In his Global Spiral paper, Of Which Humans Are We Post? Don Ihde wonders whether all this bother about the concepts of human, transhuman, and posthuman arose with Foucault. The answer is no, they did not. Much earlier thinkers raised these questions in one form or another. Foucaults discussion in the Order of Things appeared only in 1973. Even if we limit ourselves to modern discussions of these concepts, Foucault is almost irrelevant. This is certainly true of the kinds of thinkers with whom Ihde concerns himself. The only people he actually names are Hans Moravec, Marvin Minsky, and Ray Kurzweil, but Ihde is clearly commenting on the general thrust of modern transhumanist thought.

Our modern biologically and genetically-defined sub-species, Homo sapiens sapiens, has been around for 100,000 to 200,000 years. Theres some plausibility in Ihdes suggestion that the modern concept of human formed only in the last 3 or 4 centuries: the Cartesian-Lockean human. The emphasis on the rational capacities of human beings, however, lies further back with Plato and Aristotle (in their two quite differing ways). Aristotle didnt have the Lockean notion of individual rights, but they werent a big stretch from the Great Greeks view of the individual good as personal flourishing through the development of potentialdevelopment that would need a protected space. The Cartesian-Lockean human was crucially followed by the Darwinian and Freudian human, which took human beings out from the center of creation and some distance away from the transparently rational human of the old philosophers. Even so, I heartily agree that reassessing our interpretation of the human is timely and important.

The biologists conception of what it is to be a member of the human species so far remains useful: Our species is a group of interbreeding natural populations that are reproductively isolated from other such groups.1 Although useful, that species-based definition and the related genetically-delimited identification of human is becoming increasingly inadequate as our further evolution depends more on the scientific and technological products of our minds. The transhumans or posthumans we may become as individuals (if we live long enough) or as a species may quite possibly share our current DNA, but implants, regenerative medicine, medical nanotechnology, neural-computer interfaces, and other technologies and cultural practices are likely to gradually render our chromosomes almost vestigial components of our individual and species identity.

While I agree with Ihde on the need for (further) discussion of the concepts and significance of human, transhuman, and posthuman, I find many of his comments to be directed at transhumanists who barely exist (if at all). I resonate with the project of understanding potentially obfuscating idols such as Bacon described. But Ihdes discussion of his own four idols seems to be more of a straw man than an accurate critique of contemporary transhumanist views. I find this to be true especially of his Idol of Paradise and Idol of Prediction. The other two idolsof Intelligent Design and the Cyborg contain relatively little critical commentary, and so I find less in them to object to.

True Transhumanism

A few years ago, I received a telephone call from researchers from the Oxford English Dictionary who were looking into the possibility of adding transhumanism to that authoritative bible of word usage. That addition has just now happeneda little behind the widespread adoption of the term around the world. Although Dante and Huxley used the term earlier, I first (and independently) coined the modern sense of the term around two decades ago in my essay Transhumanism: Toward a Futurist Philosophy. My currently preferred definition, shared by other transhumanists is as follows:

Since I will argue that most of Ihdes critical comments and Idols succeed in damaging only views that few or no transhumanists actually hold, it makes sense for me to establish my knowledge of those views. Apart from first defining and explaining the philosophical framework of transhumanism, I wrote the Principles of Extropy and co-founded Extropy Institute to explore it and to spur the development of a movement (for want of a better term) based on transhumanism. That movement has grown from numerous sources in addition to my own work and become a global philosophy attracting a remarkable amount of commentary, both pro and con. In some minds (certainly in that of Francis Fukuyama) it has become the most dangerous idea in the world.

Ihdes own four idols of thought refer more to straw positions than to real views held by most contemporary transhumanists. That doesnt mean that he went astray in choosing Francis Bacon and his four idols from his 1620 work Novum Organum2 as an inspiration. Around the same time that I defined transhumanism I also suggested that transhumanists consider dropping the Western traditional but terribly outdated Christian calendar for a new one in which year zero would be the year in which Novum Organum was published (so that we would now be entering 389 PNO, or Post Novum Organum, rather than 2009). Despite Aristotles remarkable work on the foundations of logic and his unprecedented study On the Parts of Animals, Bacons work first set out the essence of the scientific method. That conceptual framework is, of course, utterly central to the goals of transhumanismas well as the key to seeing where Ihdes Idols (especially that of Paradise) fail accurately to get to grips with real, existing transhumanist thought.

