What Is Dharmaecology?

Dharmaecology is an interweaving of dharma themes from the Buddhist Naturalist tradition and ecology, which I define as natural systems theory. Dharmaecology indicates a strong focus on ecology and climate justice, dharma naturalism, and a systems ecology approach to dharma theory and practice. It’s about connectedness, networks and integration, social, biological and cosmic. What I seek …

Fundamentalist Science

I'm going to clear up, once and for all, the total misunderstanding around Buddhist Modernism, science and religion. As a sociologist, I have studied Modernism for over 30 years. My latest studies, for the last ten years, have been focusing on the sociology of science. Proposition 1: No Modernist would ever confuse science and religion. …

The Search for Absolutes

In Buddhism, I have come across this idea that there is an Absolute or Ultimate that is behind or foundational to everything that exists phenomenally (conventionally). This Absolute is pure, perfect, undefiled, unconditioned, unborn. Examples of the Absolute or Ultimate in various Buddhists sects: Mind or Consciousness: Yogacara, and several Tibetan and Zen sectsBuddhanature: Mahayana, …

Buddha Born from Maya; Torso

I'm learning a lot from Susan Rothenberg. I'm learning to simplify my forms to make them more abstract, symbolic. Using a strong outline in black anchors the composition and allows other more subtle images to feel 'in place.' Rothenberg's work has been described as 'New Image', but also Abstract, Minimalist and Neo-Expressionist. Her work connects …

Breaking the Chain of Rebirth: Ignorance

This is a continuation of my post: Breaking the Chain of Rebirth (which WordPress will not let me edit). Here is a counter-answer to my own argument. In most formulations of the 12 Nidanas, what precedes Consciousness at conception is Ignorance, Avidya.  "The Sanskrit word is Avidya… means 'darkness without illumination', illusion without enlightenment.” (Buddhist …

Mahamudra and Not Self

I've been reflecting on my experience of Mahamudra, which I practice as "Relax your mind." Last week I listened to Karl Brunnholzl's (Nalandabodhi) teaching on Mahamudra, and his teaching described the same mental state that I experienced with 'Relax your mind.' But in my reflections on Mahamudra, I noticed something. When I am in that …

Mahamudra

In my last post, I described a simple, effortless meditation practice that I call 'Relax your mind'. I've discovered now that this is a bona fide Tibetan meditation practice called 'Mahamudra'. I saw the similarity when I read a description by Karl Brunnholzel from Nalandabodhi, who will be teaching on Mahamudra online this Saturday. Here …

Relax Your Mind

Relax your mind. This is the new meditation practice that I discovered on my own and it works <chef's kiss> beautifully! (I wish there was an emoji for chef's kiss.) I have learned many different traditional forms of meditation: shamatha, vipassana, secular mindfulness, MBSR, Dhammakaya, Goenka body scan, metta bhavana, one-pointed concentration and focused attention …

Dissonance

The Non-Conceptuality of Conceptual Art I'm painting a diptych, a two part painting, to accompany my next album, Resonance/Dissonance. The first one I'm working on is 'Dissonance'. Yes, this is Modern Art; it is Conceptual art. Yet if you look at the painting (which isn't done yet), where are the 'concepts'? The painting is without …

Art-Other-Self

The inseparability of Self and Other is illustrated by this drawing I did of my partner. I did a series of sketches of her face, some with her sitting as a model, some from photographs, some from memory without any reference to a likeness. The last one I did, from memory, captured her completely. It's …

Exegesis of a Painting: Mark Rothko and the Inner World

A lecture by his son, Christopher Rothko, on his father’s life works. https://youtu.be/yIG-WnSAhBs https://youtu.be/yIG-WnSAhBs