Awake in This Life

Phil Collins and Ken Wilber: Separated At Birth!

Michael McAlister — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:10:13 +0000

Okay… which one of these guys is the musician?

Terry Patten’s Evolutionary Activism: A Bodhidharma Strategy | The Integral Heart

Michael McAlister — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:11:30 +0000

Terry Patton hits the topic of enlightened activism on several different levels in his most recent blog post. One of the problems with conventional political activism is that it can be so painfully egoic. Egos commonly experience anxiety, and on that basis they feel an urgency to take action. But anxiety-based activism tends to recreate [...]

Podcast Alert: ISmile259 – Stillness

Michael McAlister — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 16:46:37 +0000

In this talk, Michael offers insights on the necessity of cultivating stillness as a way into the heart of awakening. This is part of his PASSAGE series. via ISmile259 – Stillness | Infinite Smile.

The Summoned Self

Michael McAlister — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 17:06:47 +0000

Could it be that the MSM is verging on a discussion involving higher order self-hood? Is fully responding to life starting to creep into our dialog? While this column doesn’t necessarily do this, we can still lean into hope. The person leading the Well-Planned Life emphasizes individual agency, and asks, “What should I do?” The [...]

Day 2: Integral Theory Conference – Session II

Michael McAlister — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:54:52 +0000

About to hear Roger Walsh talk about Integral Ethics, which differ from regular ethics because they’re more… uh… integral.

Day 2: Integral Theory Conference

Michael McAlister — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:12:37 +0000

Listening to Dr. Elke Fein talk about history from an integral perspective. She argues that collective traumatic experience has more of a social, cultural, and political development than we’ve imagined. This and how a society relates to its past work to determine behavior on the world stage.

Integral Theory Conference – 2010

Michael McAlister — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:10:22 +0000

Enjoying a pre-conference conference on the Three Faces of Spirit, being led by Diane “Musho” Hamilton and Dr. Marc Gafni. While the subject matter is interesting and its being skillfully delivered, I’m finding it an interesting practice to take Gafni seriously when there is so much “stuff” surrounding him. Anyway you cut it, he’s controversial. Some [...]

Buddha Bad Boy Goes Berserk

Michael McAlister — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:33:45 +0000

Even if these people did “scuttle” his meditation, imprisoning and beating visitors is not the most Buddhist of behaviors. Maybe he’s rebranding as Nepal’s “Buddha Bad Boy.” PATHLAIYA: Ram Bahadur Bamjan, 20, popularly known as Buddha boy, thrashed 17 locals after holding them for nearly 24 hours in Bara district on Friday. The injured locals [...]

Nunchuk Pingpong

Michael McAlister — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:43:36 +0000

I can’t quite do this as well as Bruce Lee did, back in the day. Give me a few more decades… and some nunchucks. Hat tip: elephant journal

Shirley Sherrod Almost Got Jonesed

Michael McAlister — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 19:06:39 +0000

Interesting op-ed from Van Jones in yesterday’s NYT. As with many, I was bummed by the knee-jerk responses so many had to the Shirley Sherrod situation. Jones offers some interesting insights relating her situation to his own. The worst of the partisans will get their comeuppance and become cautionary tales for others. Public leaders will [...]

The Moral Naturalists Observe Moral Animals

Michael McAlister — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 18:58:14 +0000

I’m always appreciative of empirical explorations of the things I yammer on about from the cushion. I also like that for any of Brooks’ perceived failings he’s intellectually curious; something refreshing among the punditocracy. We are, it appears, moral animals. But when we attach to our morality, we lose its offering. By the time humans came around, [...]

What’s Right and Wrong With a Mosque at Ground Zero?

Michael McAlister — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 14:50:44 +0000

The most recent flap over whether or not to put a mosque near NYC’s ground zero has struck a chord for many. Although its okay for a strip club to be located nearby, a mosque crosses the line. Robert Wright does a nice job in his essay on the topic for the NYT, and Shambala [...]

Free Will, or Free Won’t: Choice Is Still Interdependent

Michael McAlister — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 15:42:17 +0000

As much as I enjoy philosophical discourse, the whole “Free Will” things get’s old. This, in my view, is because the arguments as to whether or not we have it tend to miss the most fundamental aspect of the debate: free will is an intedependancy. In other words, there is no free will if there [...]

Buddhism in Ireland… Cheers.

Michael McAlister — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 15:24:29 +0000

The first copper-domed Tibetan Buddhist temple will be built on the coast of west Cork, according to IrishCentral.com Garranes, Ireland — It has been announced that the Dzogchan Beara retreat centre will build a copper-domed traditional Tibetan Buddhist temple on the centre’s land. The 14.5 meter tall temple will perch, by the retreat center, on [...]

Podcast Alert: ISmile247 – Uncovering the Deep Commitment | Infinite Smile

Michael McAlister — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:32:32 +0000

In this talk, Michael discusses the issue of commitment to the practice in the face of uncertainty. The fact is we’re all going to die, so how do we live? How do we best work to consciously co-mingle intention with practice in a way that serves all beings? via ISmile247 – Uncovering the Deep Commitment [...]

Was Jesus a Libertarian?

Michael McAlister — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:15:58 +0000

Interesting lines being drawn here: some progressive Christian leaders are arguing as battle lines are drawn for the 2010 mid-term elections. They say Beck and his Tea Party followers are, in a word, unbiblical. And then of course: Tea Party activists, who claim biblical grounds for a libertarian-minded Jesus. He didn’t like tax-based welfare programs, [...]

And Again: Chapter 8 – Commitment

Michael McAlister — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:17:51 +0000

The commitment to walking along the Path of Awakening challenges us in ways that most of us don’t expect. Truly dedicating ourselves to anything is hard work, but this is especially true for this process. Devotion to deep spiritual work is perhaps one of the most treacherous areas for any of us to explore since [...]

Podcast Alert: ISmile246 – Doubt: Wonder with an Attitude | Infinite Smile

Michael McAlister — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:28:52 +0000

In this talk, Michael discusses the difference between wonder and doubt and how each of these experiences affects practice. He argues that doubt, especially great doubt, can enhance our awareness as long as we are not caught by our doubt. via ISmile246 – Doubt: Wonder with an Attitude | Infinite Smile.

Resurrections Leading to Insurrections

Michael McAlister — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:48:19 +0000

I’m continually struck by Peter Rollins approach to Christianity. It’s sober, relevant and in keeping with the way that I try to approach Zen.

Jessica Simpson Gets Giggly During Meditation

Michael McAlister — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:17:49 +0000

To be fair, I’ve cracked up during meditation plenty of times. Still it’s funny to see Daisy Duke lose it in front of a Thai monk. VH1 TV Shows | Music Videos | Celebrity Photos | News & Gossip