I have been very remiss in keeping up with posts here, but I have been incubating an idea for a spin off of the current blog. I started this blog as an idea to create on-line support for our Buddhist reading group at Lake Street Church. It was intended to help people to think about the ideas and concepts that we went over in our group at a different point in the week. Many of these valuable spiritual ideas are more valuable the more we use them and, thus I wanted to create a platform that encouraged further reflection.
However, I don't think the blog was used very much by many members of our group and most of the audience was coming from outside even Lake Street Church's larger community. This has led me to the idea to write a blog that about the concepts, ideas and teachings of Buddhism from a modern perspective. I believe that Buddhist philosophy is of tremendous value to people living in Western countries. Its teachings address much of what ills us as a people. It could very well be more important and useful to people now than it has ever been in historical times. Our world moves faster and faster with more ways to distract us arriving everyday. We often find ourselves reacting to life instead of actively choosing how we want to live. Along with this it is important to realize that science is catching up with the Buddhist world view and Eastern mystic traditions generally. Advances in Physics and Neuroscience are unveiling discoveries that support the underlying theories of meditation practices and explanations of the world initially taught by Buddhist teachers and mystics thousands of years ago. My conclusion in all of this is that ever more so, these are ideas and teachings whose time has come.
This newly reincarnated blog will not only attempt to give readers food for thought in maintaining balance and perspective in the modern world, (there are many blogs that already do this) but this blog will reference scientific studies or research supporting Buddhist ideas or meditative techniques.
However, most importantly the blog will address the critical question of why it matters for you to pay attention to these ideas. A member of our reading group recently wrote, "It's like I get the 'what it is' but not the 'why it is important', if that makes any sense." and it very much does. Of all of the information available today and with all of the self help guides and gurus out there the why it is important is truly critical when competing for a person's attention. It is my total conviction that the ideas that we will survey here are some of the most tried and tested ones out there that have withstood the tests of time and gracefully matured to greatness. They are ideas that will help us to live more fulfilling, successful lives while also making the world a more rational and compassionate place. I look forward to taking on this project, and I hope that you will join me, at least from time to time.
