"Meditate Daily" has been hovering
on my to-do, someday, or maybe lists for more than ten years, since
the late 1990's. Two years ago the universe conspired to deliver
me to the doorstep of the Interdependence Project, where the clarity of instruction and friendliness of the community led nearly
immediately to my committing to a daily meditation practice. Though
I miss a day here and there, the positive effects of the practice are
so profound that when I don't make it to the cushion I feel it in my
bones.
Sometimes people ask me why I meditate,
or have specific questions or misunderstandings about meditation, and
my answer seems to vary depending on what I've experienced that day
or how that morning's session went. But I have noticed that I offer
some of the same answers over and over, and so here are my top ten reasons
anyone should start a meditation practice today.
Either way, if it was a reliigon Buddhism would be the best religion in the world perhaps precisely because it lacks some of the key elements that make it a relgion (I'm speaking here of approaching it as a philosophy of life, rather than the codified and cemented bureacuracy that it has become in some quarters). Like practicing Jesus's true teaching about living without glopping on all the rules and constrictions that basically say "practice true goodness or else", Buddhism's core teachings are just totally freakin' awesome and are more a study of self than a giving up to a higher power.
Speaking of giving up to a higher power, this past week I've developed a healthy new habit that I wanted to share.
In advance of their annual Leading Figure award to a
religious figure who has done the most to advance the cause of humanism and
peace, the Geneva-based International Coalition for the Advancement of
Religious and Spirituality (ICARUS) has chosen to bestow a special award this
year on the Buddhist Community."We
typically prefer an under-the-radar approach for the organization, as we try to
embody the spirit of modesty found in the greatest traditions," said ICARUS
director Hans Groehlichen in a phone conference Monday. "But with organized
religion increasingly used as a tool to separate and inflame rather than bring
together, we felt we had to take the unusual step of creating a "Best Religion
in the World" award and making a bit of a stir, to inspire other religious
leaders to see what is possible when you practice compassion."
Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley just sued the US Federal Government challenging the euphemistically named Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), claiming that it is unconstitutional because it denies insurance, health care, and other rights to gay and lesbian couples in same sex marriages. She is correct. It is unconstitutional, and beyond unconstitutional it is an abhorrent stain of injustice, inequality, and hatred born of fear and ignorance. This isn't a Democratic or Republican issue (though if it was up to most Republican politicians, blacks still wouldn't be able to marry whites or vote, but THAT was okay for it's time too). It's a human issue, and as the AG of the first state to legalize same sex marriage, Coakley is absolutely correct in suing the federal government.
With the internet abuzz this week trying to get the first/latest/best look at Michael Jackson's body, Farah Fawcett's funeral, and Mr. Jackson's financial papers, it may finally be time to talk about celebrity death culture here at the Interdependence Project weblog.
What exactly is celebrity death culture? It is a culture that honors and supports a media system and private conversation about matters that do not concern us, masquerading as curiosity, free speech rights, and a "free press". You may notice that my definition could be broadly applied to forms of entertainment besides the death of Jackson, Fawcett, and other humans like them - non-fiction television (aka reality shows) certainly fit the bill. But so does an awful lot of "news".
In our Hardcore Dharma class, we've talked about the precepts surrounding right speech, and the issue has been brought up "when does news become gossip or "idle chatter"?" I.e. when do we cross the line from being informed to being distracted, using news and information as a way to tune out from the present moment.
I am throwing the prayer flag of dis-attention and saying that right now, as a culture we are using the deaths of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson to distract us from present moment awareness. Duh. But why?
Welcome to One City. You've lived here your whole life, whether you know it or not. One City blog is an outgrowth of The Interdependence Project, a Buddhist-inspired nonprofit organization led by Ethan Nichtern, dedicated to teaching the insights of Buddhism, meditation, mindfulness, and interconnectedness in the 21st century world.
If you're interested in how your mind works, are interested in meditation (but don't want to pretend you live in ancient Asia), care about the world, are into media, love contemporary culture, and above all, really dig the truth of interdependence-that nothing happens in a vacuum--then this blog is for you.
Ethan Nichtern
Author, founding director of the Interdependence Project, and the host of the I.D. Project’s popular weekly podcast » Posts by Ethan Nichtern
Add to Del.icio.us
Add to Technorati
Add to Digg
Add to Newsvine
Add to Facebook
Add to StumbleUpon
Subscribe
