I just had my mind blown.

How?

By reading a book by the 60s era Zen philosopher, Alan Watts. The book is entitled The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, published in 1966.

I only recently learned of Watts via Maria Popovas blog, Brain Pickings. In fact, ever since I discovered it, Ive learned a great deal from her blog

I highly recommend it!

Why did Watts book blow my mind?

Ill use an example from the book to illustrate

If I asked you what was pictured to the right, you would likely say a circle, correct?

But could it not just as well be a hole in a wall?

Could it not be both?

At the same time?

Because, you see according to Watts, what something is, including you and me, is not defined simply by whats on the inside, but also by what is on the outside.

That is, the surface of my skin is also the edge of the space around it.

Western thought, influenced largely by Christianity, would lead us to believe that we are separate from everything else, including each other.

I am me and you are you and there is a concrete and delineable separation between uscalled space, which is also a separate thing.

In fact, religion would go even further and say that God has separated us into a group he likes and another he doesnt.

Watts would say that to fully describe a human, one must not only look to the actions of the man himself, but also to the environment in which those actions take placeand that environment is the entire universe.

That is, you cannot separate the inside from the outside, because both exist interdependent on the otherthey are one and the same thing.

There is no inside without an outside and vice versa.

Pretty heady stuff, no?

But then I start asking myself, OK Mr. Watts, that might be so, but so what?

What relevance does it have for my present existence, since the entire set up has been devised along the lines of separateness, as delusional and illusional as that might be

Its the world we have to live in.

Well, Watts philosophy kinda dovetails with the whole mindset that I espouse here in The Revolutionary Misfit blog.

That the impetus for impact should stem from our sameness, not our separateness.

That is, not to justthrow money at problems because we have compassion for those poor starving others.

When we help others, we are actually helping ourselves. Because, as Watts alludes, were all really the same thingwe all make up the universe, which makes upus.

Neither can exist without the other.

When I read about all the division that reins in our world and spawns such venomous hatred that shows up in many of the FaceBook posts circulating through my news feed

its both enlightening and hope inspiring to read the words of Alan Watts.

I want to be inspired with a good reason or motive for practicing impact mindfulnessfor being mindful about anyone elses problems other than my own.

At times, I will admit, I think, hey whats the use, or whats the point of it all?

The point is that what might be happening on the other side of the globe to a small child in a tiny African village does affect me

because that happening is part of the universal flow of which I am a component.

Its not a separate event that I can just ignore on my way to more western culture-driven ego inflation.

Were all doing this activity called life together and I believe impact should be about helping ourselves collectively enjoy that mutually experienced process.

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The Real You

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alan watts Archives - Revolutionary Misfit

Latest News : OSHO TIMES http://oshotimes.blog.osho.com

Osho, known for his revolutionary contribution to the science of inner transformation, continues to inspire millions of people worldwide in their search to define a new approach to individual spirituality that is self-directed and responsive to the everyday challenges of contemporary life. The Sunday Times of London named him one of the '1,000 Makers of the Twentieth Century,' and novelist Tom Robbins called him 'the most dangerous man since Jesus Christ.' For more information about Osho and his work, please visit osho.com.

Osho's teachings defy categorization, covering everything from the individual quest for meaning to the most urgent social and political issues facing individuals and society today.

His unique "Osho Active Meditations" are designed to first release the accumulated stresses of body and mind, so that it is easier to experience the thought-free and relaxed state of meditation. (Meditation -The First and Last Freedom, by Osho)

About his own work Osho has said that he is helping to create the conditions for the birth of a new kind of human being. He has often characterized this new human being as "Zorba the Buddha" -- capable both of enjoying the earthy pleasures of a Zorba the Greek and the silent serenity of a Gautam Buddha.

Running like a thread through all aspects of Osho's work is a vision that encompasses both the timeless wisdom of the East and the highest potential of Western science and technology.

Osho has been described by the Sunday Times in London as one of the "1000 Makers of the 20th Century" and by American author Tom Robbins as "the most dangerous man since Jesus Christ."

Biographical:Autobiography of a Spiritually Incorrect Mystic, ST. MARTIN'S Press, New York, available in multiple languages.

Websites for more information:http://oshotimes.blog.osho.comhttp://www.OSHO.comhttp://OSHO.com/resorthttp://OSHO.com/shophttp://www.youtube.com/OSHOhttp://www.Twitter.com/OSHOtimeshttp://www.facebook.com/pages/OSHO.International

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Osho - amazon.com

1 : a Japanese sect of Mahayana Buddhism that aims at enlightenment by direct intuition through meditation

2 or zen : a state of calm attentiveness in which one's actions are guided by intuition rather than by conscious effort Perhaps that is the zen of gardeningyou become one with the plants, lost in the rhythm of the tasks at hand. Irene Virag

1 : of, relating to, or associated with Zen Buddhism a Zen monk/priest/master

2a : suggestive of the teachings or practice of Zen Buddhism Paddling, itself, is a Zen art: Anyone can do it, yet you can spend a lifetime perfecting it. Jim Albrecht

b : having or showing qualities (such as meditative calmness and an attitude of acceptance) popularly associated with practitioners of Zen Buddhism "I hate to use this word, but Owen is very 'Zen,'" said Rita Nagel, a vice president at Goldman, Sachs. "When some traders start losing money they get nervous. Owen stays very relaxed."

Go here to read the rest:
Zen | Definition of Zen by Merriam-Webster

Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate. ~ Carl Gustav Jung

Yesterday I was at a birthday party of one of my best friends, who just turned 30. One of the guests asked me what I currently do, so I told him Im building something in Personal Development

which earned me a blank stare from him! As the seconds ran by I could literally see him articulating the question: What is Personal Development?

So I was trying to find common ground by telling him Personal Development is a bit like Self-Help, but more proactive from my perspective. Just like Self-Improvement, which he had an understanding for. The fact that he obviously was lacking some real personal development of his own, got me into elaborating on the topic more and more, earning more and more interest from him

Personal Development is theconscious pursuit of personal growth by expanding self-awareness and knowledge and improving personal skills.[Tweet this!]

Those skills include my mind, my body, my spirit as well as my level of success in all areas of life, however I may define that. The ultimate goal of Personal Development for me is to be a self-realized human being. That means living consciously at my full potential and reaching real happiness in my life.

By progression I mean that there are essential steps to take when starting out with Personal Development. I believe thatin the process of personal growththere are specific milestones to reach, and that without tackling these, personal growth is not really possible or at least not complete.

Maybe you are still not convinced that Personal Development is for you and you may still ask Why? The reason is simple:

Life is just better when we have done work on ourselves.[Tweet this!]

And that includes our mental, physical, emotional, social and financial life. I think its fair to say:

Personal Development makes you happy.[Tweet this!]

You cant really argue with that goal

So how can you get started on your own journey of personal growth. Or if you have already started to consciously follow personal development, how can you get to the next level? During my now over 10 years work on that topic, I identified several of those milestones mentioned above.

There is the basic motivation to improve yourself. Its either coming from inspiration and you are looking to get better than you already are, or it comes out of desperation: something unpleasant challenges you to grow. For instance, what brought you here today?

One of the first things you need is something I would sum up as acceptance. Acceptance means to see your life / your situation as it really is and accept that. Stoprationalizing things you are truly unhappy about and tell yourself the truth. That may also mean you have to look at areas of your life where it really can be painful to accept the status quo. If you connect to the truth you have laid the most important basis to really grow.You have to know where you stand. From there you can move forward. Without that its just not working. Period.

I think the most essential things in Personal Development deal with how you look at the world and how you see yourself in the world, which then determines how you act in the world. Are you a victim or a winner? Do you see yourself as self-confident or not? Are you in control or not? Are you successful? Are you happy or not, and in what parts of your life.

Much of it is about making the unconscious conscious. Thats what this blog is really all about (and then to do the work). Its always the first part to become conscious of how we really work on the inside. Only then we can get control over it. For instance the idea from above of telling yourself the truth, acceptance, is just the same: to make the unconscious reality, that we may haveignoredbefore, conscious. Just that we can make progress now, while before it wasnt even on our radar in was just unconscious.

In psychology this is calledthe four stages of competence:

Quote from Wikipedia:

Makes sense. And in Personal Development we are talking about this process for our whole personality.During this process we make unconscious beliefs that limit us conscious (see my articleHow to Change Self-Limiting Beliefs). We take responsibility for ourselves and stop pointing to others for results that we are responsible for. (see Take Responsibility in Your Life). This moves us back to power again, since we are the one in the driving seat. We are response-able, which enables us to dream again, set a life-vision and set some exciting new goals for our life (see The Fastest Way to Set Motivating Goals).

We learn to get more energy (see How to Increase Your Energy) and how to use it intelligently. We get more self-awareness and improve our mental focus (see How to Develop a Laser-Sharp Mental Focus). We develop a personal development plan that will guide us to where we really want to go.

