388: The Ministry Of Presence (The Dharma Toolkit Daily, Episode 12)

The Buddhist Centre

A mythic sense of things is never far away in today's conversation about radical imagination: at the most intimate levels of close, personal friendship; and also culturally, historically, politically, and spiritually as we try to meet the moment of crisis to which we are all witnesses.
With Viveka and Upayadhi we discuss taking cues from anticipatory communities who deal with systemic suffering every day, and who have stored up effective responses to some of the issues we are all now facing. The questions that arise are themselves hopeful:
How do we love each other back into life when we stand in a place that feels almost impossible? How do we make actual the vision of a just, loving world? And how can we imagine that as the simplest thing rather than as the most difficult?
A great, encouraging conversation from New York City and San Francisco, where the words of Grace Lee Boggs, activist and American revolutionary, ring out:
"A revolution that is based on the people exercising their creativity in the midst of devastation, is one of the great historical contributions of humankind."
Show notes

• Triratna NY - classes online
• Upayadhi and her partner teach meditation at Space2Meditate
• Viveka teaches at the San Francisco Buddhist Center
• Article from the New York Times on chaplaincy
• Audio story on NYC chaplaincy amid the pandemic

We close today's episode with a minute's silent meditation.
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Check out our Dharma Toolkit space for details of all we have on offer to help you make it through the weirdness and stay inspired.
Come meditate with us any week day!
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Theme music by Ackport! Used with kind permission.
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