Ruminating on what it means to achieve Zen in a continent that has experienced fear, injustice, and inspirational political revolution, this meditation is a refreshingly enlightening account of practicing Buddhism in a volatile and ever-changing South Africa. Reminiscent of Lau Tsu combined with Oom Schalk Lourens, this luminescent and contemplative guide to inner sanctum draws on the experience and knowledge of an advocate of human rights and a former Zen monk. Lightly musing on the abstract concepts of humility, acceptance, reconciliation, and love and layered with swirling emotion and poetic insight on the nature of mankind--especially in the face of seemingly impossible adversity--this deeply spiritual and often humorous journey is as full of heart as it is of wisdom and serves as a necessary yet gentle reminder of what it is to be human.
A trip down the lesser-known back roads of the Karoo, from Kimberley to Colesburg, this account finds divinity in the dust and Buddha in every pothole in South Africa. With gentle wisdom and deep compassion, the author connects with the people he meets along the way and shares their stories, past and present, as well as his own personal history and insights. The road is sprinkled with his special brand of poetry and interwoven with a fresh telling of the tale of Gotama, the man who would become Buddha.
James Leatt was nine when the Nationalist Party came to power, and eleven when he saw a documentary of the Allied forces liberating Nazi death camps. For most of his life the shadows of apartheid and the Holocaust have dogged his beliefs about faith, the meaning of life and the moral challenges humankind faces. Conjectures is a philosophical reflection on his life and times as he grapples with the realities of parish work in black communities, teaching ethics in a business school under apartheid, managing a university in the dying days of the Nationalist regime, and eventually working in higher education in post-apartheid South Africa. Weaving strands of his personal life with the questions of theodicy and modernity as well as drawing upon the Western philosophical tradition and the wisdom of East Asian traditions such as Taoism and Buddhism, he comes to terms with a disenchanted reality which has no need for supernatural or magical thought and practice. He has learned to live with questions. If you no longer believe in God and a sacred text, what are your sources of meaning? What kind of moral GPS allows you to find your way? Is what might be called a secular spirituality even possible? Conjectures traces the author’s search for a secular way of being that is meaningful, mindful and reverent.
Mzansi is hurting. Mzansi is dancing. This land is a constant tumble of brilliance and disappointment, of beauty, courage and heartache. How do we live with all this? This is our life's question, one we need to confront if our presence here is to have any meaning. The Way of Zen asks of us to look our situation in the eye; beyond our opinions, arguments and fears about it all, into things exactly as they are. It takes courage, it takes sincerity and it takes a great love. But this open-hearted awakeness allows us to step out of our separate corners into our natural connectedness, into our inherent oneness with this world and its people. From this intimacy, compassion and wisdom arise, and a generosity of spirit. Whatever we think of how the country is being run or where it is heading, this is our life. Let us live it fully. The author's familiar and authoritative Zen style inspires us into taking up this life with both hands, calling us into an intimacy that is already beneath our feet.
If, as the I Ching says, thoughts are spirits, then this collection of highly distilled thoughts from history's greatest philosophers and religious figures will certainly put you in good spirits. Laurence Boldt has long made a practice of applying Zen principles to everyday life. Here he applies wisdom from all corners of the world to twenty-five aspects, or qualities, associated with the Zen tradition. The result is a soup of the most hearty and wholesome kind, well-seasoned with age, and filled with delicious surprises: "Where your talents and the needs of the world cross, thence lies your vocation." —Aristotle "A man with outward courage dares to die: A man with inward courage dares to live." —Lao Tzu You'll also find Flip Wilson on living in the moment; Will Rogers on the beginner's mind; Helen Keller on courage; Chekhov on self-confidence; Colette on joy. Each chapter includes an entertaining and informative essay that explains the principle and its application to Zen wisdom. The rest is up to you. Read it in one gulp or savor each morsel. Either way, Zen Soup is sure to whet your spiritual appetite as it nourishes your soul.
Key concepts, definitions, examples, and historical contexts for understanding smart cities, along with discussions of both drawbacks and benefits of this approach to urban problems. Over the past ten years, urban planners, technology companies, and governments have promoted smart cities with a somewhat utopian vision of urban life made knowable and manageable through data collection and analysis. Emerging smart cities have become both crucibles and showrooms for the practical application of the Internet of Things, cloud computing, and the integration of big data into everyday life. Are smart cities optimized, sustainable, digitally networked solutions to urban problems? Or are they neoliberal, corporate-controlled, undemocratic non-places? This volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series offers a concise introduction to smart cities, presenting key concepts, definitions, examples, and historical contexts, along with discussions of both the drawbacks and the benefits of this approach to urban life. After reviewing current terminology and justifications employed by technology designers, journalists, and researchers, the book describes three models for smart city development—smart-from-the-start cities, retrofitted cities, and social cities—and offers examples of each. It covers technologies and methods, including sensors, public wi-fi, big data, and smartphone apps, and discusses how developers conceive of interactions among the built environment, technological and urban infrastructures, citizens, and citizen engagement. Throughout, the author—who has studied smart cities around the world—argues that smart city developers should work more closely with local communities, recognizing their preexisting relationship to urban place and realizing the limits of technological fixes. Smartness is a means to an end: improving the quality of urban life.
From a respected Zen teacher, a contemporary take on the paramitas, six traditional practices for cultivating compassion and wisdom--a path of deep hope in the face of personal trouble and societal crisis. Amidst the barrage of the daily news cycle and the tumult of our personal lives, it may seem natural to contract out of fear or anxiety. But is there a way to face our lives and the world without closing off our hearts? There is such a path, says Zen teacher Diane Rizzetto. It can be reached through the teachings of the Buddhist paramitas or “perfections”—giving and receiving, taking skillful action, practicing patience, engaging effort, meditating, and seeing clearly. Filled with stories, teachings, student questions, and practices, Deep Hope demonstrates the possibility of living with a hopefulness that is grounded in the present moment—a practice of spiritual nourishment and deepening wisdom.
Microadventures are for everyone – young and old, tall or small, fit or funky. Pull up your socks and get out of your comfort zone. Discover gorgeous views and endless vistas; feel the silence, listen to the wind and greet the sun. Meet the tortoise and the kudu. Connect with nature and your inner adventurer; open your eyes & meet the people – have loads of fun! Prince Albert has a lot to give: Swartberg Mountains, Karoo Space and lots of blue sky; gentle walks and exhilarating descents; dry waterfalls, trails of wonder and a colourful cast of local characters. Heaps of cultural history and a thriving, caring community.
"Lectures, essays, poems, and calligraphy by Zen Master Dae Gak, the founder, abbot, and guiding teacher at Furnace Mountain Zen Retreat Center. He received Inka and Transmission in the Su Dok Sah Korean Lineage from Zen Master Seung Sahn. He is also the author of Going Beyond Buddha, The Awakening Practice of Listening." -- Provided by publisher.
