Philokalia means 'love of the beautiful and the good', and the writings that were added to this collection were mostly concerned with the importance of awakening and developing attention and consciousness.
Tag: consciousness
The Vast Blue Ocean – Cuong Lu’s Love Letter to Those in Despair
Cuong Lu's new book is a communication of companionship and compassion, addressed to people in states of deep suffering.
“The Total Functioning is You, The Consciousness is You”
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj talks about identifying with the 'I Am' that is the universal consciousness and not the individual body.
What is Attention?
Alexandra Horowitz asks, what does it really mean to pay attention? Is it beneficial? And how can we be better at it?
To Name and Describe, You Must First See
Writer and botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer's book Braiding Sweetgrass is a call to awakening to ecological consciousness and an awareness of our interconnectedness with nature.
What Have You Left Out? Alan Watts on the Limits of Perception
Alan Watts often said that in order to come to your senses, you have to get out of your mind. Watts was emphatic about self-realization and breaking through cultural and psychic barriers in order to live as a fully-fledged, fearless human being.
Am I Conscious Now?
"What does it mean to ask a question? Is there some magic in the inquisitive brain?" Susan Blackmore's lifelong investigation into consciousness encompasses Zen practice and the recurring question: Am I conscious now?
We Only Have One Story – John Steinbeck on Virtue and Vice
East of Eden was John Steinbeck's epic novel written later on in his life that was based on the history of his family in the Salinas Valley in California. With frequent references to the Book of Genesis, the story addresses questions about the fundamentals of human nature, most notably the perpetual struggle within ourselves between… Continue reading We Only Have One Story – John Steinbeck on Virtue and Vice
Altered States and Changed Perceptions
What is it like to be an octopus? This question is at the heart of Sy Montgomery's 'The Soul of an Octopus', a remarkable book that chronicles the author's study of the intimate lives of a group of cephalopods. Their emotional states and social interactions are brought to light as is a wider consideration of the… Continue reading Altered States and Changed Perceptions
Thomas Merton on Zen Koans and Untying the Knot of Individuality
Those of us unfamiliar with the practice of the study of koans might view it as a method of problem solving, of learning how to think out of the box enough to understand the non-sequiturs entrenched in the recorded dialogues of Zen masters and disciples through the ages. In his essay, 'The Zen Koan', Thomas… Continue reading Thomas Merton on Zen Koans and Untying the Knot of Individuality