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So what does an investment bank actually do?Several things, actually. Below we break down each of the major functions of the investment bank, and provide a brief review of the changes that have shaped the investment banking industry through the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. Click on each section to learn more.

Raising Capital & Security Underwriting.Banks are middlemen between a company that wants to issue new securities and the buying public.

Mergers & Acquisitions.Banks advise buyers and sellers on business valuation, negotiation, pricing and structuring of transactions, as well as procedure and implementation.

Sales & Trading and Equity Research.Banks match up buyers and sellers as well as buy and sell securities out of their own account to facilitate the trading of securities

Retail and Commercial Banking.After the repeal of Glass-Steagall in 1999, investment banks now offer traditionally off-limits services like commercial banking.

Front office vs back office.While the sexier functions like M&A advisory are front office, other functions like risk management, financial control, corporate treasury, corporate strategy, compliance, operations and technology are critical back office functions.

History of the industry.The industry has changed dramatically since John PierpontMorganhad to personally bail out the United States from the Panic of 1907. We survey the important evolution in this section.

After the 2008 financial crisis.The industry was shaken to the coreduring and after the financial crisis that gripped the world in 2008. How has the industry changed and where is it going?

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All areasAuctionCatalogAll locationsAbbeville Local Office Alabama Power Albany Alexander City Americus Anniston Corporate Office Anniston Garage Anniston Trans/Subs Warehouse Anniston Warehouse Ashland Warehouse Athens Fleet Center Atlanta Atmore Warehouse Auburn Warehouse Augusta Austell Autaugaville / Harris Generating Plant Bainbridge Bankhead Dam Barry Electric Generating Plant Baxley Bay Minette Warehouse Birmingham 1313 Building Birmingham Airport Birmingham Appliance Whse Birmingham Division Metering Warehouse Birmingham Garage Birmingham Subs. 13th St. Birmingham Warehouse 12th St. Bouldin Dam Brewton Warehouse Brunswick Carrollton Cartersville Cedartown Centreville Warehouse Chevron CoGen Citronelle Warehouse Clanton Business Office Clanton Warehouse Clayton Coast Division Office Columbus Fleet Cornelia Corporate Fleet Garage Corporate Headquarters Corporate Warehouse Crist Electric Generating Plant Dadeville Warehouse Dalton Demopolis Warehouse Dublin Duluth E.C. Gaston Fleet Garage EC Gaston Electric Generating Plant Eight Mile Warehouse Electric Vehicle Center Ellijay Enterprise Engineering Office Enterprise Warehouse Eufaula Control Center Eufaula Corporate Office Eufaula Distribution/Subs Warehouse Eufaula Engineering Office Eufaula Garage Eufaula Warehouse Evans Facilities Office Farley Fleet Garage Farley Nuclear Plant Warehouse Fayette Warehouse Florala local office Forest Park - Investment Recovery Warehouse Forest Park Fleet Gadsden Electric Generating Plant Gadsden Garage Gadsden Warehouse Gainesville Gardendale Business Office Gardendale Warehouse General Office General Warehouse Goat Rock / Franklin Goodwater Trans/Subs Warehouse Gorgas Electric Generating Plant Gorgas Steam Plant Fleet Garage Greene Co. Electric Generating Plant Greensboro Office Greenville Engineering Office Greenville Warehouse GSC 1 Materials Distribution Center GSC 12 GSC 1B - Heavy Haul GSC 2 Maintenance GSC 3 Garage (Fleet) GSC 3 PDC Garage GSC 4 General Shops GSC 5 Instrument Service Center GSC 6 - Test Lab GSC 6 PD Construction GSC 6A Transmission Lines Warehouse GSC 7 Civil GSC 8 Environmental GSC 9 Training Gulf Power Corporate Office Haleyville Warehouse Harris Dam Harris Shoreline Office Hartwell Hawkinsville Headland Office Headland Warehouse Heflin Henry Dam Hinesville Holt Dam Hoover / Patton Chapel Warehouse Hueytown Office Hueytown Warehouse Investment Recovery Irvington Warehouse Jackson Mobile Division Jacksonville DS Jacksonville Office Jasper Garage Jasper Warehouse Jesup Jordan Dam Kemper County Project Kingsland Lawrenceville Lay Dam Logan Martin Dam Macon Fleet Center Manchester Martin Dam Material Distribution Center Meter Shop Metro-South Business Office (Pelham) Milledgeville Miller Electric Generating Plant Miller Fleet Minola Fleet Center Mitchell Dam Mobile Division Corporate Office Mobile Garage Mobile Subs Michigan Ave Mobile Transmission Michigan Ave Mobile Warehouse Michigan Ave. Monroeville Warehouse Montgomery Dickinson Warehouse Montgomery DOC Montgomery Garage Montgomery Gunter Park Warehouse Montgomery Warehouse - 5th & Ann Neely Henry Dam Neely Henry Lakeshore Office Newnan Noah's Ark North Cobb North Fulton North Shallowford Oak Grove / Sylacauga Warehouse Oakley Industrial (Fulton) Oconee Land Office Oleander Oneonta Warehouse Ozark Warehouse / Engineering Office Pelham ULCS Yard Pell City Warehouse Phenix City Warehouse Plant Daniel Plant Eaton Plant Hammond Plant Harris Plant Hatch Plant McDonough Plant Sweatt Plant Vogtle Plant Watson Plant West Georgia Ponce Fleet Center Powell Avenue Power Delivery Line Construction Power Delivery Subs Prattville Warehouse PSDF - Wilsonville Records Retention Center Reform Warehouse Riley Farm Roanoke Warehouse Rome Fleet Center Sands Place (Smyrna) Savannah Savannah FSC Schillinger Road Warehouse Schillinger Warehouse Scholz Electric Generating Plant Selma Engineering Office Selma Warehouse Smith Dam Smith Electric Generating Plant Smith Lake Shoreline Office SNC Corporate Headquaters Southern Company Services Southern Division Office Southern Power St. Simons Statesboro Storm Restoration Substations Talladega Warehouse Tallassee Engineering Office Tallassee Warehouse Theodore CoGen Thomasville Warehouse Thomson Thurlow Dam Tifton Trussville Warehouse Tucker Tuscaloosa Garage Tuscaloosa Warehouse Valdosta Fleet Center Valley Engineering Office Valley Warehouse Vidalia Wallace Dam Wansley Sealed Bid Washington Co. / McIntosh CoGen Waycross Weiss Dam Weiss Lakeshore Mgt. Office Wetumpka Local Office Wetumpka Warehouse Winder Winfield Warehouse Yates Dam

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Southern Company

November 15, 2017

If you think you are not leading a happy life or you only experience happiness on rare occasions, here are some things that may help you live a happier life. You might even realize that what you are doing right

September 10, 2017

How Common Is Depression? The following depression statistics present a look at the scope of depression and how it affects adult men and women. Depression Statistics Depression is a common emotional disorder affecting about 7% (13-14 million people) in any

September 6, 2017

Coping With Mental Illness W r told tht mental illnesses occur bu f ur genes, ur upbringing, ur personality, ur temperament, ur lifestyle nd w n d nthng but them. Stress r n stress w r told, f w hv

August 24, 2017

How To Help Someone With Clinical Depression Clinical depression is one of the major causes of suicide in the United States, and suicide is the third leading cause of death. This means that even if you did not suffer from

August 24, 2017

What Is Social Anxiety Disorder Symptoms n vary. Sm individuals m nl suffer frm specific fear uh eating r drinking, speaking, r writing f thr r rund r watching. Sm people hv fear r gng t th

August 24, 2017

Anxiety Disorder Signs Many of the most common anxiety disorders, such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or Social Anxiety Disorder, are well known. This, naturally, may lead people who suffer with anxiety or their nerves to wonder if they themselves are

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I just can't imagine one thing about me that's good or positive. I really don't know how to find things like this. How do I find them?

One good thing about you is that you are doing introspection. You have identified something about yourself and now you are not only thinking about how to improve that, but also asking for advice. It's a big positive that you are able to say, "If I don't know the answer, I'll ask for advice." That's a start, and it's all you need. You've already proven that there is at least that one thing. The biggest step is to go from 0 to 1. Now keep going. I'm sure that, if you're honest, you'll find at least a dozen positives before the day is through.

I want people to like me for who I am. My friends don't accept me any more, and I feel like I have lost the person I used to be. How do I refresh myself?

Angellise

If your friends don't like you for who you are, than they are not your friends. To give yourself a fresh start, figure out what you're good at and what you enjoy and look for new friends who share your interests and find you interesting. Be 100 percent real and be nice to everyone. Be confident and bold.

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How to Be Okay with Being You: 15 Steps (with Pictures ...

Theravda (Pali, literally "school of the elder monks") is a branch of Buddhism that uses the Buddha's teaching preserved in the Pli Canon as its doctrinal core. The Pali canon is the only complete Buddhist canon which survives in a classical Indic Language, Pali, which serves as the sacred language and lingua franca of Theravada Buddhism.[1] Another feature of Theravada is that it tends to be very conservative about matters of doctrine and monastic discipline.[2] As a distinct sect, Theravada Buddhism developed in Sri Lanka and spread to the rest of Southeast Asia.

Theravada also includes a rich diversity of traditions and practices that have developed over its long history of interactions with varying cultures and religious communities. It is the dominant form of religion in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, and is practiced by minority groups in India, Bangladesh, China, Nepal, Philippines and Vietnam. In addition, the diaspora of all of these groups as well as converts around the world practice Theravda Buddhism. Contemporary expressions include Buddhist modernism, the Vipassana movement and the Thai Forest Tradition.

Theravda Buddhism is followed by countries and people around the globe, and is:

Today, Theravda Buddhists, otherwise known as Theravadins, number over 150 million worldwide, and during the past few decades Theravda Buddhism has begun to take root in the West[a] and in the Buddhist revival in India.[web 2]

The name Theravda comes[b] from the ancestral Sthvirya, one of the early Buddhist schools, from which the Theravadins claim descent. After unsuccessfully trying to modify the Vinaya, a small group of "elderly members", i.e. sthaviras, broke away from the majority Mahsghika during the Second Buddhist council, giving rise to the Sthavira sect.[3] According to its own accounts, the Theravda school is fundamentally derived from the Vibhajjavda "doctrine of analysis" grouping,[4] which was a division of the Sthvirya.

Buddhists from the Indian mainland appear originally to have regarded the Buddhists of Lak as simply the 'Lak school', thus Vasubandhu writing in the fourth century cites the notion of the bhavga-vijna of the Tmraparya-nikya as a forerunner of the laya-vijna. But beginning with Yijings account of his travels in India (671695 ce ) and Vintadevas eighth-century summary of the divisions of the Buddhist schools (Samaya-bhedoparacana- cakra-nikya-bhedopadarana-cakra), we find north Indian sources describing the Buddhist Sagha as comprising four nikyas: (1) the Mahsghikas, (2) the Sthviras, (3) the Sarvstivdins, and (4) the Samatyas. Significantly, the Sthviras in turn comprise three sub-nikyas: the Jetavanyas, the Abhayagirivsins, and the Mahvihravsins. The Buddhists of Lak are thus no longer regarded as the Lak school, they are the Sthviras, despite the fact that both the Sarvstivdins and the Samatyas were also understood as tracing their lineage to the Sthvira side of the original split with the Mahsghikas. The reason for referring to the three Buddhist nikyas of Lak as the Sthviras is probably not so much a recognition of an exclusive claim to be the authentic theravda, as a reflection of the simple fact that the Lak schools alone of the various Sthvira schools continued to refer to themselves as theriya or theravda in certain contexts.[5]

According to Damien Keown, there is no historical evidence that the Theravda school arose until around two centuries after the Great Schism which occurred at the Third Council.[6] Theravadin accounts of its own origins mention that it received the teachings that were agreed upon during the putative Third Buddhist council under the patronage of the Indian Emperor Ashoka around 250 BCE. These teachings were known as the Vibhajjavada.[7] Emperor Ashoka is supposed to have assisted in purifying the sangha by expelling monks who failed to agree to the terms of Third Council.[8] The elder monk Moggaliputta-Tissa was at the head of the Third council and compiled the Kathavatthu (Points of Controversy), a refutation of various opposing views which is an important work in the Theravada Abhidhamma.

Later, the Vibhajjavdins in turn is said to have split into four groups: the Mahsaka, Kyapya, Dharmaguptaka, and the Tmraparya.

The Theravda is said to be descended from the Tmraparya sect, which means "the Sri Lankan lineage". Missionaries sent abroad from India are said to have included Ashoka's son Mahinda (who studied under Moggaliputta-Tissa) and his daughter Sanghamitta, and they were the mythical founders of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, a story which scholars suggest helps to legitimize Theravda's claims of being the oldest and most authentic school.[8] According to the Mahavamsa chronicle their arrival in Sri Lanka is said to have been during the reign of Devanampiya Tissa of Anuradhapura (307 BCE to 267 BCE) who converted to Buddhism and helped build the first Buddhist stupas. According to S.D. Bandaranayake:

"The rapid spread of Buddhism and the emergence of an extensive organization of the sangha are closely linked with the secular authority of the central state...There are no known artistic or architectural remains from this epoch except for the cave dwellings of the monks, reflecting the growth and spread of the new religion. The most distinctive features of this phase and virtually the only contemporary historical material, are the numerous Brahmi inscriptions associated with these caves. They record gifts to the sangha, significantly by householders and chiefs rather than by kings. The Buddhist religion itself does not seem to have established undisputed authority until the reigns of Dutthagamani and Vattagamani (ca mid-2nd century BCE to mid-1st century BCE)..."[9]

The first records of Buddha images come from the reign of king Vasabha (65-109 BCE), and after the 3rd century AD the historical record shows a growth of the worship of Buddha images as well as Bodhisattvas.[9]

In the 7th century, the Chinese pilgrim monks Xuanzang and Yijing refer to the Buddhist schools in Sri Lanka as Shngzub (Chinese: ), corresponding to the Sanskrit Sthavira nikya and Pali Thera Nikya.[10]Yijing writes, "In Sri Lanka the Sthavira school alone flourishes; the Mahasanghikas are expelled".[11]

The school has been using the name Theravda for itself in a written form since at least the 4th century, about one thousand years after the Buddha's death, when the term appears in the Dpavasa.[12][need quotation to verify]

According to Buddhist scholar A. K. Warder, the Theravda

... spread rapidly south from Avanti into Maharashtra and Andhra and down to the Chola country (Kanchi), as well as Sri Lanka. For some time they maintained themselves in Avanti as well as in their new territories, but gradually they tended to regroup themselves in the south, the Great Vihara (Mahavihara) in Anuradhapura, the ancient capital of Sri Lanka, becoming the main centre of their tradition, Kanchi a secondary center and the northern regions apparently relinquished to other schools.

Between the reigns of Sena I (833-853) and Mahinda IV (956-972), the city of Anuradhapura saw a "colossal building effort" by various kings during a long period of peace and prosperity, the great part of the present architectural remains in this city date from this period.[14]

The Sri Lankan Buddhist Sangha initially preserved the Buddhist scriptures (the Tipitaka) orally as it had been traditionally done, however during the first century BCE, famine and wars led to the writing down of these scriptures. The Sri Lankan chronicle The Mahavamsa records:

"Formerly clever monks preserved the text of the Canon and its commentaries orally, but then, when they saw the disastrous state of living beings, they came together and had it written down in books, that the doctrine might long survive."[15]

According to Richard Gombrich this is "the earliest record we have of Buddhist scriptures being committed to writing anywhere."[15] The Theravada Pali texts which have survived (with only a few exceptions) are derived from the Mahavihara (monastic complex) of Anuradhapura, the ancient Sri Lankan capital.[16]

Later developments included the formation and recording of the Theravada commentary literature (Atthakatha). The Theravada tradition records that even during the early days of Mahinda, there was already a tradition of Indian commentaries on the scriptures.[17] Prior to the writing of the classic Theravada Pali commentaries, there were also various commentaries on the Tipitaka written in the Sinhalese language, such as the Maha-atthakatha ("Great commentary"), the main commentary tradition of the Mahavihara monks.[18]

Of great importance to the commentary tradition is the work of the great Theravada scholastic Buddhaghosa (4-5th century CE), who is responsible for most of the Theravada commentary literature that has survived (any older commentaries have been lost). Buddhaghosa wrote in Pali, and after him, most Sri Lankan Buddhist scholastics did as well.[19] This allowed the Sri Lankan tradition to become more international through a lingua franca so as to converse with monks in India and later Southeast Asia.

