Core Insights of Buddhism

     “The three core insights of the Buddhist tradition are the facts of impermanence, of suffering, and of non-self. 
     The first of these refers to the truth that all phenomena, without exception, change; 
     the second recognizes that all experience is structurally incapable of yielding lasting satisfaction; 
     and the third points out the awkward truth that we are not quite what we take ourselves to be. 

     To these we might usefully add the associated ideas of the interdependent arising of all phenomena, and the notion of awakening as a radical psychological transformation.”


       Olendzki A. "Unlimiting Mind. The Radically Experiential Psychology of Buddhism." Wisdom Publications, Boston, 2010. 


     Useful introduction to the above: http://www.johnlovas.com/2013/08/exploring-mysteries-of-human-condition.html

Huston Smith - Connoisseur

     A connoisseur is a person of informed and discriminating taste. Perhaps the ultimate connoisseur is one knows how to, and does actually live, a deeply meaningful, joyful life.

     “I am not a religious scholar. What I do is try to show people how they can get something of value personally from religion, which is why I concentrate on its positive side. How you might label me is ‘religious communicator.’ ”
       Huston Smith, Jeffery Paine. “Tales of Wonder. Adventures Chasing the Divine. An Autobiography.” HarperOne, NY, 2009.

     "What is the meaning of life? Why are we here? Is there a God? Can there be authentic mystical experience? Are Hindus and Buddhists correct that we can attain a state of enlightenment? Can psychedelic drugs give us a glimpse of it? Does religion have a viable place in the modern world? Is there a common core of values and insights among the world's religions?
     Huston Smith spent his career in a search for answers to these and other questions.

     'Huston Smith is an outstanding authority on the world's religions, not only because of his far reaching knowledge of their teachings and scriptures, but also because he has put so many of them into practice, and, as we say in Tibetan Buddhism, discovered their real taste.' Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness the Dalai Lama

     'Few intellectuals had more of an impact on the comparative study of religion in the twentieth century than Huston Smith. Here, at last, we have a sympathetic but open-eyed biography of the historical figure by a first-rate writer. The result is a page-turning plunge into matters of ultimate significance.' Jeffrey J. Kripal, Chair of the Department of Religious Studies, Rice University"

       Dana Sawyer “Huston Smith: Wisdomkeeper. Living the World’s Religions. The Authorized Biography of a 21st Century Spiritual Giant.” Fons Vitae, Louisville, KY, 2014. - an exceptionally worthwhile read - "a page-turning plunge into matters of ultimate significance."

 

Our Relationship to the Supreme

     "... in Chinese thought 'the notion of a Supreme Being, so essential to Western religions, is replaced by that of a Supreme State of Being, an impersonal perfection from which all beings, including man, are separated only by delusion.'"

       John Blofeld. "Taoism: Road to Immortality." Shambhala Publications Inc, 1985.
       quoted in: Solala Towler. "Chung Tzu - The Inner Chapters. The Classic Taoist Text. A New Translation of the Chuang Tzu with Commentary." Watkins Publishing, London, 2010. pxiv

Core Purpose, Philosophy

     The high percentage of self-reported cheating among university students, and other suggestions of an apparent decay in ethics & rise in shallow self-centered behavior is frightening. One has to wonder if individuals are losing the sense of what it means to embody a meaningful philosophy. Faking it is so much faster, easier & seemingly popular. 
     Part of the problem may well be that large companies that once earned loyalty from their life-long employees, now use their employees to train off-shore temps, who then quickly replace their (now 'downsized') trainers. The company can treat & pay off-shore temps even worse. These same companies espouse the critical importance of "customer loyalty”.

     Individuals & companies must be held accountable to embody - not just espouse & advertise - a “core purpose” & “philosophy”, regardless of who they deal with - customers, employees, employers, family, friends. A core purpose or philosophy is fundamentally valuable - way too important to fake. Individuals & companies must learn congruence one way or another. Otherwise, one's life & products are cheap fakes.

