The Imperfect Buddha Podcast

"When I forgot myself, it was exactly like that. There was nothing obtained and nothing was thrown away."
Harada Sekkei Roshi

"When I forgot myself, it was exactly like that. There was nothing obtained and nothing was thrown away."
Harada Sekkei Roshi

For French philosopher & mystic Simone Weil, the path to a genuine encounter with the divine is paved with two profound interrelated spiritual practices: attentive emptying and the embrace of emptiness. Far from being passive states, they demand a radical and active orientation away from the self.

I'm sure they can split further. Corbyn could split from himself in a schizophrenic first.

"Idiot fatigue is real." My favourite internet comment of the day.

I shall never look at trending topics on Bluesky again: it's like old twitter - full of ignorant, nasty folks throwing bile until it sticks. What a way to pass your day folks.
Might it be wiser to cultivate some virtues, or do something material for others?

I shall never look at trending topics on Bluesky again: it's like old twitter - full of ignorant, nasty folks throwing bile until it sticks. What a way to pass your day folks.
Might it be wiser to cultivate some virtues, or do something material for others?

Weil believed that the self, with its incessant demands and illusions, is the primary obstacle to receiving divine grace. Therefore, the act of "attentive emptying" is a continuous effort to say "no" to this self, to "give up one's existence" in a spiritual sense.

At its core, attention, for Weil, is the highest form of prayer. It is a "radical openness to reality," a pure, unselfish, and sustained focus that is devoid of personal agenda. When this intense attention is turned inward, it becomes the tool for "emptying."

What Weil refers to as "attentive emptying" is an active process of decreation; a voluntary dismantling of the ego or the "I." This is not an act of self-destruction but rather a conscious and loving effort to reduce the presence of one's own will, desires, and preconceived notions.

For French philosopher & mystic Simone Weil, the path to a genuine encounter with the divine is paved with two profound interrelated spiritual practices: attentive emptying and the embrace of emptiness. Far from being passive states, they demand a radical and active orientation away from the self.

Individuals with the right timing, coupled with ideological conviction, can lead to the death and destruction of countless lives. Part of generating compassion as a Buddhist is looking it square in the face. Percentage of population lost by European countries during World War II. #life

Emotional self-restraint is key to reducing suffering in this world. Emotional determination is mostly the product of ignorance. What stories about emotions and feelings have our dominant ideologies been telling? Do they have anything to say about self-restraint?

Low impulse control appears to relate directly to the rise of social media. Not only are many getting dumber, they are losing the capacity to control the basest of emotions. Italy is seeing a rise of youth violence, increase in femicide. No emotional control in sight.

By today's standards, most certainly.

"Nothing is more hateful to wisdom than excessive cleverness."
Petrarch

"Nothing is more hateful to wisdom than excessive cleverness."
Petrarch

Ignorance is not bliss. Just mentioning this in case anyone still believes it. #RealityVfiction

Ignorance is not bliss. Just mentioning this in case anyone still believes it. #RealityVfiction

The wonders of AI. #buddha #buddhism #meditation

The wonders of AI. #buddha #buddhism #meditation

The present is timeless and impersonal for it is absence & presence simultaneously. This is also an odd state of affairs. Presence is also lived by degrees. The more you live it, the more it escapes control, yet there is something tangibly eternal to it as you do.

Presence is movement within embodied time. When we abstract out and observe a view of time-space, we fix it in a mental image, a solidified observational stance. Presence is being in time, not stopping it. Presence is lived as embodied in place, not aloof observation.

"Every man's life lies within the present; for the past is spent and done with, and the future is uncertain." Stated by Marcus Aurelius, not a Buddhist but a truly wise man with deep insights into the human condition. The present is timeless and impersonal for it is absence & presence simultaneously

The present is timeless and impersonal for it is absence & presence simultaneously. This is also an odd state of affairs. Presence is also lived by degrees. The more you live it, the more it escapes control, yet there is something tangibly eternal to it as you do.

Presence is movement within embodied time. When we abstract out and observe a view of time-space, we fix it in a mental image, a solidified observational stance. Presence is being in time, not stopping it. Presence is lived as embodied in place, not aloof observation.

"Every man's life lies within the present; for the past is spent and done with, and the future is uncertain." Stated by Marcus Aurelius, not a Buddhist but a truly wise man with deep insights into the human condition. The present is timeless and impersonal for it is absence & presence simultaneously

Wishful thinking around meditational transformation of society is still alive and well. Goodness knows why. It is, in my humble view, yet another utopian set piece, and therefore delusional. Pockets of such practitioners can be created, for sure. They were once called monasteries. #Buddha

Wishful thinking around meditational transformation of society is still alive and well. Goodness knows why. It is, in my humble view, yet another utopian set piece, and therefore delusional. Pockets of such practitioners can be created, for sure. They were once called monasteries. #Buddha

Emotive reasoning is always a problem.