There are a lot of more things to improve in our own personal growth. But with those mentioned tackled, I think we start to lay a strong the foundation for Personal Development.

So, next time someone asks me What is Personal Development? I may just give him a link to this post.

And coming back to the question, what would you have said?What is Personal Development for yourself?

Continue reading here:
What is Personal Development? - myrkothum.com

A collaboration by the offices of Ken Burke, Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, the Sixth Judicial Circuit, The Community Law Program and the Clearwater Bar Association, to offer affordable legal services to the public.

Announcements

A Big Move: Clerk's Self Help Center Now Located Inside Clearwater Courthouse

The Clerk's Self Help Center is now located inside the Clearwater Courthouse at 315 Court Street, Room 114, across from the information desk.Read the complete press release here.

Pinellas Clerks Self Help Center Now Offers Convenient Online Appointment Scheduling

Conveniently schedule your attorney consultations online.Read the complete press release here.

Gulfcoast Legal Services Announces FREE FORECLOSURE ASSISTANCE

Gulfcoast Legal Servicesrecently received funding to expand our legal assistance to many previously ineligible homeowners in Pinellas and Manatee Counties who are facing foreclosure. Whether you are behind on your mortgage payments or have already received foreclosure papers, we may be able to help you find a workable solution. GLS can help you fight a mortgage foreclosure of your homestead property and/or help you with a mortgage restructure or modification negotiation with your bank or other lender.

We cannot guarantee representation. However, we can provide you with information that you may need to keep your home. Call NOW to get legal advice from an attorney.

Pinellas residents: Call (727) 821-0726

Manatee residents: Call (941) 746-6151

Self Help Center Receives 2011 Louis M. Brown Award

The Self Help Center was selected as the recipient of the 2011 Louis M. Brown Award for Legal Access by the American Bar Associations Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services.Learn more.

The purpose of the Clerk's Self Help Center is to offer affordable legal assistance to citizens representing themselves in court (pro se litigants) without a private attorney.

Services Available:

If you are a person with a disability who needs an accommodation, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance. To request such an accommodation please contact the Office of Human Rights, by written or oral request, within seven days of the date but at least three (3) business days prior to the date the service is needed, at: 400 South Fort Harrison Avenue, Suite 500, Clearwater, Florida 33756, Phone: (727) 464-4880, TDD: (727) 464-4062; if you are hearing or voice impaired, call 711.

Open Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Clearwater Courthouse315 Court St., Room 114Clearwater, FL 33756Phone:(727) 464-5150Fax:(727) 453-3423

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday appointments.A Spanish interpreter may be requested by contacting the Hispanic Outreach Center at (727) 445-9734.

Open Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (Closed from 12:00 1:00 p.m.)

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Monday, Wednesday and Friday appointments.

Open Tuesdays only, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (Closed from 12:00 1:00 p.m.)

North County Branch29582 U.S. 19 N., Room 101Clearwater, FL 33761Phone:(727) 464-5150Fax:(727) 453-3423

Tuesday appointments only.

Welcome to the online scheduling system. To get started, select an appointment location from on the Book Appointment tab above. To schedule an online appointment, please have yourCredit Card or Bank Cardready.

Self Help Center services are available to all persons who are or will be parties to aFamily Law case, a Residental Landlord/Tenant case (Non-Payment Rent only), or a Small Claims case(Not forinjunctions,criminal, traffic, expungement, guardianship, probate, real property, foreclosures, commercial landlord/tenant, civil claims over $5,000, appeals, bankruptcy, federal case, etc.) andare notalready represented by an attorney.

The information that you give to and receive from Self Help Center personnel isNOTconfidential and may be subject to disclosure at a later date. If another person involved in your case seeks assistance from this center, that person will be given the same type of assistance you receive.

Consulting with the Self Help attorney is limited to assistance with court-approved forms and procedural information. Meeting with a self help attorney is not intended to establish an attorney-client relationship. If more detailed legal assistance is required, it is best to consult with your own attorney.

Attorney appointments may only be scheduled for a minimum of 15 minutes to a maximum of one hour. All appointments must be scheduled in 15-minute increments, i.e., 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes at a rate of $1 (one dollar) per minute, therefore payments will be $15, $30, $45 or $60 accordingly.

Attorney consultation fees must be paid at the time the appointment is scheduled. When making appointments online, you will need to pay by credit card. If you need to pay for an appointment by cash, check or money order, you will need to come into one of our offices to schedule your appointment. Refunds will not be issued for cancelled or missed appointments. Appointment times may not be changed once set.

