As part of the work that she’s leading on the ReSource Project—a large-scale multi-methodological secular mental training program—Tania Singer is studying novel forms of intersubjective mental training practices that are performed with a partner. These contemplative dyad practices are aimed at boosting social closeness and perceived interconnectedness. In this video, Singer, who is the Director at the Max Planck Institute…
Dharma Teacher Josh Korda Reflects on What the Buddha Said about Social Connection
Tina Chang is the Poet Laureate of Brooklyn and the author of two collections of poetry, Half-Lit Houses and Of Gods and Strangers. In one poem, she’s declared “I am placing myself in danger all the time” as she crafts her work fearlessly across forms and across histories. Her poems continually reveal the significance of the complex intersections of class,…
Lovingkindness practice asks us to embrace our shared humanity with all people, but it does not require us to agree with all of their actions.
The three treasures are the path to the awakened mind, and they are that awakening itself. They point to the ultimate nature that is realized through practice, as well as to how that nature manifests in our practice and actualization, how we embody our understanding of the real nature of things. The Buddha, dharma, and sangha are the real activity…
According to the gut-feelings I have in response to my regular Facebook and Instagram use, I am a lonely and unsuccessful person without authentic sources of inspiration and passion in my life. According to my self-presentation on Facebook and Instagram, I am an extroverted and entrepreneurial writer with a laundry list of interests, creative pursuits, and professional triumphs about which…
I’ll never forget my astonishment when I heard the Tibetan teacher Nyshul Khen Rinpoche say, “Everything hangs on intention.” I thought, “Of course! Nothing happens without intention. It’s so crucial!” Wise intention is one of the steps of the Buddha’s eightfold path, and it might be the most important one. Wise intention is what keeps our lives heading in the…
As human beings, we all try our best to bring about a world based on kindness and compassion. What seems to go wrong, however, is that what I want, what I personally would like, becomes more important than the benefit of the whole community. Whether we look at religion, philosophy, science, development, or politics, wherever there has been human society…