Mindfulness or vipasanna meditation is one of the most important cornerstones in Buddhism. The late Buddhist scholar Dr Dhammananda succinctly described religion as "nothing more than the awareness of the mind". This statement encapsulates what religion or spirituality is about. Awareness of one's mind is the alpha and the omega of reality. Nothing exists san the mind. Share your thoughts here. Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!
Dec 23, 2011
Joan Halifax: Compassion and the true meaning of empathy
Buddhist roshi Joan Halifax works with people at the last stage of life (in hospice and on death row). She shares what she's learned about compassion in the face of death and dying, and a deep insight into the nature of empathy.
Activist, anthropologist, author, caregiver, ecologist, LSD researcher, teacher, and Zen Buddhism priest -- Joan Halifax is many things to many people. Yet they all seem to agree that no matter what role she plays, Halifax is consistently courageous and compassionate. Halifax runs the Upaya Zen Center in New Mexico, a Zen Peacemaker community she opened in 1990 after founding and leading the Ojai Foundation in California for ten years. Her practice focuses on socially engaged Buddhism, which aims to alleviate suffering through meditation, interfaith cooperation, and social service.
As director of the Project on Being With Dying, Halifax has helped caregivers cope with death and dying for more than three decades. Her book Being With Dying helps clergy, community activists, medical professionals, social workers and spiritual seekers remove fear from the end of life. Halifax is a distinguished invited scholar of the U.S. Library of Congress and the only woman and Buddhist on the Tony Blair Foundation’s Advisory Council.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment