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Welcome to the Infinite Smile Blog. We’ve set up shop at Substack.
The Moral Naturalists Observe Moral Animals
I'm always appreciative of empirical explorations of the things I yammer on about from the cushion. I also like that for any of Brooks' perceived failings he's intellectually curious; something refreshing among the punditocracy. We are, it appears, moral animals. But...
What’s Right and Wrong With a Mosque at Ground Zero?
The most recent flap over whether or not to put a mosque near NYC's ground zero has struck a chord for many. Although its okay for a strip club to be located nearby, a mosque crosses the line. Robert Wright does a nice job in his essay on the topic for the NYT, and...
Free Will, or Free Won’t: Choice Is Still Interdependent
As much as I enjoy philosophical discourse, the whole "Free Will" things get's old. This, in my view, is because the arguments as to whether or not we have it tend to miss the most fundamental aspect of the debate: free will is an intedependancy. In other words, there...
Buddhism in Ireland… Cheers.
The first copper-domed Tibetan Buddhist temple will be built on the coast of west Cork, according to IrishCentral.com Garranes, Ireland -- It has been announced that the Dzogchan Beara retreat centre will build a copper-domed traditional Tibetan Buddhist temple on the...
Was Jesus a Libertarian?
Interesting lines being drawn here: some progressive Christian leaders are arguing as battle lines are drawn for the 2010 mid-term elections. They say Beck and his Tea Party followers are, in a word, unbiblical. And then of course: Tea Party activists, who claim...
The commitment to walking along the Path of Awakening challenges us in ways that most of us dont expect. Truly dedicating ourselves to anything is hard work, but this is especially true for this process. Devotion to deep spiritual work is perhaps one of the most...
Jessica Simpson Gets Giggly During Meditation
To be fair, I've cracked up during meditation plenty of times. Still it's funny to see Daisy Duke lose it in front of a Thai monk. VH1 TV Shows | Music Videos | Celebrity Photos | News & Gossip
Telling Glenn Beck I’m a Buddhist for Social Justice… join me.
Sojourners has set up a way to "report" ourselves to the appropriate authorities if we espouse social justice in our interpretation of sacred scripture. Feel free to join me. Here's my report: Dear Mr. Beck, I'm a Buddhist who believes in the compassionate call to...
This is interesting. I've always thought that a commitment to social justice was at the core of Christian (as well as other) spiritual teaching. At least that's what Thomas Aquinas seems to point out in his writing. Perhaps Beck has something on Aquinas. Money quote:...
4 Steps for Managing the Attention Paid to Social Media
Soren Gordhamer, organizer of the Wisdom 2.0 Conference, writes that we need to 1.) know that our external reflects our internal, 2.) do one thing at a time, 3.) invite instead of force, and 4.) know where our attention is most needed. Phrases for any spiritual...