“Knowledge by itself, without deep wisdom, ends up becoming despair.” —Ram Dass We live in a time of unprecedented access to information and knowledge, both a blessing and curse. One of our major sources of information, the news media, is designed to trigger our evolutionary need to spot problems and feeds our survival anxieties with a daily flow of endless…
Many people assume that contemplatives are ascetic and apart from the world. Thomas Merton, in his book The Inner Experience, highlights that the contemplative experience does not remove or isolate one from life but heightens one’s connection to it. He writes: “The true contemplative is not less interested than others in normal life, not less concerned with what goes on in…
In honor of Good Friday and Easter, we’re revisiting a beautiful and soulful rendition of “Glory Halleluja” performed by the inimitable Odetta Holmes. In the video below, Odetta sings “Glory Halleluja” on April 13, 2008 at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in New York City. This took place at “Satyagraha: Gandhi’s ‘Truth Force’ in the Age of…
The first 25 years of my career as a journalist focused on ways to foster sustainable human progress centered on science illuminating the biological and geophysical interplay of people and the planet. But over and over, I came to realize that decisions about addressing, or ignoring, environmental risks were shaped more by communities’ basic needs and individuals’ perceptions than basic…
Last November, cellist and composer Zoë Keating performed at the Garrison Institute’s Insight & Impact benefit. We caught up with her recently to discuss her spiritual and artistic sensibilities and her use of technology in creating emotional experiences through music. This post is the first in a series of short interviews on contemplation and creativity. Do you have a contemplative…
Last night the Garrison Institute hosted a concert with Riyaaz Qawwali. Before the show, Sufi scholar and teacher Pir Zia Inayat-Khan gave an illuminating talk on music as a devotional practice in the Sufi tradition. Listen to his talk below.
Tomorrow night, March 17, the Garrison Institute will host a concert with Riyaaz Qawwali. The evening will also feature a special dinner followed by a talk by Pir Zia Inayat-Khan on music and sound as a devotional practice in the Sufi tradition. (You can read more about the festivities here and here.) To get a sense of Riyaaz Qawwali’s music and…
Welcome to the Climate, Mind and Behavior Podcast. Each episode, we’ll explore groundbreaking intersections between human behavior, resilience, climate change and contemplative practice. Today we bring you a conversation from last year with renowned journalist, environmental activist and founder of the global climate movement 350.org—Bill McKibben. In the wake of the one-year anniversary of People’s Climate March and as we welcome 2016 with…