If you have any questions, please call our Clearwater office at (727) 464-5150 or ourSt. Petersburg office at (727) 582-7941.

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Self Help - mypinellasclerk.org

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Description: Buddhism is an eastern religion that shares some key beliefs with Hinduism, including karma and reincarnation. It has many variations, depending on the Buddhist tradition that is practiced. Some practitioners consider Buddhism a philosophy and life practice, rather than a religion.

Founder: Siddhartha Gotama (Siddhartha Gautama in Sanskrit), who is referred to as theBuddha, which means "awakened one". Firm dates for his life cannot be established from historical information. Conventional sources say he lived from 566 - 486 BCE. Recent research suggests the dates 490 410 BCE.

Date founded: Approximately 441 BCE, according to conventional sources.

Place founded: Northeastern India, near the city of Patna.

Number of adherents: 376 million

Countries with largest number of adherents: China, Japan and Thailand

Sacred texts:

Buddhas discourses are collected into four divisions:

Digha Nikaya

Majjhima Nikaya

Anguttara Nikaya

Samyutta Nikaya Part of the canon of Buddhas discourses (also known as sutras)

Dhammapada A collection of Buddhas verses. Part of the Theravada canon.

Jataka 550 stories about the former lives of Buddha.

Branches: There are several major branches of Buddhism:

Mahayana Known as the "Greater Vehicle". Mahayana is practiced predominantly in north Asia, including Tibet, China and Japan. Schools within Mahayana Buddhism include Nichiren Buddhism, Pure Land Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Zen Buddhism.

Theravada ("original teaching") - Also referred to as the Lesser Vehicle. Practiced predominantly in south Asia, including Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Supreme being: Buddhism is nontheistic, since Buddha did not address the issue of the existence of a supreme being. It cannot be called atheistic, since it does not hold to the belief that there is no God.

"The Buddha rarely if ever discussed God theism is not a central part of Buddhas path to awakened enlightenment, peace, and deathless nirvana.Whether there is a God or not is one of the 14 questions that Buddha famously refused to speculate about or entertain, mainly because he was intent upon people seeking and finding the deepest truth about reality through their own experience."[1]

Buddhism includes belief in the existence of gods and spirits. "Buddha actually accepted and took for granted the existence of higher beings like Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma, and the other devas (long-lived gods, demigods, archangels)"[2]

Reality: Reality consists of both the material and spiritual worlds.

Nature of man: Man has no soul.

Mans primary problem: The primary problem faced by people is suffering, which is caused by desire.

Solution to mans primary problem: The Four Noble Truths and the Eight-Fold Path

The Four Noble Truths, which are also called the Chatvari Arya Satyani, are:

Man is viewed as having three different paths to follow in life:

The Eight-Fold Path includes:

Afterlife: The goal of Buddhism is nirvana, which is a complete cessation of existence. It is the end of the cycle of rebirth, where all passions have been extinguished. A central aspect of Buddhism is reincarnation, where the "process of repeated rebirth is known as samsara or endless wandering, a term suggesting continuous movement like the flow of a river.All living creatures are part of this cyclic movement and will continue to be reborn until they attain nirvana."[3]

Place of worship: The communal practice of Buddhism takes place in atempleor center.

Major Holidays:

Kathina An annual festival in which Buddhist followers give material to monks for their robes.

Magha Puja Day - A day to show appreciation to Buddhist monastics for their dedication and practice.

Vesak - Buddha Day - Also known as Wesak, Visakah Puja and Buddha Day. The most sacred holy day of Theravada Buddhism. An observation of the birth, enlightenment and death of the historical Buddha. Mahayana Buddhists tend to separate these three events of the Buddha's life into three separate holidays. Buddha Day takes place on the day of the first full moon in May.

Rituals: Meditation is a central practice in Buddhism. Buddhists meditate at temples/centers, as well as in their homes. It is also a common practice for Buddhist lay people to give food, flowers and incense to a Buddhist temple.

Key Terms:

Dharma The teaching of Buddha. Dharma also means "protection". "By practising Buddhas teachings we protect ourself from suffering and problems. All the problems we experience during daily life originate in ignorance, and the method for eliminating ignorance is to practice Dharma."[4]

Karma A moral act that a person does.Good karma leads a person up the ladder of the realms of rebirth. Bad karma leads a person down the ladder of the realms of rebirth.The consequences of a persons actions may be experienced in the present lifetime and/or a future lifetime.

Monastery A place where Buddhist monks live.

