Political

I have little regard for the nation state. We, humans, have imposed this construct on the Earth without a single scrap of evidence to show that the earth itself gives support to this political ideology. It is an idealogy fuelled with human tendencies to uphold the view of ‘self’ of the nation. Self breeds other – those who are for us and those who are against us. It is a crude, arrogant, if not violent mental construct. We think, speak and act as if there were real countries with real differences between one so-called nation and another. Nationalism and internationalism tells us little about true reality and tell us far more about the deceptive nature of thought and views.

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When the unbearable becomes the unspoken …Read More »

Last year, the Indian government issued a ruling that Israeli citizens, must stay out of India for a minimum of six months before applying for a visa to return to India. The decision triggered lots of speculation as to the motives in the Ministry for Home Affairs and the Ministry for Tourism in New Delhi. No one has seen any official statement as the reasons for this decision that currently only applies to Israeli citizens.

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Restrictions on Israeli citizens visits to IndiaRead More »

A small group, Peace and Wisdom Studies, has established itself at the Bodhi Garden in Brighton, Sussex, England, under the wing of Chris Dornley, a senior in the Dharma. He kindly invited me to speak at the Bodh Garden with the title for the evening

I gave a talk on WHY ARE WE SUCH A VIOLENT NATION?- with questions and answers and small group discussions on the theme. …

Violence in EnglandRead More »

I am not a fan of democracy. The belief that the vote of the majority is the best form of government is questionable to say the least. Poverty, violence, addictive behaviour, unhappiness are widespread in democracy. Do our politicians express the will of the majority? There is an epidemic of alcohol abuse, drug addiction, depression and compulsive spending. Wisdom and compassion ought to be the criteria. If democracy is not working, why on Earth do we want to convert with missionary zeal the rest of the world to a two party state, corporate ownership of all resources and individuals into consumers? Our mad ideology with its belief in self, choice and status expresses a pathological form of conditioning that goes unexamined. …

The Aussie Prime Minister gets the bootRead More »

I returned last month from the United States. I first visited San Francisco and New York in 1977. At the initial invitation of Jack Kornfield, I taught twice a year for 25 years at IMS, the Vipassana centre, in Barre, Massachusetts and for 25 years in the Bay Area, namely Spirit Rock starting in 1982.

Earlier this year, I decided to cut down on my overseas travel from four continents a year to three continents. I have the wish to spend more time serving the Dharma in Totnes, reducing carbon footprints and give more time to dharma writing. …

Last Trip to AmericaRead More »