"Technology and Enlightenment " - October 2009

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On Practice

Awareness in our technological world
by Justin Whitaker

Technology brings a world of spiritual knowledge to our fingertips. But immersing ourselves in a world of gadgets may also distance us from more authentic connections with teachers, family, and friends. Guest blogger Justin Whitaker takes a look at the double-edged sword of our hyper-connected world.

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The technology of happiness
by Vishvapani

For years westerners have assumed that Buddhists must be a miserable lot: their teachings dwell so much on suffering. But recent scientific research suggests what Buddhists have believed all along. Buddhism -- or at least Buddhist meditation-- leads to happiness.

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Book reviews

Saltwater Buddha: A Surfer’s Quest to Find Zen on the Sea, by Jaimal Yogis
Reviewed by Jenn Fields

The siren song of the sea calls surfers away from school, jobs, family, and in Jaimal Yogis’s case, even a monastery. But for this surfer, bobbing on waves might be the best place to practice Zen.

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Sitting Practice, by Caroline Adderson
Reviewed by Hazel Colditz

A Canadian author's sophomore novel deals with the serious subjects of disability and unrequited incestuous love, but brims over with life and laughter as it provokes the reader to reflect.

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The Mindful Leader, by Michael Carroll
Reviewed by Sunada

In The Mindful Leader, author Michael Carroll’s premise is that the best leaders aren't those who take charge and make things happen. They're the ones who are willing to be fully human and inspire the best in others. Sunada reviews this book that shows us how to pursue excellence at work and do so with decency, dignity, and authenticity.

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Embracing Mind: the Common Ground of Science and Spirituality, by Wallace, B. Alan & Brian Hodel
Reviewed by William Harryman

Are science and spirituality "non-overlapping magisteria" (as the late Stephen J. Gould put it), or can some overlap indeed be found? B. Alan Wallace, lecturer, scholar, and noted Buddhist practitioner, believes that it's time for scientists and meditators to team up (and indeed for scientists to become meditators) in order to study the mind from within.

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Quote of the Month

"The self is not something ready-made, but something in continuous formation through choice of action."
- John Dewey

Dewey’s saying echoes Buddhist notions of impermanence and not-self. Bodhipaksa points out that the Buddhist position is not merely descriptive of how things are. Rather it amounts to a technology of happiness -- a set of perspectives and tools that allows us to create more deeply fulfilling lives.

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Other articles

The wisdom of surrender
by Bodhipaksa

Recently, Bodhipaksa received a request to answer some questions for a book on the topic of surrender. Here’s the first draft of his response, explaining what it means to surrender to reality, and why the path of surrendering takes hard work and an effort of will.

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9/11: Meditate to Liberate
by Lokabandhu

On the anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center, we bring the story of how one Buddhist chose to respond by challenging the consciences of those whose business is to promote the sale of weapons of war.

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Meditation in the News: Top Five Stories of the Past Month

Each month we bring you the media buzz on meditation.

• Samurai mind training for modern American warriors
• Being young, here, now
• How the brain hard-wires us to love Google, Twitter, and texting. And why that's dangerous.
• Obama administration in talks with Dalai Lama
• Johns Hopkins wants volunteers for Intensive Meditation and Migraine Study