Monk A person who devotes his life to Buddhist principles and practices. A monks head is shaved upon initiation. "Buddhist monks have no priestly role they are not intermediaries between God and mankind and their ordination confers no supernatural powers or authority."[5]

Nirvana "A complete cessation of being and supreme goal of Buddhist endeavor."[6]

Parinirvana The complete ending of rebirth, cessation of suffering and perfection of happiness

Samsara The cycle of rebirth. Literally means "to wander". A process of rebirth that is repeated numerous times; reincarnation. It is referred to as endless wandering. "All living creatures are part of this cyclic movement and will continue to be reborn until they attain nirvana."[7]

Realms of rebirth There are 6 realms of rebirth, from top (most desirable) to bottom (least desirable). There is no rebirth in the five highest levels.

Sutra A teaching of Buddha.

Sources:

Adherents.com http://www.adherents.com

Buddhanet http://www.buddhanet.net

Smith, Huston. The Worlds Religions. New York: Harper One, 1991.

Visit link:
Buddhism WorldviewU

Trends since the 19th century

During the 19th and 20th centuries, Buddhism responded to new challenges and opportunities that cut across the regional religious and cultural patterns that characterized the Buddhist world in the premodern period. A number of Buddhist countries were subjected to Western rule, and even those that avoided direct conquest felt the heavy pressure of Western religious, political, economic, and cultural influences. Modern rationalistic and scientific modes of thinking, modern notions of liberal democracy and socialism, and modern patterns of capitalist economic organization were introduced and became important elements in the thought and life of Buddhists and non-Buddhists all across Asia. In addition, Buddhism returned to areas where it had previously been an important force (India is the major case in point), and it spread very rapidly into the West, where new developments took place that in turn influenced Buddhism in Asia.

Buddhists responded to this complex situation in diverse ways. In many cases they associated Buddhism with the religious and cultural identity that they sought to preserve in the face of Western domination. Buddhists used a variety of measures to meet the challenge posed by the presence of Western Christian missionaries, often adopting modern Christian practices such as the establishment of Sunday schools, the distribution of tracts, and the arrangement of worship areas so as to resemble churches and meeting houses. They also attempted to strengthen the Buddhist cause by promoting missionary activity in Asia and in the West. In the West they also adopted Christian forms of religious organization and practice, particularly in the United States. For example, the U.S. branch of Japanese Pure Land (Jdo Shinsh) Buddhism adopted the word church in its official name (Buddhist Churches of America) and established temples with worship areas resembling Protestant congregations. A number of societies were established to promote cooperation between Buddhists from all countries and denominations, including the Maha Bodhi Society (established in 1891 in order to win back Buddhist control of the pilgrimage site associated with the enlightenment of the Buddha), the World Fellowship of Buddhists (founded in 1950), and the World Buddhist Sangha Council (1966).

Four other responses deserve to be mentioned. In some situations Buddhists introduced reforms designed to make Buddhism a more appealing and effective force in the modern world. In the late 19th century, Buddhist leaders put forward a highly rationalized interpretation of Buddhism that de-emphasized the supernormal and ritualized aspects of the tradition and focused on the supposed continuity between Buddhism and modern science and on the centrality of ethics and morality. This interpretation represents, according to its proponents, a recovery of the true Buddhism of the Buddha.

Another response has been the development of so-called Engaged Buddhism. Those who identify with this cause include Asian Buddhists, such as the Vietnamese-born monk and writer Thich Nhat Hanh, and Western converts who have developed understandings of Buddhist teachings and practice that focus on the implementation of progressive social, political, and economic activity. In some cases attention has been centred on Buddhist ideas and activities that seek to foster world peace and world justice. The Buddhist Peace Fellowship (founded 1978) is one of the most-prominent organizations within this movement.

Both within Engaged Buddhism and outside it, socially active Buddhists have sought to develop Buddhist teachings as a basis for a modern democratic society. Still others have supported the development of a Buddhist-based economic system that is socially and ecologically responsible. Socially conscious Buddhists have also developed a Buddhist form of feminism and have been associated with groups that are attempting to reestablish (in the Theravada world) or to enhance (in Mahayana and Vajrayana contexts) the role of Buddhist nuns.

A third widespread pattern of Buddhist reform has involved the promotion of movements that give the laity a much stronger role than it traditionally had. In the Theravada world, lay-oriented meditation movements focusing on vipassana (Pali: insight) techniques of meditation have been successful and in some cases have found followers far beyond the borders of the Theravada community. In East Asia an anticlerical, lay-oriented trend, which appeared before the beginning of the modern period, has culminated in the formation and rapid expansion of new, thoroughly laicized Buddhist movements, particularly in Japan.