Bacons own four idols still have much to recommend them. His Idols of the Tribe and of the Cave could plausibly be seen as the core of important ideas from todays cognitive and social psychology. These idols could comfortably encompass the work on biases and heuristics by Kahneman and Tversky and other psychologists and behavioral finance and economics researchers. The Idols of the Cave are deceptive thoughts that arise within the mind of the individual. These deceptive thoughts come in many differing forms. In the case of Don Ihdes comments on transhumanist thinking, we might define a sub-species of Bacons Idol and call it the Idol of Non-Situated Criticism. (A close cousin of The Idol of the Straw Man.)

Many of Ihdes comments sound quite sensible and reasonable, but to whom do they apply? The only transhumanists Ihde mentions (without actually referencing any specific works of theirs) are Hans Moravec, Marvin Minsky, and Ray Kurzweil. In The Idol of Prediction, Ihde says In the same narratives concerning the human, the posthuman and the transhuman but never tells us just which narratives hes talking about. The lack of referents will leave most readers with a distorted view of true transhumanism. There are silly transhumanists of course, just as silly thinkers can be found in any other school of thought. I take my job here to be distinguishing the various forms of transhumanism held by most transhumanists from the easy but caricatured target created by Ihde (and many other critics).

More here:
H+: True Transhumanism - Essentials | Metanexus

The Alan Watts Mountain Center is currently under construction in a rural area near the Pt. Reyes National Seashore north of San Francisco, and will facilitate the work of the educational non-profit. Our primary mission is to produce educational programs that enhance the human potential, and although we have traditionally created materials for public radio, today our offerings include a podcast and YouTube components with downloads approaching the ten million mark.

One of the long-term missions of the Center is to complete the Alan Watts digital archive, and of course to continue the dissemination of his extensive collection of recordings. In addition to online publishing, we will continue to make the Alan Watts archive accessible for educational and creative productions by providing materials to libraries, educators, producers, writers, musicians, editors, animators, and others.

In the near term the Center facilities will become home to Alan Watts web publishing, online broadcasting and podcasting (see alanwattspodcast.com). The Center will also be a meeting place for working groups and occasional retreats, and the Center's library will house a unique collection of works related to Alan Watts' passion for visual language, including calligraphy by Japanese artist Sabro Hasegawa and an extensive photo archive. The Center is being built using ecologically appropriate materials, including wood from fallen fir and cypress trees, and has been designed according to principles of sustainable architecture pioneered by organic architect Daniel Libermann. To date sixty-five percent of the main Lodge to house library and film resources has been completed, and studio and guest facilities are in various stages of construction. At present we are focusing on raising funds for completion of the library and film center in Phase I.

In Phase II we will complete a separate production studio, and in Phase III we will add a guest wing to the Lodge. Upon completion each building phase will add to the Center's capabilities.

The Center is currently seeking support on all levels, and anyone interested in helping should contact Mark Watts by email at watts@alanwatts.com.

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Alan Watts

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Now in a beautiful paperback edition, David Lynch's Catching the Big Fish provides a rare window into the internationally acclaimed filmmaker's methods as an artist, his personal working style, and the immense creative benefits he has experienced from the practice of meditation.

Catching the Big Fish comes as a revelation to the legion of fans who have longed to better understand Lynch's personal vision. And it is equally compelling to those who wonder how they can nurture their own creativity.

Catching Ideas

Ideas are like fish.

If you want to catch little fish, you can stay in the shallow water. But if you want to catch the big fish, you've got to go deeper.

Down deep, the fish are more powerful and more pure. They're huge and abstract. And they're very beautiful.

I look for a certain kind of fish that is important to me, one that can translate to cinema. But there are all kinds of fish swimming down there. There are fish for business, fish for sports. There are fish for everything.

Everything, anything that is a thing, comes up from the deepest level. Modern physics calls that level the Unified Field. The more your consciousness-your awareness-is expanded, the deeper you go toward this source, and the bigger the fish you can catch.

Link:
Amazon.com: Catching the Big Fish: Meditation ...

By #DailyCupofYoga 5 Comments

Whether youve been having trouble sleeping, your range of motion simply isnt what it used to be, or youre interested in deepening your spirituality and inner strength, its never too late to better your life. Become a happier, healthier version of yourself today by taking up a new pastime: yoga! First off, dont get worried about the hype. Yoga is a discipline that anyone can get intoyour age doesnt matter and you will not be judged for how close you can come to touching your toes. With the right yoga teacher and a set of techniques that are built for individuals just like you, you can accomplish anything. Start the new chapter of your life today and youll be on the road to feeling even better tomorrow.

