The Garrison Institute explores the intersection of contemplation and engaged action in the world. Founded in 2003, our mission is to apply the transformative power of contemplation to today's pressing social and environmental problems, helping build a more compassionate, resilient future.
Our program initiatives - Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE), Pathways to Planetary Health, Contemplative-Based Resilience, Compassionate Leadership in Finance (CLiF), and the Garrison Institute Fellowship - bring a contemplative dimension to key social change fields, applying relevant techniques to caregiving, teaching and environmental advocacy. We also research and develop new ways of applying those techniques in specific vocational settings, from domestic violence shelters to classrooms.
Glory glory glory, let US lay that burden down. Let US heal the pain and the hurt. There will still be hard times, there will still be death and disease, but we can still be kind to everything.
I loved this conversation. It would be wonderful if someone could edit and read the questions that are briefly displayed. Many of us tend to listen and not watch fully these types of videos and we thus miss the questions he is responding to.
I don’t know if I ever told you, but first about 3 years , Odetta husband, Jim Gordon, was my partner. We proudly presented “folk music concerts” all around California. She was almost a spiritual presence…far beyond an entertainment. A force of nature Look up “freedom” by odetta in her prime, and try your hero a tear from your eye I moved on, and do did Dan. But I can still hear her. She died shortly after this piece
Consciousness may not require self ~ however does that doesnt preclude the concept of consciousness delighting in self ... much like consciousness doesn't require the scent of Rose to experience itself as Flower ... and yet how barren to reduce the riot of diverse aromas, colours and forms ... to Flower. Not to mention that Individual flowers have individual chemistry that is specifically medicinal for humans emotionally, spiritually, mentally and physically. I think human unique finger print is like that. A unique medicine, grown in specific environment that has a unique fragrance to waft upon the world. I wonder why we cannot speak of interconnected Oneness in the same sentence as unique fingerprint .. of course we can ... because I just did 😅 Speaking of fingerprints ... interesting we have these extraordinary swirls on the end of our fingertips with no purpose other that to symbolise unique identity. Which says to me ~ unique identity is worth considering as an important part of the existential equation?
"Nature isnt natural" I'm interested in why the action of " ... constantly producing and departing and doing things that may not be conveniently located in language" would be construed as artificial or unatural? Sounds pretty natural to me ... I would love to hear more on that ...
Love the metaphor that we are perhaps, at moments, like ants in a pheromonal death spiral. I’ve heard someone - I think Joscha Bach - say that humans are currently in a “swarming phase “. So perhaps humanity’s relationship with the field of intelligence is disrupted by this swarming phase we’re in.
I have just now come across the video from 13 years ago - of course still very timely! Interesting to me as a psychotherapist. Not sure if the information gives me much hope that people who aren’t already have the ability to become advocates for the environment even now when there is more evidence available for climate change and it seems to have sadly become more of a political line drawn in the sand.
Dan, about 19,25 , in presenting this idea of yours, we turn the triangle onto the "relationships apex" - implying a balance and potential imbalance based on the qualities of the relationships .
I have question to Rupert. My question is in knowing our essential self do we expect changes in ou unessential experiences such us thoughts, feelings, sensations? Thanks
Enriching. My only comment is that I would have liked to have a stronger discussion of Alan Rayner's orientation of Natural Inclusionality. Especially his extensive discussion of the 'excluded middle', and of the linguistic and conceptual limitations of talking about 'connectedness' or 'whole' etc. Even with the best intentions to reopen to the dynamic flow logic of nature, these words manifest the abstract logic of rigid boundaries. Thank you.
