Some thoughts out of the Shambhala Sun

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I finally finished reading the articles out of the most recent Shambhala Sun magazine.  It had the usual article from current leader Sakyong Mipham, but this one rang a bell or two for me.  Typically his articles don’t, so I thought since this one did, I would just copy out some of the quotes that jumped out at me.  A lot of Buddhist lessons are taught in metaphor which lends itself to staying current with the times.  The metaphors Mipham uses in this article resonate with my feelings I’ve mentioned before regarding life as a verb or a process.  Other than that, I’ll just let the quotes stand on their own without editorial from me.

#1  ”Every society is a ceremony that reflects the attitude of individuals toward themselves and others.  We have been participating in somebody else’s ceremony — a ceremony of being asleep.”

#2 “We are living in an atmosphere of heightened speed and superficiality, characterized by constant reaction.  We are bombarded with stimuli telling us we need something else to feel complete.”

#3 “Thus enlightened society is characterized by constantly maintaining the ethos of awake, inherently acknowledging that if we do not maintain “awake,” we will be asleep.  Sleep takes place when people either forget or ignore basic goodness.  Then, acting on the insecurity, guilt, and fear that arise, people do horrendous things.”

#4 “”Complicated” cannot understand simple, but simple can understand complicated.”

#5 “Enlightened society can happen in any culture.  The past offers examples.  The future depends on our view.”