Yoga for Seniors: Build Your Outer and Inner Strength

Have you ever heard the saying that if you dont use it, youll lose it? It may sound cliche, but those words ring very trueand in more areas of your life than one. From physical strength to mental sharpness, seniors who take part in yoga classes have proven to have the upper hand. Not only will they likely maintain their physical strength, mobility, and flexibility for much longer, but they can increase it as well.

If your body is feeling stiff and restrictive, yoga is the key to revitalization. The same goes with your brain. By meditating, practicing relaxation skills, and shielding your mind from the chatter and buzz of the chaotic world around you, youll be able to turn your thoughts inward, reflect, and become more attuned to your own body.

Keep Your Body Healthy and Disease at Bay

Yoga is a full mind and body practice, and while it will help to give you a peace of mind and even help you keep control of your weight, it can also keep a variety of chronic diseases at bay. If you are plagued with stress and hypertension, practicing yoga on a daily basis can decrease your nervous systems activity, ease high blood pressure, and reduce the amount of medicine that you have to take. For those with a history of heart disease in their family, yoga can also help you reduce your risk factor. For those who are in the beginning stages of osteoporosis, yoga can also help to slow the thinning of your bones.

Practicing yoga as a senior can strengthen your body in countless ways, from alleviating depression and pain, to even depleting your bouts of insomnia. See how yoga can help you keep your own body healthy today!

Not All Classes are the Same. Find the Perfect One for Your Needs!

Beginning a new chapter in your life may seem a little bit daunting, but finding your bliss is most definitely worth it. To find the right class for you, there are two separate paths you can take. For the adventurous souls out there, you can begin by asking around about senior-focused yoga classes at your local community center, health club, or yoga studio. If you are more timid or youre having a tough time finding the right class for your needs, you can bring your new pastime to the comfort of your own home by investing in a yoga DVD or two.

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Daily Cup of Yoga | tips, tools, & wisdom on yoga, books ...

Positive Effects of Nature Sounds Ambient nature sounds have the ability to aid sleep, reduce stress, and provide a relaxing atmosphere for activities such as yoga, tai-chi, and meditation.

Most of us spend our days surrounded by the sounds of vehicles, televisions, and office machines. Nature sound recordings can offer us an escape from these unnatural surroundings, and allow us to reclaim our balance. Popular sounds used in ambient recordings are: ocean waves, creeks, waterfalls, wind, rain, thunder, and birds. Our sense of hearing can have a strong influence on our emotional health. Through experimentation, you can discover the effects each of these sounds have on your moods and emotions. Because our life experiences and environment are so diverse, each person reacts differently to the various sounds of nature. Below are a number of common benefits that nature sounds may offer:

Keep a Sleep Diary. Often it will help to keep a sleep diary by your bed and record your sleep patterns each day. You may discover an evening ritual to improve your sleep.

Eliminate noise in the bedroom. Sudden household or neighborhood noise can interrupt sleep. A white noise machine, fan, or other sleep-aid tool like the one above, can mask noise that could otherwise disturb your sleep.

Read and share ideas about stress reduction, relaxation techniques, and sleep-aids on our sleep and relaxation discussion page.

More sleep, relaxation,, stress reduction, and relaxing music on our sleep and relaxation resources page.

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How To Sleep archives: Flickr slideshows with relaxing music

"There are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge." Napoleon Hill Focus | How To Change Your Attitude |

"Your big opportunity may be right where you are now." Napoleon Hill Opportunity | Words of Encouragement |

"Any idea, plan, or purpose may be placed in the mind through repetition of thought." Napoleon Hill Purpose | Inspirational Thought |

"Big pay and little responsibility are circumstances seldom found together." Napoleon Hill Responsibility And Luck | Accountability |

Napoleon Hill Failure Poem | Discouraged |

"A goal is a dream with a deadline." Napoleon Hill Goal | Dream |

"First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination." Napoleon Hill Imagination | New Beginnings |

"Hold a picture of yourself long and steadily enough in your mind's eye, and you will be drawn toward it." Napoleon Hill Believe In Yourself | Encouraging |

"Education comes from within; you get it by struggle and effort and thought." Napoleon Hill Effort | Knowledge |

"No person can succeed in a line of endeavor which one does not like." Napoleon Hill Work | Success |

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Napoleon Hill Quotes - Inspirational Words of Wisdom

For My House will be called a House of Prayer for all the peoples.

