demonstrate a more effective approach to this problem, or any other for that matter, I will have to go with what’s worked for me.”
C4 of the blog ~C4Chaos, in a thoughtful comment to Bob’s words suggests “gather[ing] people in different religions and faith who already are at the world-centric stage of development and do the rational dialogue with them instead of attempt[ing] to dialogue among the masses.”