The fourth trend that can be identified stretches the usual notion of reform. This trend is exemplified in the emergence of new kinds of popular movements associated with charismatic leaders or with particular forms of practice that promise immediate success not only in religious terms but in worldly affairs as well. Since the 20th century, groups of this kind, both large and small, both tightly organized and loosely knit, have proliferated all across the Buddhist world. One example is the Dhammakaya group, a very large, well-organized, hierarchical, and commercialized sectarian group that is centred in Thailand. Sometimes labeled fundamentalist, the Dhammakaya group propagates meditational techniques that promise the immediate attainment of nirvana, as well as patterns of ritual donation that claim to ensure immediate business and financial success.

The condition of contemporary Buddhist communities and the challenges they face differ radically from area to area. There are a number of countries, for example, where previously well-established Buddhist communities have suffered severe setbacks that have curtailed their influence and seriously sapped their vitality. This situation prevails primarily in countries that are or once were ruled by communist governments that worked self-consciously to undercut Buddhist institutional power and influence. This has happened in the Mongol areas of Central Asia, in mainland China and Tibet, in North Korea, in Vietnam, in Cambodia, and in Laos. By the end of the 20th century, the pressure on Buddhist communities in many of these areas had eased, though conditions varied from country to country and from time to time. In Cambodia, Buddhism has been officially reinstated as the state religion.

A different situation exists in parts of Asia where Buddhism has remained the leading religious force and has continued to exert a strong influence on political, economic, and social life. This is the case in Sri Lanka and Myanmar, where Buddhism is the dominant religion among the Sinhalese and Burman majorities, and in Thailand, where more than 90 percent of the population is counted as Buddhist. Although in the majority, Buddhists face unique challenges in these areas. In Sri Lanka, Buddhists were divided over the proper response to the civil war (19832009) between the Sinhalese government and the Tamil Tigers, a paramilitary group that sought an independent state in the north for the primarily Hindu Tamils. In Myanmar, Buddhists confronted the profound political division between the military junta, which ruled from 1962 until 2011 and sought to legitimate its dictatorship in traditional Buddhist terms, and the democratic oppositionled by Aung San Suu Kyi, winner of the Nobel Prize for Peacewhich based its resistance on a very different version of Buddhist teaching and practice. In 2007 Buddhist monks were prominent in Myanmars so-called Saffron Revolution (named for the saffron-coloured robes traditionally worn by Theravada monks), a large demonstration in Yangon for democratic reforms that drew a harsh response from the government. That action was a catalyst helping to effect constitutional reforms in 2008 and a change in government in 2011. As the state religion of Thailand, Buddhism has retained a firm position within a relatively stable social and political order, despite deep divisions and conflicts that have developed among various groups. Buddhism is the officially recognized spiritual heritage of Bhutan, a traditionally Vajrayana Buddhist kingdom that completed its transition to parliamentary government in 2008.

A third situation occurs in societies where Buddhist traditions operate with a considerable degree of freedom and effectiveness, though Buddhisms role is circumscribed to varying degrees. This situation prevails in several of the Pacific Rim countries, including South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore, and to a lesser extent in Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, where Buddhism is practiced by significant numbers of the large Chinese minority. The primary example, however, is Japan, where Buddhism has continued to exert an important influence. In the highly modernized society that has developed in Japan, many deeply rooted Buddhist traditions, such as Shingon, Tendai, Pure Land, and Zen, have persisted and have been adapted to changing conditions. At the same time, new Buddhist sects such as Rissh-Ksei-kai (Society for Establishing Righteousness and Friendly Relations) and Ska-gakkai (Value-Creation Society) have gained millions of converts in Japan and throughout the world. The latter, which is a variant of Nichiren Buddhism, has increased its international profile since the late 20th century under the leadership of Daiseku Ikeda.

Finally, new Buddhist communities have established roots in areas where Buddhism disappeared many centuries ago or did not exist at all before the mid-19th century. In India, for example, the Mahar Buddhist community established by B.R. Ambedkar has developed its own style of Buddhist teaching and practice that incorporates and integrates religious elements drawn from the pre-existing Mahar tradition.