(Is.56:7)

Tabor Divine Retreat Center popularly known as Tabor Ashram has, over the years, evolved into a House of Prayer for all, and a place where Gods living presence is powerfully felt. The good God has provided peace, healing and solace for several lakhs of people at this Center, irrespective of caste or creed, in the past 20-plus years. The broken-hearted, the poor & needy, the sick & suffering continue to witness divine intervention in their lives through wondrous miracles and incredible healings. Ever since it was founded, in response to a divine call way back in 1993, people have been attracted to this Center not only from Mumbai and its surroundings, but also from all over Maharashtra, Gujarat and various parts of the Country. This House of Prayer has united numerous broken families, directed the lives of thousands of youngsters that went astray and created a culture of forgiving love in the society. The transformation of this Retreat Center was nothing short of phenomenal.

Tabor Divine Retreat Centre is the culmination of Tabor Ashram and Tabor Bhavan.

A warm Welcome to all of you to partake in the glorious launching of our Tabor Website. It is special blessing for us to declare it open on this auspicious day in the presence of such a large gathering of faithful people. We thamk Lord our God for this golden moments.

Tabor Ministry The word of God Ministry preaches the word of God .Total surrender to God is given prominence during the sessions. People are reminded of loving promises in the Bible.One such promise is Bow down, then, before the power of God now, so that He may raise you up in due time, unload all your burden on to Him, sins He is concerned about you.(1 Pet.5:6,7).

One such promise is Bow down, then, before the power of God now, so that He may raise you up in due time, unload all your burden on to Him, sins He is concerned about you.(1 Pet.5:6,7) Learning to place absolute faith in the power of God is the underlying message.The music ministry adds vibrancy to praise and worship as the people lift their hearts and minds to God in one accord. Perpetual adoration and intersession ministry as always been vibrant and continues to be so. We invite men and women from all sections to voluntarily become prayer-warriors in the Tabor Ministry.

Fr.John Kanicherry

(Superior,Director)

Fr.George Kuzhupilly

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Tabor Divine Retreat Ashram | Home :: Tabor Ashram

Buddhists in Arkansas are represented by ethnic immigrants who bring to the state the religious practices of their homelands as well as native Arkansans who have turned to Buddhism for their spiritual needs. Though less than one percent of the population of Arkansas, Buddhists in the state have established temples testifying to their presence, in addition to meeting in a variety of formal and informal groups.

Buddhism can be described as a religion, a philosophy, a psychology, a practice, or a way of life. Buddhisms essentially non-theistic framework, along with its emphasis on personal experience as the only true validation of its teachings, sets it apart from most other religious systems. Despite the varied schools of Buddhist thought and practice, the central focus of Buddhism is on the elimination of individual suffering through training the mind. The foundation of all Buddhist thought is summarized in the Four Seals of Buddhism: 1) all composite phenomena are impermanent; 2) all tainted emotions (emotions that arise out of ignorance, hatred, or craving) are painful and cause suffering; 3) all phenomena are empty of inherent existencethat is, phenomena arise only out of interdependence on other causes and conditions; and 4) Nirvana (escape from the cycle of death and rebirth) is true peace.

There are at least two Buddhist temples in Arkansas serving primarily Laotian immigrant communities: Wat Buddha Samakitham in Fort Smith (Sebastian County) and Wat Lao Thepnimith Xaimongkoon in Springdale (Washington County). Wat Buddha Samakitham, the largest in the state; was founded in 1989 and, by 2001, had ten permanent monks and occupied six acres of land. Fort Smith is also home to two Vietnamese Buddhist temples, the foremost of which is Cha Ph Minh.Fort Smith temple Wat LaoBuddharam was destroyed by fire on March 5, 2015. In 2005, the Cha Bat Nha temple in Bauxite (Saline County),which serves a predominately Vietnamese community, opened.

The oldest and largest Buddhist society in Arkansas not associated with a particular ethnic or immigrant group is the Ecumenical Buddhist Society of Little Rock, founded by Anna Cox, Jay McDaniel, and Charles Hicks; this group, which began meeting in the late 1980s and was formally established in 1993, accommodates a variety of Buddhist traditions. In Fayetteville (Washington County), Barbara Taylor founded the Morning Star Zen Center (associated with the Korean Kwan Um school) in 1986. Other small practice groups were founded in northwest Arkansas during the 1990s and 2000s, including the Buddhist Meditation and Spiritual Support Group, founded by Geoff Oelsner in 1996; the Fayetteville Soto Zen Center, founded by Jack McDowell in 2000; and the Unitarian Universalist Buddhist Fellowship, founded by James Ownbey and Jerry Walsh in 2004.

