andrea patriceDec 23, 2022

I’ve been wondering why I’ve been so focused on #Buddhism lately- after all, it’s not a new thing in my life. But I think that, after seeing just how much what I’m finding out about the world due to my wide reading (from physics to ecology to music) of the last 2 years mirrors Buddhist insights, I’ve realised that becoming more serious about my practice is absolutely necessary to develop further— both as a theorist/philosopher and as a person generally.

#philosophy @philosophy 🧵
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Show threadandrea patriceDec 23, 2022

At heart, the fundamental problem of #philosophy that I’m examining is *how to get things done*— as a human, living in this world.

I’m looking at what is similar about intentional human action from the micro & highly individual scale— how do I (a physically disabled person with #ADHD) develop a new habit?— to the macro scale— how does humanity create a liveable and sustainable future for itself? Fundamentally, at the level of basic reality, that’s the same process. #Buddhism agrees. 2/

Show threadandrea patriceDec 23, 2022

The world I live in is a world of scale, where everything is relative to everything else. Even what we consider to be unassailable truth or fact is simply only true because we share the basic reference frame in which it is true with a wide set of others, whether that’s other humans, other animals, all life on Earth, or literally everything else in the universe. There’s *always* a reference frame- you can’t measure (or detect, or decide) unless you have a scale to work from.

#philosophy 3/

Show threadandrea patriceDec 23, 2022
“There’s always a reference frame”- If you follow that line of thinking to its logical conclusion, you basically end up in the territory of #Buddhism- in a world where something can be both true and false, depending on your reference frame- the scale at which the chaotic frenzy that is the universe is resolved into something ordered and cognisable. 4/
Show threadMuckzDec 23, 2022
@annedraya That is beautifully written, thanks for this. Lately I‘ve been wondering how to apply buddhist philosophy to climate activism, social change and ethical leadership. There is much to be learned and to rediscover I think.
Show threadChris HaynesDec 23, 2022
@muckz @annedraya I puzzle over this too. #Mahayana meditation training implies you should learn to disengage from the world. "First learn to stop being a nuisance to the world" as #ChogyamTrungpa put it.
Eventually true #compassion (a shared experience of unsatisfactoryness) should arise.
But what skilful activity to undertake while waiting?
I'm beginning to sense that opportunities to learn/contribute present themselves karmically; that you just need to be open to self-presenting invitations.
Show threadMuckzDec 24, 2022
@clfh @annedraya I had to think a while over this. I believe that compassion is active not passive. Jack #Kornfield had a talk about this: tending the garden of the world, tending the garden of the heart. And I think that disengaging from the world might not be an option for most of us in this life. Right now my activities are mostly being a good and present dad. I think I disconnected to much from other activities though. So I hope that opportunities do present themselves
Show threadChris HaynesDec 24, 2022
@muckz @annedraya
Re. compassion: I'm not sure what passive compassion would look or feel like 🤔.
I think what I'm trying to suggest is that, rather than setting out with a mission like "This morning I must go out and do something about the climate" (or whatever) you wait for the opportunity to present itself.
I'm not dissing the 'engaged buddhism' movement.
I'm hinting at a process which might appear magical (but, as we all know, things only appear magical if you don't know how they are done).
Show threadChris Haynes

@muckz @annedraya

... which brings us back to @annedraya 's original interconnectedness insight.

Dec 24, 2022 at 1:21pmWeb