Theravada monks also produced other Pali literature such as historical chronicles (e.g. Mahavamsa), hagiographies, practice manuals, summaries, textbooks, poetry and Abhidhamma works such as the Abhidhammattha-sangaha and the Abhidhammavatara. Buddhaghosa's work on Abhidhamma and Buddhist practice outlined in works such as the Visuddhimagga and the Atthasalini are the most influential texts apart from the Pali Canon texts themselves in the Theravada tradition. Other Theravada Pali commentators and writers include Dhammapala and Buddhadatta. Dhammapala wrote commentaries on the Pali Canon texts which Buddhaghosa had omitted and also wrote a commentary called the Paramathamanjusa on Buddhaghosa's great manual, the Visuddhimagga.

Over much of the early history of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, three subdivisions of Theravda existed in Sri Lanka, consisting of the monks of the Mahvihra, Abhayagiri vihra and Jetavana.[20] The Mahvihra was the first tradition to be established, while Abhayagiri Vihra and Jetavana Vihra were established by monks who had broken away from the Mahvihra tradition.[20] According to A.K. Warder, the Indian Mahsaka sect also established itself in Sri Lanka alongside the Theravda, into which they were later absorbed.[20] Northern regions of Sri Lanka also seem to have been ceded to sects from India at certain times.[20]

When the Chinese monk Faxian visited the island in the early 5th century, he noted 5000 monks at Abhayagiri, 3000 at the Mahvihra, and 2000 at the Cetiyapabbatavihra.[22]

The Mahavihara (Great Monastery) school became dominant in Sri Lanka at the beginning of the 2nd millennium CE and gradually spread through mainland Southeast Asia. It was established in Myanmar in the late 11th century, in Thailand in the 13th and early 14th centuries, and in Cambodia and Laos by the end of the 14th century. Although Mahavihara never completely replaced other schools in Southeast Asia, it received special favor at most royal courts. This is due to the support it received from local elites, who exerted a very strong religious and social influence. [23]

Theravada, a group of monks who disagreed with the Mahavihara way, decided to rebel and form their own alliance group. Mahavihara was essential to Theravada, because it was in fact the center of Theravada Buddhism. It was responsible for the development of Sri Lankan people, based off their religious beliefs and acceptable lifestyle. In the religious sense of Theravada, there are no further subdivisions, if Mahavihara does not cease to exist. [24]

Over the centuries, the Abhayagiri Theravdins maintained close relations with Indian Buddhists and adopted many new teachings from India.[25] including many elements from Mahyna teachings, while the Jetavana Theravdins adopted Mahyna to a lesser extent.[22][26]

Xuanzang wrote of two major divisions of Theravda in SriLanka, referring to the Abhayagiri tradition as the "Mahyna Sthaviras", and the Mahvihra tradition as the "Hnayna Sthaviras".[27] Xuanzang further writes:[22]

The Mahvihravsins reject the Mahyna and practise the Hnayna, while the Abhayagirivihravsins study both Hnayna and Mahyna teachings and propagate the Tripiaka.

Akira Hirakawa notes that the surviving Pli commentaries (Ahakath) of the Mahvihra school, when examined closely, also include a number of positions that agree with Mahyna teachings.[28] Kalupahana notes the same for the Visuddhimagga, the most important Theravda commentary.

It is known that in the 8thcentury, both Mahyna and the esoteric Vajrayna form of Buddhism were being practised in SriLanka, and two Indian monks responsible for propagating Esoteric Buddhism in China, Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra, visited the island during this time.[30] Abhayagiri Vihra appears to have been a center for Theravadin Mahyna and Vajrayna teachings.[31]

Some scholars have held that the rulers of SriLanka ensured that Theravda remained traditional, and that this characteristic contrasts with Indian Buddhism.[32] However, before the 12thcentury, more rulers of SriLanka gave support and patronage to the Abhayagiri Theravdins, and travelers such as Faxian saw the Abhayagiri Theravdins as the main Buddhist tradition in SriLanka.[33][34]

The trend of the Abhayagiri Vihara being the dominant sect changed in the 12thcentury, when the Mahvihra sect gained the political support of ParakramabahuI (11531186), who completely abolished the Abhayagiri and Jetavanin traditions.[35][36] The Theravda monks of these two traditions were then defrocked and given the choice of either returning to the laity permanently, or attempting reordination under the Mahvihra tradition as "novices" (smaera).[36][37]Richard Gombrich writes:[38]

Though the chronicle says that he reunited the Sangha, this expression glosses over the fact that what he did was to abolish the Abhayagiri and Jetavana Nikyas. He laicized many monks from the Mah Vihra Nikya, all the monks in the other two and then allowed the better ones among the latter to become novices in the now 'unified' Sangha, into which they would have in due course to be reordained.

Regarding the differences between these three Theravda traditions, the Cavasa laments, "Despite the vast efforts made in every way by former kings down to the present day, the Bhikkhus turned away in their demeanor from one another and took delight in all kinds of strife."[39]

Parakkamabhu I rebuilt the ancient cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, restoring Buddhist stupas and Viharas (monasteries).[40] He appointed a Sangharaja, or "King of the Sangha", a monk who would preside over the Sangha and its ordinations in Sri Lanka, assisted by two deputies.[38] The reign of Parakkamabhu also saw a flowering of Theravada scholasticism with the work of prominent Sri Lankan scholars such as Anuruddha, Sriputta Thera, Mahkassapa Thera of Dimbulagala Vihara and Moggallana Thera.[40] They worked on compiling of subcommentaries on the Tipitaka, texts on grammar, summaries and textbooks on Abhidhamma and Vinaya such as the influential Abhidhammattha-sangaha of Anuruddha.

A few years after the arrival of Mahinda, the bhikkhu Saghamitt, who is also believed to have been the daughter of Ashoka, came to Sri Lanka. She ordained the first nuns in Sri Lanka. In 429, by request of China's emperor, nuns from Anuradhapura were sent to China to establish the order there, which subsequently spread across East Asia. The prtimoka of the nun's order in East Asian Buddhism is the Dharmaguptaka, which is different than the prtimoka of the current Theravada school; the specific ordination of the early Sangha in Sri Lanka not known, although the Dharmaguptaka sect originated with the Sthvirya as well.

The nun's order subsequently died out in Sri Lanka in the 11th century and in Burma in the 13th century. It had already died out around the 10th century in other Theravadin areas. Novice ordination has also disappeared in those countries. Therefore, women who wish to live as renunciates in those countries must do so by taking eight or ten precepts. Neither laywomen nor formally ordained, these women do not receive the recognition, education, financial support or status enjoyed by Buddhist men in their countries. These "precept-holders" live in Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, and Thailand. In particular, the governing council of Burmese Buddhism has ruled that there can be no valid ordination of women in modern times, though some Burmese monks disagree. Japan is a special case as, although it has neither the bhikkhuni nor novice ordinations, the precept-holding nuns who live there do enjoy a higher status and better education than their precept-holder sisters elsewhere, and can even become Zen priests.[41] In Tibet there is currently no bhikkhuni ordination, but the Dalai Lama has authorized followers of the Tibetan tradition to be ordained as nuns in traditions that have such ordination.

In 1996, 11 selected Sri Lankan women were ordained fully as Theravada bhikkhunis by a team of Theravda monks in concert with a team of Korean nuns in India. There is disagreement among Theravda vinaya authorities as to whether such ordinations are valid. The Dambulla chapter of the Siam Nikaya in Sri Lanka also carried out a nun's ordination at this time, specifically stating their ordination process was a valid Theravadin process where the other ordination session was not. This chapter has carried out ordination ceremonies for hundreds of nuns since then.[citation needed] This has been criticized by leading figures in the Siam Nikaya and Amarapura Nikaya, and the governing council of Buddhism in Myanmar has declared that there can be no valid ordination of nuns in modern times, though some Burmese monks disagree with this.[43]

In 1997 Dhamma Cetiya Vihara in Boston was founded by Ven. Gotami of Thailand, then a 10 precept nun; when she received full ordination in 2000, her dwelling became America's first Theravada Buddhist bhikkhuni vihara.

A 55-year-old Thai Buddhist 8-precept white-robed maechee nun, Varanggana Vanavichayen, became the first woman to receive the going-forth ceremony of a Theravada novice (and the gold robe) in Thailand, in 2002.[44] On February 28, 2003, Dhammananda Bhikkhuni, formerly known as Chatsumarn Kabilsingh, became the first Thai woman to receive bhikkhuni ordination as a Theravada nun.[45] Dhammananda Bhikkhuni was ordained in Sri Lanka.[46] The Thai Senate has reviewed and revoked the secular law passed in 1928 banning women's full ordination in Buddhism as unconstitutional for being counter to laws protecting freedom of religion. However Thailand's two main Theravada Buddhist orders, the Mahanikaya and Dhammayutika Nikaya, have yet to officially accept fully ordained women into their ranks.

In 2009 in Australia four women received bhikkhuni ordination as Theravada nuns, the first time such ordination had occurred in Australia.[47] It was performed in Perth, Australia, on 22 October 2009 at Bodhinyana Monastery. Abbess Vayama together with Venerables Nirodha, Seri, and Hasapanna were ordained as Bhikkhunis by a dual Sangha act of Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis in full accordance with the Pali Vinaya.[48]

In 2010, in the USA, four novice nuns were given the full bhikkhuni ordination in the Thai Theravada tradition, which included the double ordination ceremony. Henepola Gunaratana and other monks and nuns were in attendance. It was the first such ordination ever in the Western hemisphere.[49]

The first bhikkhuni ordination in Germany, the ordination of German woman Samaneri Dhira, occurred on June 21, 2015 at Anenja Vihara.[50]

In Indonesia, the first Theravada ordination of bhikkhunis in Indonesia after more than a thousand years occurred in 2015 at Wisma Kusalayani in Lembang, Bandung in West Java.[51] Those ordained included Vajiradevi Sadhika Bhikkhuni from Indonesia, Medha Bhikkhuni from Sri Lanka, Anula Bhikkhuni from Japan, Santasukha Santamana Bhikkhuni from Vietnam, Sukhi Bhikkhuni and Sumangala Bhikkhuni from Malaysia, and Jenti Bhikkhuni from Australia.[51]

According to the Mahavamsa, a Sri Lankan chronicle, after the conclusion of the Third Buddhist council, a mission was sent to Suvarnabhumi, led by two monks, Sona and Uttara.[52] Scholarly opinions differ as to where exactly this land of Suvarnabhumi was located, but it is generally believed to have been located somewhere in the area of Lower Burma, Thailand, the Malay Peninsula, or Sumatra.

Before the 12th century, the areas of Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia were dominated by Buddhist sects from India, and included the teachings of Mahyna Buddhism.[53][54] In the 7th century, Yijing noted in his travels that in these areas, all major sects of Indian Buddhism flourished.[53]

Though there are some early accounts that have been interpreted as Theravda in Myanmar, the surviving records show that most Burmese Buddhism incorporated Mahyna, and used Sanskrit rather than Pali.[54][55][56] After the decline of Buddhism in India, missions of monks from Sri Lanka gradually converted Burmese Buddhism to Theravda, and in the next two centuries also brought Theravda Buddhism to the areas of Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia, where it supplanted previous forms of Buddhism.[57]

The Mon and Pyu were among the earliest people to inhabit Myanmar. The oldest surviving Buddhist texts in the Pali language come from Pyu city-state of Sri Ksetra, the text which is dated from the mid 5th to mid 6th century is written on twenty-leaf manuscript of solid gold.[58] According to Peter Skilling: "From the point of view of both language and contents, I conclude that the Pali inscriptions of Burma and Siam give firm evidence for a Theravadin presence in the Irrawaddy and Chao Phraya basins, from about the 5th century CE onwards. From the extent and richness of the evidence it seems that the Theravada was the predominant school, and that it enjoyed the patronage of ruling and economic elites. But I do not mean to suggest that religious society was monolithic: other schools may well have been present, or have come and gone, and there is ample evidence for the practice of Mahayana and Brahmanism in the region."[59]

The Burmese slowly became Theravdan as they came into contact and conquered the Pyu and Mon civilizations. This began in the 11th century during the reign of the Bamar king Anawrahta (1044-1077) of the Pagan Kingdom who acquired the Pali scriptures in a war against the Mon as well as from Sri Lanka and build stupas and monasteries at his capital of Bagan.[60] Various invasions of Burma by neighboring states and the Mongol invasions of Burma (13th century) damaged the Burmese sangha and Theravada had to be reintroduced several times into the country from Sri Lanka and Thailand.

The Khmer Empire (8021431) centered in Cambodia was initially dominated by Hinduism, Hindu ceremonies and rituals were performed by Brahmins, usually only held among ruling elites of the king's family, nobles, and the ruling class. Tantric Mahayana Buddhism was also a prominent faith, promoted by Buddhist emperors such as Jayavarman VII (11811215) who rejected the Hindu gods and presented himself as a Bodhisattva King.

King Jayavarman VII (reigned c.11811218) had sent his son Tamalinda to Sri Lanka to be ordained as a Buddhist monk and study Theravada Buddhism according to the Pali scriptural traditions in the Mahavihara monastery. Tamalinda then returned to Cambodia and promoted Buddhist traditions according to the Theravada training he had received, galvanizing and energizing the long-standing Theravada presence that had existed throughout the Angkor empire for centuries. During the 13th and 14th centuries, Theravada monks from Sri Lanka continued introducing orthodox Theravada Buddhism which eventually became the dominant faith among all classes.[61] The monasteries replaced the local priestly classes, becoming centers of religion, education, culture and social service for Cambodian villages. This led to high levels of literacy among Cambodians.[62]

In Thailand, Theravada existed alongside Mahayana and other religious sects before the rise of Sukhothai Kingdom.[63] During the reign of King Ram Khamhaeng (c. 1237/1247 1298) Theravada was made the main state religion and promoted by the king.

During the pre-modern era, Southeast Asian Buddhism included numerous elements which could be called tantric and esoteric (such as the use of mantras and yantras in elaborate rituals). The French scholar Franois Bizot has called this "Tantric Theravada", and his textual studies show that it was a major tradition in Cambodia and Thailand.[64] Some of these practices are still prevalent in Cambodia and Laos today.

Despite its success in Southeast Asia, Theravda Buddhism in China has generally been limited to areas bordering Theravda countries.

Later Theravada textual materials show new and somewhat unorthodox developments in theory and practice. These developments include what has been called the "Yogvacara tradition" associated with the Sinhalese Yogvacara's manual (c. 16th to 17th centuries) and also Esoteric Theravada also known as Born kammahna ('ancient practices'). These traditions include new practices and ideas which are not included in classical orthodox Theravada works like the Visuddhimagga, such as the use of mantras (such as Araham), the practice of magical formulas, complex rituals and complex visualization exercises.[65][66] These practices were particularly prominent in the Siam Nikaya before the modernist reforms of King Rama IV (18511868) as well as in Sri Lanka.

In the 19th century began a process of mutual influence of both Asian Theravadins and a Western audience interested in ancient wisdom. Especially Helena Blavatsky and Henry Steel Olcott, founders of the Theosophical Society had a profound role in this process. In Theravda countries a lay vipassana practice developed. From the 1970s on, Western interest gave way to the growth of the Vipassana movement in the West.

Buddhist revivalism has also reacted against changes in Buddhism caused by colonialist regimes. Western colonialists and Christian missionaries deliberately imposed a particular type of Christian monasticism on Buddhist clergy in Sri Lanka and colonies in Southeast Asia, restricting monks' activities to individual purification and temple ministries.[68] Prior to British colonial control, monks in both Sri Lanka and Burma had been responsible for the education of the children of lay people, and had produced large bodies of literature. After the British takeover, Buddhist temples were strictly administered and were only permitted to use their funds on strictly religious activities. Christian ministers were given control of the education system and their pay became state funding for missions.[69]

Foreign, especially British, rule had an enervating effect on the sangha.[70] According to Walpola Rahula, Christian missionaries displaced and appropriated the educational, social, and welfare activities of the monks, and inculcated a permanent shift in views regarding the proper position of monks in society through their institutional influence upon the elite.[70] Many monks in post-colonial times have dedicated themselves to undoing these changes.[71] Movements intending to restore Buddhism's place in society have developed in both Sri Lanka and Myanmar.[72]

One consequence of the reaction against Western colonialism has been a modernization of Theravda Buddhism: Western elements have been incorporated, and meditation practice has opened to a lay audience. Modernized forms of Theravdan practice have spread to the West.

In Sri Lanka Theravadins were looking at Western culture to find means to revitalize their own tradition. Christian missionaries were threatening the indigenous culture. As a reaction to this, Theravadins started to propagate Theravda Buddhism. They were aided by the Theosophical Society, who were dedicated to the search for wisdom within ancient sources, including Buddhism and the Pli Canon. Anagarika Dharmapala was one of the Theravda leaders with whom the Theosophists sided. Dharmapala tried to reinstate vipassan, using the Visuddhimagga and the Pali Canon as a foundation. Dharmapala reached out to the middle classes, offering them religious practice and a religious identity, which were used to withstand the British imperialists. As a result of Dharmapapla's efforts lay practitioners started to practise meditation, which had been reserved specifically for the monks.

The translation and publication of the Pli Canon by the Pali Text Society made the Pali Canon better available to a lay audience, not only in the West, but also in the East. Western lay interest in Theravda Buddhism was promoted by the Theosophical Society, and endured until the beginning of the 20th century. During the 1970s interest rose again, leading to a surge of Westerners searching for enlightenment, and the republishing of the Pli Canon, first in print, and later on the internet.

With the coming to power in 1851 of King Mongkut, who had been a monk himself for twenty-seven years, the sangha, like the kingdom, became steadily more centralized and hierarchical, and its links to the state more institutionalized. Mongkut was a distinguished scholar of Pali Buddhist scripture. Moreover, at that time the immigration of numbers of monks from Burma was introducing the more rigorous discipline characteristic of the Mon sangha. Influenced by the Mon and guided by his own understanding of the Tipitaka, Mongkut began a reform movement that later became the basis for the Dhammayuttika Nikaya.

In the early 1900s, Thailand's Ajahn Sao Kantaslo and his student, Mun Bhuridatta, led the Thai Forest Tradition revival movement. In the 20th century notable practitioners included Ajahn Thate, Ajahn Maha Bua and Ajahn Chah. It was later spread globally by Ajahn Mun's students including Ajahn Thate, Ajahn Maha Bua and Ajahn Chah and several Western disciples, among whom the most senior is Luang Por Ajahn Sumedho.

Burmese Theravda Buddhism has had a profound influence on modern vipassan practice, both for lay practitioners in Asia as in the West.

The "New Burmese method" was developed by U Nrada and popularized by his student Mahasi Sayadaw and Nyanaponika Thera. Another prominent teacher is Bhikkhu Bodhi, a student of Nyanaponika. The New Burmese Method strongly emphasizes vipassan over samatha. It is regarded as a simplification of traditional Buddhist meditation techniques, suitable not only for monks but also for lay practitioners. The method has been popularized in the West by teachers as Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield, Tara Brach, Gil Fronsdal and Sharon Salzberg.

The Ledi lineage begins with Ledi Sayadaw.S. N. Goenka is a well-known teacher in the Ledi-lineage. According to S. N. Goenka, vipassana techniques are essentially nonsectarian in character, and have universal application. Meditation centers teaching the vipassan popularized by S. N. Goenka exist now in India, Asia, North and South America, Europe, Australia, Middle East and Africa.[77][citation needed]

The following modern trends or movements have been identified.[78][web 4]

The Sthvirya, from which Theravda is derived, differed from other early Buddhist schools on a variety of teachings that are maintained by the Theravda school.[citation needed] The differences resulted from the systemization of the Buddhist teachings, which was preserved in the abhidharmas of the various schools.

The abhidhamma is "a restatement of the doctrine of the Buddha in strictly formalised language [...] assumed to constitute a consistent system of philosophy". Its aim is not the empirical verification of the Buddhist teachings, but "to set forth the correct interpretation of the Buddha's statements in the Sutra to restate his 'system' with perfect accuracy".

The Mahsghika believed arhats could regress, while Theravadins believe that the arhat has an "incorruptible nature".

According to the Theravda, "progress in understanding comes all at once, 'insight' (abhisamaya) does not come 'gradually' (successively - anapurva)", a belief known as subitism. This is reflected in the Theravda account on the four stages of enlightenment, in which the attainment of the four paths appears suddenly and the defilements are rooted out at once. The same stance is taken in the contemporary vipassana movement, especially the "New Burmese Method".[citation needed]

The commentaries gave a new definition of "a 'principle' or 'element' (dharma)":

[D]harmas are what have (or 'hold', 'maintain', dhr is the nearest equivalent in the language to the English 'have') their own own-being (svabhava). It is added that they naturally (yathasvabhavatas) have this through conditions (pratyaya). The idea is that they are distinct, definable, principles in the constitution of the universe."

Theravda promotes the concept of vibhajjavda "teaching of analysis". This doctrine says that insight must come from the aspirant's experience, application of knowledge, and critical reasoning. However, the scriptures of the Theravadin tradition also emphasize heeding the advice of the wise, considering such advice and evaluation of one's own experiences to be the two tests by which practices should be judged.

Theravda orthodoxy takes the seven stages of purification as its basic outline of the path to be followed.

The Theravda Path starts with learning, to be followed by practise, culminating in the realization of Nirvana.[c]

Throughout the Pali Canon, two characteristics of all sakhra (conditioned phenomena) and one characteristic of all dhammas are mentioned. The Theravda tradition has grouped them together. Insight into these three characteristics is the entry to the Buddhist path:

The Four Noble Truths are described as follows:

In Theravda, the cause of human existence and suffering (dukkha) is identified as tah (craving), which carries with it the kilesas (defilements). Those defilements that bind humans to the cycle of rebirth are classified into a set of ten fetters, while those defilements - sometimes referred to in English as "toxic mental states" - that impede samadhi (concentration) are presented in a fivefold set called the five hindrances.[web 5] The level of defilement can be coarse, medium, and subtle. It is a phenomenon that frequently arises, remains temporarily and then vanishes. Theravadins believe defilements are not only harmful to oneself, but also harmful to others. They are the driving force behind all inhumanities a human being can commit.

There are three stages of defilements. During the stage of passivity the defilements lie dormant at the base of the mental continuum as latent tendencies (anusaya), but through the impact of sensory stimulus, they will manifest (pariyutthana) themselves at the surface of consciousness in the form of unwholesome thoughts, emotions, and volitions. If they gather additional strength, the defilements will reach the dangerous stage of transgression (vitikkama), which will then involve physical or vocal actions.

Theravadins believe these defilements are habits born out of avijj (ignorance) that afflict the minds of all unenlightened beings, who cling to them and their influence in their ignorance of the truth. But in reality, those mental defilements are nothing more than taints that have afflicted the mind, creating suffering and stress. Unenlightened beings cling to the body, under the assumption that it represents a Self, whereas in reality the body is an impermanent phenomenon formed from the mahbhta. Often characterized by earth, water, fire and air, in the early Buddhist texts these are defined to be abstractions representing the sensorial qualities solidity, fluidity, temperature, and mobility, respectively.[d]

The mental defilements' frequent instigation and manipulation of the mind is believed to have prevented the mind from seeing the true nature of reality. Unskillful behavior in turn can strengthen the defilements, but following the Noble Eightfold Path can weaken or eradicate them. Avijj is destroyed by insight.

The concept of cause and effect, or causality, is a key concept in Theravda, and indeed, in Buddhism as a whole. This concept is expressed in several ways, including the Four Noble Truths, and most importantly, paticcasamuppda (dependent co-arising).

Abhidharma in the Pali Canon differentiates between a root cause (hetu) and facilitating cause (pacca). By the combined interaction of both these, an effect is brought about. On top of this view, a logic is built and elaborated whose most supple form can be seen in paticcasamuppda.

This concept is then used to question the nature of suffering and to elucidate the way out of it, as expressed in the Four Noble Truths. It is also employed in several suttas to refute several philosophies, or any belief system that takes a fixed mindset, or absolute beliefs about the nature of reality.

By taking away a cause, the result will also disappear. From this follows the Buddhist path to end suffering and existence in samsara.

Theravda orthodoxy takes the seven stages of purification as the basic outline of the path to be followed. This basic outline is based on the threefold discipline of sla (ethics or discipline), samdhi (meditative concentration) and pa (understanding or wisdom). The emphasis is on understanding the three marks of existence, which removes ignorance. Understanding destroys the ten fetters and leads to nibbana.

Theravadins believe that every individual is personally responsible for their own self-awakening and liberation, as they are the ones that were responsible for their own kamma (actions and consequences). Great emphasis is placed upon applying the knowledge through direct experience and personal realization, than believing about the known information about the nature of reality as said by the Buddha.

In the Sutta Pitaka, the path to liberation is described by the Noble Eightfold Path:

The Blessed One said, "Now what, monks, is the Noble Eightfold Path? Right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.[web 7]

The Noble Eightfold Path can also be summarized as the Three Noble Disciplines.[web 8][89] These are sla, pa, and samdhi.[web 9]

The Visuddhimagga, written in the fifth century by Buddhaghosa, has become the orthodox account of the Theravda path to liberation. It gives a sequence of seven purifications, based on the sequence of sla, samdhi and pa.