One of Arkansass most famous Buddhists was death row inmate William Frank Parker, a double murderer who converted to Buddhism while in prison and impressed many with the depth of his personal transformation. He was briefly a cause clbre among American Buddhists, with the Dalai Lama and actor Richard Gere among the hundreds calling for clemency, before he was executed by lethal injection on August 8, 1996.

In the fall of 2006, Geshe Thupten Dorjee, a Tibetan monk in the Gelug tradition, accepted a position at the University of Arkansas (UA) in Fayetteville (Washington County), teaching courses in Buddhist philosophy, Tibetan culture, and non-violence. Outside of his university duties, Geshe Dorjee provides Buddhist teachings through several groups and organizations, including regular teachings at the Tibetan Buddhist Practice Group led by Pam Dramis. In 2007, Geshe Dorjee, Professor Sidney Burris, and others founded the Tibetan Cultural Institute of Arkansas, which is dedicated to helping the Tibetan people preserve their culture within the emerging global village. The Tibetan Buddhist presence in Arkansas is also manifest in the Katong Choling Mountain Retreat Center in Newton County, which was founded by abbot Khentrul Lodr Thay Rinpoche and includes a small cave temple; the land was consecrated in 2010.

Because of the diversity and lack of formal hierarchy within American Buddhism, statistics are difficult to gather. One source estimates the number of Buddhists in Arkansas in 1990 at 0.2 percent of the total population. Buddhism remains one of the very smallest religions in the United States and in Arkansas; at the same time, however, there is an indication that the religion is one of the fastest-growing in the Western world.

For additional information:Barbee, Eric. Pluralistic Society. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette,November 24, 2001, pp. 4B5B.

Buddhark. http://buddhark.com/ (accessed January 26, 2015).

EBS Revolves around Buddhist Meditation. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette,March 23, 2003, p. 4B.

Link:
Buddhists - Encyclopedia of Arkansas

Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to Insight into the true nature of reality. Buddhist practices likemeditation are means of changing yourself in order to develop the qualities of awareness, kindness, and wisdom. The experience developed within the Buddhist tradition over thousands of years has created an incomparable resource for all those who wish to follow a path a path which ultimately culminates in Enlightenment or Buddhahood.An enlightened being sees the nature of reality absolutely clearly, just as it is, and lives fully and naturally in accordance with that vision. This is the goal of the Buddhist spiritual life, representing the end of suffering for anyone who attainsit.

Because Buddhism does not include the idea of worshipping a creator god, some people do not see it as a religion in the normal, Western sense. The basic tenets of Buddhist teaching are straightforward and practical: nothing is fixed or permanent; actions have consequences; change is possible. So Buddhism addresses itself to all people irrespective of race, nationality, caste, sexuality, or gender. It teaches practical methods which enable people to realise and use its teachings in order to transform their experience, to be fully responsible for theirlives.

There are around 350 million Buddhists and a growing number of them are Westerners. They follow many differentforms of Buddhism, but all traditions are characterised by non-violence, lack of dogma, tolerance of differences, and, usually, by the practice ofmeditation.

FAQ on Buddhism:Ask A BuddhistfromClear Visionvideo.

Listen to free introductions to Buddhism.

Read Guide To The Buddhist Path bySangharakshita.

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What is Buddhism? | The Buddhist Centre

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For more than 50 years, in a style that is unquestionably his own, Zig Ziglar has used his quick wit, down-home charm, and abundance of energy to inspire excellence in people throughout the world. In Born to Win, Zigs nonstop passion inspires and informs as Zig speaks to you as if youre sitting front-row center in his sold-out seminar. In Born to Win youll learn:

To achieve balance by becoming a more complete person in seven key areas of your life

How to develop and maintain a winners attitude and use it to achieve significant personal growth

How to build stronger professional and personal relationships using your own unique behavioral style

How to become a better leader, parent, and employee by learning the art of effective communications

And much more!

Thats precisely what tens of thousands of people have done who had the fortune to attend Zig Ziglars 25-year-running and perpetually sold-out Born to Win seminar. Now, you can experience the rewards of his legendary seminar in this time-saving, two-CD program designed inspire a whole new generation of achievers.

"Its going to be the most fun and exciting trip youll ever take. Its filled with more promise

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Born To Win: The Ultimate Seminar: Zig Ziglar ...