     "As Simon Sinek says in ... "Start With Why", products don't create customer loyalty. A company's core purpose does. 
     People are attracted to Apple because of what Apple stands for. Not the gizmos. There are less expensive options out there.
     Yet Apple is one of the most profitable companies in the world.
     People are attracted to Nike not because of the shoes, but because they are pulled to the philosophy of Just Do It - whether that pertains to getting fit, or popping the big question, or leaving a bad job or starting your own business."                      Terry O'Reilly, Under the Influence

        "Elevator Pitches" first aired on Monday, May 5, 2014
        http://www.cbc.ca/undertheinfluence/season-3/2014/05/05/elevator-pitches-1/

qhenson   www.dpreview.com

Four Principal States of "Self"

     "The ancient Indian texts called the Upanishads contain the world’s first recorded map of consciousness. The earliest texts — dating from the sixth or seventh century BCE — delineate three principal states of the self — the waking state, the dream state, and the state of deep and dreamless sleep. Later texts add a fourth state — the state of pure awareness. Waking consciousness relates to the outer world and apprehends the physical body as the self. Dream consciousness relates to mental images constructed from memories and apprehends the dream body as the self. In deep & dreamless sleep, consciousness rests in a dormant state not differentiated into subject and object. Pure awareness witnesses these changing states of waking, dreaming, and dreamless sleep without identifying with them or with the self that appears in them."

       Thompson E. "Waking, Dreaming, Being: New Light on the Self and Consciousness from Neuroscience, Meditation, and Philosophy." Columbia University Press, 2014. http://evanthompson.me/waking-dreaming-being/ 

Buddhist Teachings - Religion? Philosophy? Psychology?

    "Buddhist teachings are not a religion,
     they are a science of mind."               Dalai Lama

 
     For those "not running away from life, but seeking a wise path through it."
       Kornfield J. “The wise heart. A guide to the universal teachings of Buddhist psychology.” Bantam books. NY, 2008.

Stefano M   www.dpreview.com

Buddhist & Western Psychology - Opening Minds

     "In the early years of the twentieth century, Anagarika Dharmapala – a Sinhalese Buddhist monk, on a tour of the United States – is said to have attended a lecture by William James at Harvard University. During the lecture, James apparently became aware of the monk, dressed in a distinctive yellow toga, sitting in the audience. 'Take my chair,' James said, 'and I shall sit with my students. You are better equipped to lecture on psychology than I am.' Dharmapala obliged and gave a short account of Buddhist teachings, after which James turned to his students and remarked, 'This is the psychology everybody will be studying twenty-five years from now' (adapted from Sangharakshita, 1952, p. 78). One hundred years on, it appears James’ prediction never came true. It has taken much longer for academics in the mainstream of Western Psychology to begin to share James’ open-mindedness towards Buddhist ideas, let alone to treat them as a valid ‘Psychology’."

       Stanley S. Intimate distances: William James' introspection, Buddhist mindfulness, and experiential inquiry. New Ideas in Psychology 2012; 30(2): 201-211.

     "William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) American philosopher and psychologist who had trained as a physician. He was the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States. ... He challenged his professional colleagues not to let a narrow mindset prevent an honest appraisal of those beliefs." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_James

Johnny Rockets restaurant, Seattle WA - May 2013

Successful aging

     “The easy path of aging is to become a thick-skinned, unbudging curmudgeon, a battle-axe. To grow soft and sweet is the harder way.”                                                                 James Hillman

     "Aging is inevitable; becoming wiser with age is not. Researchers, theorists, and clinicians have noted that older adults approach their lives in one of two ways: Either they draw on their strengths and live life to the fullest, or they magnify their weaknesses and restrict their lives to succumb to life's inevitable end.
     Rigidity is a tendency to resist change, while flexibility is the ability to adapt to change. The conscious aging theory espouses late life as a period of deeper meaning and personal growth.
     As long as one remains engaged late in life, personality continues to develop. One's sense of self changes as one negotiates the conflicts proposed at each stage (of psychological development). The conflict assigned to 'old age' is that of integrity versus despair."

       Giblin JC. J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv 2011; 49(3): 23-6.

kate t. parker, National Geographic   http://photography.nationalgeographic.com