In the Western world, particularly in the United States and Canada, the growth of new Buddhist communitieswhich include Buddhist immigrants from different parts of Asia, the North American-born children of immigrants, and indigenous convertshas been very rapid indeed. In these areas older Buddhist traditions have mixed and interacted in ways that have generated rapid changes in ways of thinking and in modes of practice. Many indigenous converts place greater emphasis upon the practice of meditation than upon monastic life, and since the mid-20th century a steady stream of books and other media have reflected this trend. Many other North American-born Buddhists of non-Asian descent have studied in traditional Buddhist countries, become ordained, and returned to the United States to lead and even found monasteries and Buddhist community centres. Some practicing Buddhists and scholars of Buddhism believe that the process of accomodation and acculturation in the West, and particularly in North America, is leading to a fourth turning of the Wheel of the Dharma, a new form of Buddhism that will turn out to be quite different from the traditional forms of Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana while incorporating aspects of each.

For more than two millennia, Buddhism has been a powerful religious, political, and social force, first in India, its original homeland, and then in many other lands. It remains a powerful religious, political, and cultural force in many parts of the world today. There is every reason to expect that the appeal of Buddhism will continue far on into the future.

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Buddhism - Popular religious practices | Britannica.com

Power Vinyasa Flow

Our power vinyasa flow classes are inspired by Bryan Kest, a profoundteacher who has found the balance between effort, awareness and breath. The emphasis is on you, not on any particular teacher.

Power Vinyasa classes are vigorous, yet accessible. They utilize fluid transitions from pose to pose, seamlessly linking body, breath, and movement. These classes are not heated.

Power Vinyasa classes are donation based!

A donation is the sacred act of giving. There is a suggested donation of $10 a class. Suggested donation means that if you can put $10 in the box, please do. If you are not in a position to do so, contribute what you can. Nobody will be keeping track of individual donations. The $10 dollar donation is not meant as a bottom or a top limit if you are in a position to donate more, it will help support your yoga community. Available at St Marks, UWS, Brooklyn, San Francisco,Berkeley, and Tempe AZ

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Home - Yoga to the People

The Nihilism of Contemporary Europe

While most of his contemporaries looked on the late nineteenthcentury with unbridled optimism, confident in the progress of science andthe rise of the German state, Nietzsche saw his age facing a fundamentalcrisis in values. With the rise of science, the Christian worldviewno longer held a prominent explanatory role in peoples lives, aview Nietzsche captures in the phrase God is dead. However, sciencedoes not introduce a new set of values to replace the Christianvalues it displaces. Nietzsche rightly foresaw that people needto identify some source of meaning and value in their lives, and ifthey could not find it in science, they would turn to aggressive nationalismand other such salves. The last thing Nietzsche would have wantedwas a return to traditional Christianity, however. Instead, he soughtto find a way out of nihilism through the creative and willful affirmationof life.

On one level, the will to power is a psychological insight:our fundamental drive is for power as realized in independence anddominance. This will is stronger than the will to survive, as martyrs willinglydie for a cause if they feel that associating themselves with thatcause gives them greater power, and it is stronger than the will tosex, as monks willingly renounce sex for the sake of a greater cause.While the will to power can manifest itself through violence andphysical dominance, Nietzsche is more interested in the sublimatedwill to power, where people turn their will to power inward andpursue self-mastery rather than mastery over others. An Indian mystic,for instance, who submits himself to all sorts of physical deprivationgains profound self-control and spiritual depth, representing amore refined form of power than the power gained by the conqueringbarbarian.

On a deeper level, the will to power explains the fundamental, changingaspect of reality. According to Nietzsche, everything is in flux,and there is no such thing as fixed being. Matter is always movingand changing, as are ideas, knowledge, truth, and everything else.The will to power is the fundamental engine of this change. For Nietzsche,the universe is primarily made up not of facts or things but ratherof wills. The idea of the human soul or ego is just a grammaticalfiction, according to Nietzsche. What we call I is really a chaoticjumble of competing wills, constantly struggling to overcome oneanother. Because change is a fundamental aspect of life, Nietzscheconsiders any point of view that takes reality to be fixed and objective,be it religious, scientific, or philosophical, as life denying.A truly life-affirming philosophy embraces change and recognizesin the will to power that change is the only constant in the world.

Nietzsche is critical of the very idea of objective truth.That we should think there is only one right way of consideringa matter is only evidence that we have become inflexible in ourthinking. Such intellectual inflexibility is a symptom of sayingno to life, a condition that Nietzsche abhors. A healthy mindis flexible and recognizes that there are many different ways ofconsidering a matter. There is no single truth but rather many.

