Dr. B. Allan Wallace has been a leader for integrating Buddhist knowledge and practices with the vision of Western science. He was one of the first Westerners to be ordained as a Buddhist monk by the Dalai Lama in India.. Interviewed by editors of Buddhist Door, he was asked "How can the ancient tradition of Buddhism help us respond to the severe crisis we are facing?" Here's his response:
In Buddhism, our challenge is to respond to whatever arises to us, whether we regard it as felicity or adversity, good times or bad, and transmute everything that comes our way into our spiritual practice to make it meaningful. So this is indeed a challenging time, but when we look back on human history, when was there not a challenging time, at least for some very significant portion of the human population? These are difficult times medically, but only a small fraction of the human population has been directly influenced by this virus; millions and millions more are influenced by it financially, in terms of their livelihoods. Their sense of security is lost and they wonder whether they can find their next meal, or take care of their families. How do we transform this? If we look at this from a really deep perspective, this pandemic didn’t come out of nowhere. I’ve read account after account saying that we human beings have created the circumstances that brought this upon us. We are violating our environment; we are violating other species; we have wiped out half of the wildlife on the planet over the last 40 years. We have brought more destruction on the ecosphere than at any time since the great meteor hit some 65 million years ago. We are experiencing now the results of our own actions, even without alluding to the Buddhist view of karma, which I do indeed accept. Karmically speaking, from lifetime to lifetime we’ve actually brought this upon ourselves. So how can we transmute it? Number one, we have to wake up, all of us 7.8 billion people. We have to be aware of how we, collectively, are violating the environment that is not only our home but the home of 20 billion, billion animals with whom we share this planet. We must treat this environment gently, lovingly. We must look forward 10 generations ahead to see that we leave this Earth in better condition than it was when we first arrived. But right now we are, of course, doing the exact opposite. So we are experiencing the harvest of the seeds we have sown—we, collectively. Especially the rich nations; the nations that pride themselves on an ever-increasing gross domestic product, as if the more you can consume, the more you produce, the more successful your society is: this is an insane notion. (read the full intervew: www.buddhistdoor.net) The body reveals our history in surprising—and sometimes unsettling—ways. Things we've long forgotten, our body remembers with impeccable accuracy. - Aura Glaser
People are always looking for the easy way. The hard way - the way learned by difficult experience and painful realizations - doesn't interest them. They want a short-cut. True Dharma seekers are afraid of short-cuts. They know better. They know that without effort, there is no sense of accomplishment. - Han Shan
Look at the news as another product fabricated and marketed to the consumer. - Ajahn Sumano
When you associate with a person, you unconsciously pick up that person’s habits and views. This is why the most important principle in shaping the environment around your daily meditation is to associate with admirable people. - Thanissaro Bhikkhu
It is a difficult time in human history to be an optimist, or even a realist. In the face of so many dire truths in our world today, the easiest stance is certainly that of the pessimist. And yet the Buddha’s teachings demand realism, and perhaps even, as a balancing force for the overwhelming pessimism of our day, a bit of optimism. - Justin Whitaker
The next time you’re feeling anxious or depressed, consider what you’re putting into your mind. Are you feeding it with doom and gloom, negativity, gossip, and other mental “junk food” ? If so, how about replacing it with information that is inspirational, uplifting, positive, and constructive? - David Gosse
 (public domain image from www.pixabay.com) Yet another study on yoga reveals it benefits for the body. This one specifically suggests that you can avoid back surgery through yoga. A study on "Yoga for Military Veterans With Chronic Low Back Pain" published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine in 2017 shows yoga improved low back pain among veterans, who also reduced their use of opioids. It included 150 military veterans with chronic low back pain from a major Veterans Affairs Medical Center in California. They participated in yoga classes twice weekly for 12 weeks, along with a home practice. They practiced Hatha yoga, which consisted of modifiable and accessible physical postures, movement, brief meditations and breathing techniques. The study was conducted by Erik Groessl, professor of family medicine and public health at the University of California San Diego and director of the UCSD Health Services Research Center. "In general, the conclusion is that there is solid, high-quality evidence, and we conclude yoga is an effective treatment for low back pain," Groessl says. "Like any treatment, there's an individuality aspect to it, it could make some people worse, if they have a unique type of medical problem or health condition. But it will make more people better." Societies which persecute minorities only reveal their own sickness. - Bradford Smith
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Victor M. Parachin ...is aVedic educator, yoga instructor, Buddhist meditation teacher and author of a dozen books. Buy his books at amazon or your local bookstore. Archives
January 2021
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