“Love In Disguise” by TiberJudy
There’s an old story that’s told about a king who lived in a far-off, distant land. He had a rich kingdom, with all his needs and most of his desires met everyday by the royal court that served him. He was loved and respected by his family and noblemen and was known throughout the land for his wisdom and fairness. It seemed the king had everything he could have ever wanted. Except for one very important thing: he had no heir
"The Wisdom of Insecurity" by Alan Watts — Alan Watts
"...when you really understand that you are what you see and know, you do not run around the country-side thinking, 'I am all this.' There is simply 'all this.'
"...our experience is altogether momentary. From one point of view, each moment is so elusive and so brief that we cannot even think about it before it has gone. From another point of view, this moment is always here, since we know no other moment than the present moment. It is always dying, always becoming past more rapidly than imagination can conceive. Yet at the same time it is always being born, always new, emerging just as rapidly from that complete unknown we call the future. Thinking about it almost makes you breathless."
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Tao Te Ching (Chapter 2) — a Commentary by Galen Pearl
The second chapter of the Tao Te Ching introduces two themes: non-duality and wu wei.
Non-duality
The first part of the chapter illustrates the nature of non-duality with a list of complementary qualities which we often see as opposites, showing that our perception of these qualities comes from their manifestation into being. So, for example, we know the manifestation of beauty because of ugliness, and the manifestation of kindness because of unkindness.
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“Elders are Bridges” by Michael Meade
In the old wisdom traditions, elders act as a living bridge between the visible, measurable world and the mostly unseen realms of spirit and soul. Although more in touch with timeless things, elders would not be out of touch with the conflicts and troubles of daily life. In times of great trouble, the elders could be seen to have one foot firmly on the ground of survival, and the other in the realm of great imagination.
“The Science of Wisdom — Four Sets of Ideas” — (based on the work of Larry Culliford & Iain McGilchrist)
These four sets of ideas will help you understand what we all – members together of humankind – have in common…… And so why wisdom is important, central to who we really are.
Please take some time (a little or a lot, as you choose) to read them through and make sense of them. See how they fit together, saying more about you, and everyone else, than you might have thought seriously about before.
“On Received, Intellectual and Experiential Wisdom” (Course One) by Renee Chen
Interwoven with an exploration of denial, ignorance and naïveté — a cross-examination of Buddhist teachings and psychodynamic theory
Opening Thoughts
I’ve been pondering a lot about the differences between denial, ignorance and naiveté, and how media popularization of the term “woke” in the last couple of years has, at least for me, undermined and downplayed my understanding and desire to understand some very complex, urgent and critical issues.
“Expanding Our Sphere” by Galen Pearl
A minister was giving what I call an “audition sermon” at a church, in hopes of being called as their pastor. After the sermon, members of the congregation were invited to ask questions. Like many churches, this one was becoming smaller and grayer as the members aged. One person asked the minister what he would do to “grow” the church. He responded, “That depends on what you are willing to risk. Everyone like you is already here.”
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“World-Healing Wisdom: Karen Armstrong’s Vision for a Compassionate Future” by Nadia Colburn
The author of more than 20 books, Armstrong has been called “arguably the most lucid, wide-ranging and consistently interesting religion writer today.” Her perspective has been shaped by her life. At the age of 17, she entered a Catholic convent. Six years later, on the verge of a nervous breakdown, she left, wanting nothing more to do with religion. She spent the next 13 years absorbed in secular life, first as an academic and then as a secondary school literature teacher in England. Her first book, Through the Narrow Gate: A Memoir of Spiritual Discovery, was first published in 1981 and chronicles her difficult time in the nunnery and her departure from it. The book launched her as a popular critic of established religion.
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"What is Wisdom?" by Peter Russell
Humanity is too clever to survive without wisdom.
~ E.F Schumacher
What is wisdom? We hear the word a lot these days—the need for wisdom, the wisdom traditions, wisdom schools. We each would like to have more wisdom. And for others to have it as well. Too much human hurt and suffering comes from lack of wisdom. But what is this quality that we hold in such high regard?
Most of us are familiar with the progression from data to information to knowledge:
• Data are the raw facts; the letters on a page, for example…
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