At this point, interpreters of Nietzsche differ. Someargue that Nietzsche believes there is such a thing as truth butthat there is no single correct perspective on it. Just as we cannotget the full picture of what an elephant is like simply by lookingat its leg or looking at its tail or looking at its trunk, we cannotget a reasonable picture of any truth unless we look at it frommultiple perspectives. Others, particularly those who value Nietzschesearly essay On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense, argue thatNietzsche believes the very idea of truth to be a lie. Truth isnot an elephant that we must look at from multiple perspectivesunder this view. Rather, truth is simply the name given to the pointof view of the people who have the power to enforce their pointof view. The only reality is the will to power, and truth, likemorality, is just another fig leaf placed on top of this reality.

Throughout his work, particularly in The Antichrist, Nietzsche writesscathingly about Christianity, arguing that it is fundamentallyopposed to life. In Christian morality, Nietzsche sees an attemptto deny all those characteristics that he associates with healthylife. The concept of sin makes us ashamed of our instincts and oursexuality, the concept of faith discourages our curiosity and naturalskepticism, and the concept of pity encourages us to value and cherishweakness. Furthermore, Christian morality is based on the promiseof an afterlife, leading Christians to devalue this life in favorof the beyond. Nietzsche argues that Christianity springs from resentmentfor life and those who enjoy it, and it seeks to overthrow healthand strength with its life-denying ethic. As such, Nietzsche considersChristianity to be the hated enemy of life.

As the title of one of his books suggests, Nietzsche seeksto find a place beyond good and evil. One of Nietzsches fundamental achievementsis to expose the psychological underpinnings of morality. He showsthat our values are not themselves fixed and objective but ratherexpress a certain attitude toward life. For example, he argues thatChristian morality is fundamentally resentful and life denying,devaluing natural human instincts and promoting weakness and theidea of an afterlife, the importance of which supercedes that ofour present life. Nietzsches aim is not so much to replace Christianmorality with another morality. Rather, he aims to expose the veryconcept of morality as being a fig leaf placed on top of our fundamentalpsychological drives to make them seem more staid and respectable.By exposing morality as a fiction, Nietzsche wants to encourageus to be more honest about our drives and our motives and more realisticin the attitude we take toward life. Such honesty and realism, hecontends, would cause a fundamental revaluation of all values.Without morality, we would become an entirely different speciesof being, and a healthier species of being at that.

Nietzsche contends that humanity is a transition, nota destination. We ceased to be animals when we taught ourselvesto control our instincts for the sake of greater gains. By learningto resist some of our natural impulses, we have been able to forgecivilizations, develop knowledge, and deepen ourselves spiritually.Rather than directing our will to power outward to dominate thosearound us, we have directed it inward and gained self-mastery. However,this struggle for self-mastery is arduous, and humanity is constantly temptedto give up. Christian morality and contemporary nihilism are justtwo examples of worldviews that express the desire to give up onlife. We come to see life as blameworthy or meaningless as a wayof easing ourselves out of the struggle for self-mastery. Nietzschesconcept of the overman is the destination toward which we startedheading when we first reined in our animal instincts. The overmanhas the self-mastery that animals lack but also the untrammeledinstincts and good conscience that humans lack. The overman is profoundlyin love with life, finding nothing in it to complain about, noteven the constant suffering and struggle to which he willingly submitshimself.

While it is hard to give a definitive account of the eternalrecurrence, we can undoubtedly claim that it involves a supremeaffirmation of life. On one level, it expresses the view that timeis cyclical and that we will live every moment of our lives overand over an infinite number of times, each time exactly the same.In other words, each passing moment is not fleeting but rather echoesfor all eternity. Nietzsches ideal is to be able to embrace theeternal recurrence and live in affirmation of this idea. In otherwords, we should aim to live conscious of the fact that each momentwill be repeated infinitely, and we should feel only supreme joyat the prospect.

On another level, the doctrine of the eternal recurrenceinvolves Nietzsches distinctive metaphysical notions. Nietzschecontends that there is no such thing as being: everything is alwayschanging, always in a state of becoming. Because nothing is fixed,there are no things that we can distinguish and set apart fromother things. All of reality is intertwined, such that we cannotpass judgment on one aspect of reality without passing judgmenton all of reality. In other words, we cannot feel regret for oneaspect of our lives and joy for another because these two aspectsof our lives cannot properly be distinguished from one another.In recognizing that all of life is one indistinguishable swirl ofbecoming, we are faced with the simple choice of saying yes toall life or no to all life. Naturally, Nietzschecontends that the yes-saying attitude is preferable.

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SparkNotes: Friedrich Nietzsche (18441900): Themes, Arguments, and Ideas