It is composed of three sections, which discuss sla, samdhi and paa.

The seven purifications are:

The "Purification by Knowledge and Vision" is the culmination of the practice, in four stages leading to liberation and Nirvana.

The emphasis in this system is on understanding the three marks of existence, dukkha, anatta and anicca. This emphasis is recognizable in the value that is given to vipassan over samatha, especially in the contemporary Vipassana movement.

Theravda Buddhist meditation practices fall into two broad categories: samatha and vipassan.[web 10] This distinction is not made in the sutras, but in the Visuddhimagga.[web 11]

Meditation (Pali: Bhavana) means the positive reinforcement of one's mind. Meditation is the key tool implemented in attaining jhna. Samatha means "to make skillful", and has other renderings, among which are "tranquilizing, calming", "visualizing", and "achieving". Vipassan means "insight" or "abstract understanding". In this context, Samatha Meditation makes a person skillful in concentration of mind. Once the mind is sufficiently concentrated, vipassan allows one to see through the veil of ignorance.

In order to be free from suffering and stress, Theravadins believe that the defilements need to be permanently uprooted. Initially the defilements are restrained through mindfulness to prevent them from taking over mental and bodily action. They are then uprooted through internal investigation, analysis, experience and understanding of their true nature by using jhna. This process needs to be repeated for each and every defilement. The practice will then lead the meditator to realize Nirvana.

Read more from the original source:
Theravada - Wikipedia

Steps

Part 1

1

2

3

Keep some kind of log or journal. This will help you to realize when some events or attitudes repeatedly lead to others. Review your log at decided intervals, such as on new year or on your birthday.

4

Acknowledge when an action is not bringing the desired result. It would be stupid to keep butting your head against a wall to knock it down. But we often do just that in life. A key is to notice when doing something makes you feel bad instead of how you want to feel.

Part 2

1

2

Have a friend interview you on video tape. Remember that witnessing yourself recorded is not for self-criticism but for awareness. View yourself with a compassionate and an unbiased eye.

3

Analyze the feedback. Once you have some feedback and a basic awareness about yourself and people's perceptions of you, you can go about addressing them. You have probably heard of the principle of smiling when you talk on the phone because it carries through the conversation in your voice.

Part 3

1

Take mental notes and snapshots through the day to gauge your progress. The more you think about the behavior you want to change, the more you will be prompted to apply and practice the new behavior. What you may find is that focusing on one aspect will usually tie the rest to it, and when you remember to do the one, they will all be involved. This is the cascading effect, and it is very powerful. You can change once you identify the behavior you want to change.

2

Is self awareness the same as mental awareness?

No, there is some ambiguity. The two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but self awareness relates to a larger concept, of which mental awareness is a part. Mental awareness refers to your mental health, which is much more than the absence of a mental illness. Self awareness includes mental awareness, as well as your social interactions, your physical health, your hopes, fears, dreams and ambitions, and much more.

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In Buddhism one of the Three Characteristics is No-Self (the other two are impermanence and suffering which are closely associated with this). This refers to the illusion of reality having a permanent and separate self.

There is this notion that there is a permanent I or me, which is a separate entity that can be found. The obvious assumption of we are our body sounds good until we look at it and say this is my body, which implies at that moment that whatever owns the body wasnt the body. The observer and the observed; duality denies our body being what we are. It is also in a state of impermanence, and at a sensate level it is made up of energy flickering at a similar rate to reality.

Perhaps thoughts are the I. They may seem more like the true me than the body does. But they come and go and are changing constantly too, as well as the majority of them not being under our control at all. They too arent something solid enough to assume they are the I. The ego is a process of identification with reality (physical and mental phenomena), not a thing in and of itself; it is like a bad habit. Not being a thing, it cannot be destroyed as some people say, but by understanding our bare experience, our mind, the process of identification can stop.

There is also something frequently called the watcher or observer, which is observing all of these phenomena. Strangely, the watcher cant be found either, as it seems to sometimes be our eyes, sometimes not; sometimes its images in our head; sometimes it seems to be our body and sometimes its watching the body. It seems odd that this watcher to which all of this is being perceived by, which seems separate from reality and which seems in control of us is constantly changing and completely unfindable.

One of the biggest clues in solving this mystery is that if we are observing it, then by definition it isnt us. Reality is made up entirely of sensations, and to begin to unravel this mystery is to begin to awaken. Reality with a sense of a separate watcher is a delusion. So who or what is it that awakens?

In short, its all of this transience that awakens! Heres an explanation, keep in mind this is an attempt at summarising something quite complicated.

No-Self teachings directly counter the sense that there is a separate watcher, and that this watcher is us that is in control, observing reality or subject to the tribulations of the world. These teachings stop the process of mentally creating the illusion of a separate self from sensations that are inherently non-dual and utterly transient.

There are physical phenomena (everything we perceive with our senses) and mental phenomena (thoughts, feelings, emotions). These are just phenomena, and all phenomena arent a permanent, separate self as they are completely impermanent and are intimately interdependent. These phenomena arise and pass as we venture through reality, i.e. the sound of a bird singing comes into existence and then dissipates.

There is also awareness of these phenomena, but awareness is not a thing or localised in a particular place, so to even say there is awareness is already a large problem, as it implies separateness and existence of it where none can be found. Awareness is permanent and unchanging, and it is said that all things arise from it, and all things return to it. It could be called God, Nirvana, The Tao, Allah, the present moment, the Buddha nature or just awareness.

While phenomena are in flux from their arising to their passing, there is awareness of them. Thus, awareness is not these phenomena, as it is not a thing, nor is it separate from these objects, as there would be no experience if this were so.

True-Self teachings point out that we actually are all these phenomena, rather than them being seen as observed. As phenomena are observed, they cant possibly be the observer. Thus, the observer, which is awareness, cannot possibly be a phenomenon and thus is not localised and therefore doesnt exist. Duality implies something on both sides: an observer and an observed. However, there is no phenomenal observer, so duality doesnt hold up under careful investigation. When the illusion of duality permanently collapses in awakening, in direct experience, all that is left is these phenomena, which is the True Self.

Theres a great little Buddhist poem by Kalu Rinpoche that sums all this up:

We live in illusion and the appearance of things.

There is a reality, we are that reality.

When you understand this, you will see you are nothing.

And, being nothing, you are everything.

Your life path number can tell you A LOT about you.

With the ancient science of Numerology you can find out accurate and revealing information just from your name and birth date.

Get your free numerology reading and learn more about how you can use numerology in your life to find out more about your path and journey. Get Your free reading.

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One Buddha Teaching That Will Tell ... - Collective Evolution

by Be Scofield

Eckhart Tolles books The Power of Now and A New Earth have not only sold millions of copies and been translated into dozens of languages but theyve earned him the title the most popular spiritual author in the [United States] by The New York Times. Hes gained worldwide popularity amongst the masses and widespread admiration from movie stars, celebrities and famous musicians. Annie Lennox of the Eurhythmics said that he has some kind of special quality that Ive never seen before. One student of his work asked in an online forum, has he appeared in your dreams as well? Oprah included The Power of Now in her 2000 book club, helping to launch it to the number one spot on the NYT book list a few years later. They also teamed up in 2008 to produce a 10-week webinar on the teachings of A New Earth. Millions of people from around the world tuned in for this first of its kind techno-spiritual phenomenon. Never before was so much wisdom instantly accessible and easily understood.

Given the central role Tolle plays in modern spiritual thinking, his ideas have world-wide implications. He is one of many modern day teachers who emphasizes internal transformation as the central most important part of global transformation. As a result he makes quite exaggerated statements about the relationship between a privatized psychological shift and the larger transformation of the planet. His solutions are simplistic and border on irresponsible, especially when so much is at stake. Understanding the details of his spiritual framework and how his personal experience of transformation influenced it sheds light into Tolles thinking.

Awakening

Tolles framework and approach are shaped by a profound awakening experience he had when in his early twenties. After this powerful inner shift Tolle claims to have lived in a state of uninterrupted deep peace and bliss for around five months. He studied spiritual texts, worked with teachers and eventually spent two years in a state of profound joy while sitting on park benches. He was realizing that his shift in thinking had peeled back the layers to reveal the ever-present I am: consciousness in its pure state prior to identification with form. Tolle had discovered something of immense value and was now ready to share it with the world.

Tolles Vision of Social Change

Given the profound nature of Tolles personal awakening and the incredible sense of peace and joy that he felt one can see why he makes a direct link between his own private experience and social transformation. Indeed, if there is a defining theme in his work it is just that: internal spiritual transformation leads to a better, more peaceful and just world. More so, Tolle identifies a shift in the inner world as the only significant factor in social change.

The primary factor in creation is consciousness. No matter how active we are, how much effort we make, our state of consciousness creates our world, and if there is no change on the inner level, no amount of action will make any difference. We would only re-create modified versions of the same world again and again, a world that is an external reflection of the ego.

This line of thinking is problematic. For example if someone were organizing to change the racist institutional structures in society but yet hadnt changed on the inner level Tolle is stating that their work would be futile. Of course people with lots of inner baggage contribute immensely to the transformation of the world and similarly, those who have done years of therapy, are deeply in love with healthy families are responsible for supporting some of the most harmful policies. He proposes that once people awaken to the deepest experience of Being the world will somehow drastically change.

We are not separate from our world, so when the majority of humans become free of egoic delusion, this inner change will affect all of creation. You will literally inhabit a new world. It is a shift in planetary consciousness.

We first need to ask, when one becomes free of egoic delusion what will their positions be on abortion, health care or foreign policy? Wont this new world merely reflect the views of those who describe it, like Tolle? Egoic delusion is vague and its unclear what this means in the context of social transformation. In an interview Tolle admits to have $4 million dollars just sitting in the bank. What is the best ego-free use of that money? Becoming free of egoic delusion does nothing to provide answers to the most complex moral questions we face. Thus, it is inaccurate to suggest that once we are all free of ego we will inhabit a new world. In order to believe Tolle, you have to think that anyone who awakens will necessarily share the exact same social, political and cultural ideology. Secondly, forget about ethical systems, community, protesting or frameworks for engaging with others, everything one needs to play his or her part in the creation of a new world can be found within. He states, The light of consciousness is all that is necessary. You are that light. Global transformation has never been easier.

Tolles bold claim rests on the belief in a vast realm of intelligence beyond thought, that once accessed will guide and direct the planetary transformation through humans. In short, God is evolving through us. It is in this space if Being that such universal experiences as beauty, love, creativity, joy and inner peace originate. This energy is the intelligence, the organizing principle behind the arising form. Tolle uses the terms Source, the Unmanifested, consciousness, God and Being interchangeably to describe this realm or force. This intelligence has designed the world through its continual unfolding. The Unmanifested flows through human formbecomes conscious and thus fulfills its destiny. The human form was created for this higher purpose, and millions of other forms prepared the ground for it. God created humans to fulfill Gods divine destiny.

What keeps us separated from this Source according to Tolle? Its simple: identification with the mind. By this he means incessant mental chatter, confusing our true identity with form or labels and the obsession with the false egoic self. This is nothing other than evil. He states, If evil has any reality it is has a relative not an absolute, reality this is also its definition: complete identification with form physical forms, thought forms, emotional forms. This false identification leads to ignorance and beliefs of separation and hence the complex global challenges that we currently face.

In The Power of Now, Tolle suggests there are various portals into the Unmanifested which lead beyond the limited identification with ego. They include: connecting to the body, dreamless sleep, surrender, the now, space and silence. Opening ourselves to pure consciousness via these methods, we can play our part in the unfolding of the divine will.

Without the impairment of egoic dysfunction, our intelligence comes into full alignment with the outgoing cycle of universal intelligence and its impulse to create. We become conscious participants in the creation of form. It is not we who create, but universal intelligence that creates through us.

Tolle claims that when he is speaking it isnt him but rather the pure power of presence that is speaking through him. Its interesting as this is an almost universally shared claim made by many other gurus, preachers and religious leaders. Many mainline Christian ministers claim that God is speaking through them. And of course Neale Donald Walsch claims in Conversations with God that God actually dictated several books worth of material to him. Yet God seems to be saying very different things to Tolle, Walsch and Pat Robertson. How can this be?

As we have seen, Tolle believes that God is evolving through us to awaken his or her divine planetary will on earth. How does he substantiate this theory? He doesnt. The only evidence he can point to for his theology is that more and more people are abandoning mind-dominated religions. This is evidence, according to Tolle, that a new consciousness is arising through us. Its not convincing. Besides, around the globe mind-dominated religion is spreading quickly. He gives more insight into his cosmology.

But what we are doing here is part of a profound transformation that is taking place in the collective consciousness of the planet and beyond: the awakening of consciousness from the dream of matter, form, and separation. The ending of timeOn our planet, the human ego represents the final stage of universal sleep, the identification of consciousness with form. It was a necessary stage in the evolution of consciousness.

This is almost incomprehensible. How does he know what the evolutionary stages of consciousness are? What is the relationship between evolved consciousness and capitalism? When we no longer identify with form will all injustices be eradicated? If not, and if it is possible for us as a species to be awake while simultaneously living in an and being complicit with an oppressive industrial society then we should seriously question the social and political dimensions of spiritual transformation.

Why cant this divine evolutionary impulse awaken us to the reality of things that actually matter like deforestation, pollution, racism, homophobia or imperialism? Why couldnt experiencing Being and connecting to our divine source actually provide us with tangible knowledge and concern about the ravages of industrial capitalism instead of disembodied, abstract and politically neutral states of presence? Tolle and others like Ken Wilber and Andrew Cohen believe that God evolves through everyone Tea Partiers and KKK members, white liberals, black feminists, Chinese Taoists and queer activists to merely discover their deepest and truest self. Unfortunately this divine act does extremely little to actually move us towards global and planetary change. If it helps everyone equally then it empowers everyone at the social, political and ideological perspective they are based in and is essentially neutral. Aligning ourselves with an ever-present divine evolving impulse is vague, empty and will still reflect ones social and cultural values and prejudices. Its like going to therapy to discover deeper states of psychological truth. Of course anyone can benefit from therapy, but this wont make them challenge the worst injustices around them. There are of course millions of Americans oblivious to the realities of racism and injustice who have done profound inner transformational work and who have connected with the light of consciousness.

Elsewhere, Tolles work is littered with unsubstantiated vague claims like, All egoic structures are destined to collapse, and We are breaking mind patterns that have dominated human life for eons. Who is the we and what are mind patterns? Where do they exist? What is an egoic structure?

Tolles magical thinking reveals itself more clearly when he gives examples of exactly how internal transformation can affect social transformation. He states, The pollution of the planet is only an outward reflection of an inner psychic pollution: millions of unconscious individuals not taking responsibility for their inner spaceAs within, so without: If humans clear inner pollution, then they will also cease to create outer pollution. While this may intuitively feel right, it is of course nonsense. Some of the most passionate advocates of environmentalism have lots of inner psychic pollution. Likewise, many people who are irresponsible with the environment are very evolved, loving and caring people who have done extensive personal transformation work. Tolles correlation with inner and outer pollution is profoundly abstract and vague. Its entirely meaningless, overly simplistic and irresponsible. Its literally no different than a right-wing conservative saying the reason why there are so many abortions in the United States is because of inner psychic pollution. What does this really mean?

In A New Earth Tolle goes so far as to claim all of the atrocities associated with Communism could have been avoided had their been a shift in their inner reality, their state of consciousness. Again, his absolutism in regards to the power of internal transformation is quite extreme. If communists would have only stilled their minds, connected to their bodies and dis-identified with their false egoic self he believes countless lives would have been saved. Its important to understand that when Tolle is referring to shifting inner consciousness, he is specifically talking about stilling the mind, not shifting inner social or political consciousness. Of course the issues are far more complex than Tolle presents. No simple solution like cultivating presence, stillness or embodiment would have changed a profoundly complicated socio-political experience that spanned vast territory and numerous decades. Furthermore, he falsely believes that spiritual awakening supports his social and political positions.

Tolle is suggesting that what communists needed and what environmental polluters need is internal spiritual transformation not education, training, relationship building, diversity training, political understanding, environmental awareness or anything else. Why? Because Tolle believes in an all-knowing divine power that once channeled knows exactly what to do. This universal intelligence is unfolding and working through humans. If only environmental polluters and communists were to connect with God the world would be a much better place. For those who successfully do, they are contributing to more joy, peace, creativity and happiness on the planet. Spirit is unfolding in a direction and it supports Tolles social and political agenda and reflects his social location as a wealthy, heterosexual, white male with $4 million in the bank and a Jaguar in his driveway.

The reason, of course, that environmental experts dont recommend mind-body practices like meditation or yoga in order to stop worldwide pollution is because they are entirely unrelated. If we were to take Tolle seriously we should instruct environmental educators to stop teaching about pollution and start teaching about how to connect to Being. However, stilling the mind will make someone pollute less just as it would make someone a better chef. Otherwise, wed expect anyone who engaged in mind-body practices to eventually share the exact same social and political ideology. Again, the divine will of the universe could have resolved this if it only could awaken people to the realities of social injustice not just instill within them an abstract and politically neutral state of presence.

Dangerous Minds

For Tolle the mind is a huge problem. He believes the reason that we have poor art, literature and music is because the world is mind dominated. It is in turning off the mind and stopping thoughts that we find salvation. This is however quite problematic. While certainly people can benefit from stilling the mind, to say that a busy mind is the cause of industrial capitalism or pollution is nonsense. There are lots of people with busy and cluttered minds who are on the forefront of social justice movements. Also, there are many people who have done lots of work to quiet their minds and yet still are supportive or in the least complicit with awful things. Inner calm is not synonymous with anti-capitalistic sentiments. Again, he is identifying a particular social/political agenda or outcome with presence. If only we turn off the mind then society will be better. Yet this is absolutely not the case. Members of the Tea Party can benefit from mindfulness just as left-wing anarchists can. Furthermore, creativity (one of the things Tolle values and is a result of stilling the mind) can be accessed by anyone for any purpose. Increasing the amount of creativity in the world wont support the political ideas of Mr. Tolle. People can be creative in harmful ways.

Tolle believes that when the mind is still one can listen to and be guided by divine inner guidance. However, intuition is not detached from ones social and cultural conditioning. It is most certainly shaped by the values, morals, beliefs, customs and practices that have already influenced the intuitive feeling. The intuition of a KKK member in approaching issues of race is vastly different than the intuition of a Black Panther member. Any sort of universalizing divine quality that Tolle believes will speak to a particular social or political agenda is pure fiction.

What happens when you still a busy mind in Nazi, Germany? You have a still minded person living in and supporting an oppressive state. Same goes for Imperialistic countries like the United States.

Awakened Doing

At the end of A New Earth, Tolle describes his understanding of how acting in the world lines up with ones inner purpose.

Awakened doing is the alignment of your outer purpose what you do with your inner purpose awakening and staying awake. Through awakened doing, you become one with the outgoing purpose of the universe. Consciousness flows through you and into this world. It flows into your thoughts and inspires them. It flows into what you do and guides and empowers it.

He names three modalities of awakened doing, which without whatever we do will be dysfunctional and of the ego. They are acceptance, enjoyment, and enthusiasm. He believes these modalities represent a frequency of vibration and claims that we need to be in one of these states at all times. In fact, our suffering is caused by our lack of being in them.

There is a danger to Tolles simplistic belief that acceptance, joy and enthusiasm lead to awakened doing. It can easily lead one to believe that whatever they are doing is aligned with the creative principle of the universe as long as they are enthusiastic about it. The only compass or gauge of whether or not something is moral or non harmful is the individuals internal mind. Rather than basing ethics on dialogue, relationships or structural inequalities Tolles system is entirely dependent upon the cultivation of acceptance, joy and enthusiasm. These are vague and meaningless terms when trying to determine whether or something is, for example, racist or sexist.

Conclusion

Resistance to the Now as a collective dysfunction is intrinsically connected to loss of awareness of Being and forms the basis of our dehumanized industrial civilization. Eckhart Tolle

A friend recently told me that he believed spiritual awakening would make someone become more progressive politically. I asked him how far left would it make them go? Left-wing anarchist, liberal democrat, socialist? He didnt know. But he believed it would make them more compassionate and likely to want to serve others. Yet, these are not domains of the left. I know many right-wing Christians who have dedicated their lives to serving others, but yet maintain homophobic, sexist and patriarchal attitudes. There were common citizens in Nazi Germany who volunteered and did service. There are many conservatives who are compassionate. My friend, like Tolle, confused spiritual awakening or a renewed sense of love with a particular political agenda.

Love isnt progressive, socialist or limited to any political position. People of all ideological persuasions fall in love, make love, experience love and act in love. Is global transformation really based on raising the love vibration on the planet? After all, Glenn Becks latest gathering was called Restoring Love. There was lots of love amongst Protestant and Catholic Christians in Nazi Germany. Love for spouses, children, families and God. People were kind, caring and compassionate to members of their own kind while turning a blind eye or supporting to the horrific crimes of the state. What frequency did their love vibrate on and how did it matter in the larger scheme of things? Love is not the sole property of either progressives or conservatives. If both a pro-choice and a pro-life activist group based all of their methods, techniques and actions in love who would win?

According to Tolle what is most urgently needed to address the thought addicted insane world is the cultivation of presence. Global transformation hinges upon awakening to our deepest, most essential being. How might one begin to discover this? As weve mentioned through stilling the mind or other embodiment practices. Also, For some, Tolle claims in A New Earth, a glimpse of awakening will come while reading this book, as it is Designed to draw you into this new consciousness as you read. He continues, Again and again, I endeavor to take you with me into that timeless state of intense enlightenment. If you were worried about the authenticity or truth of his teachings, he clears up the matter by stating his book is not derived from external sources, but from the one true Source within, so it contains no theory or speculation.

Like many others Tolle mistakenly conflates presence with justice. People can cultivate presence and still the mind and yet live in a society that is racist, sexist and based on capitalist exploitation. Presence is not anti-thetical to a dehumanized industrial civilization. There can be lots of nice people who are calm and do things in a sacred manner and yet be completely oblivious to the ways in which the surrounding culture pollutes, oppresses and marginalizes people.

As was the case with Zen Buddhism in Japan during and before WWII, the cultivation of stillness, compassion and love can co-exist with the worst fascism and imperialism. The entire institution of Zen Buddhism the masters, monks and professors supported the cruel and colonizing efforts of the state and emperor. They defended the wars of compassion, gorged themselves in killing and advocated merging the small self with the larger self of the state. This was all done within the monastical, academic and ethical systems of Zen Buddhism. Furthermore, most white people in the history of U.S. have believed themselves to be loving, caring, compassionate people. Many have even engaged in spiritual practices for decades now, yet have been complicit in all sorts of racist, bigoted and Imperialistic actions in America. White people arent more aware of their own racism or racist past because theyve cultivated presence or live in the Now.

Certainly Tolle has transformed the lives of many people. Millions have benefited from his teachings. The physical and mental benefits of mind-body spiritual practices are clear. Yet, this just makes the point Im trying to illustrate much clearer. It doesnt matter what political or social persuasion one is, anyone can benefit from individual transformative practices. To suggest that engaging in these practices is thus aligning with a certain political direction of the divine will as Tolle does is simply untrue. Again, anyone who stills the mind or cultivates presence would necessarily end up at the same social and political positions. Wed all end up like Tolle. Thats not my definition of a transformed planet.

Teachings like those of Tolle are overly simplistic and irresponsible. To say that the global problems of the world will be solved if we all still the mind, connect with Being and live in joy, enthusiasm and acceptance is incredibly naive. His ideas are based on magical thinking, not unlike The Secret and many other pop-spiritual philosophies. He claims that by just allowing the present moment to be it will miraculously transform your whole life. Even if one addresses their shadow through therapy or other transformative work, this still wont lead to the global transformation that Tolle speaks of. These teachings make larger than life promises and conflate inner transformation with external transformation when in reality people with varying political positions can equally benefit from spiritual/psychological growth and still maintain their perspectives and actions regardless of how harmful they are.

Claims that the divine is working through us to fulfill the evolutionary mission of consciousness are so abstract they are meaningless. Most significantly the will of the divine always reflects the social, political and ideological positions of those making the claims. Saying this doesnt mean Im against spiritual practices or individual transformation just as me saying that poetry wont save us doesnt mean that Im against poetry. Rather it is important to pull these two domains of internal and external transformation apart to clearly see what has erroneously been projected onto them.

We are already facing immense global challenges, which are seemingly only going to get worse. Getting in touch with God, love, Being or Source wont save us now. Spiritual awakening wont solve the problems we must confront. The issue is not lack of Being or unwillingness to be in the Now. Instead of fetishizing internal transformation as a global panacea or promoting the idea that God is evolving through us lets build the networks of relationships and communities of resistance necessary to survive the coming planetary challenges.

This article originally appeared at Tikkun Magazine. Reposted with permission.

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