Blog
Reconciling Racism with the Vedic World View
The underlying premise of the Vedic world view, one which I espouse whole-heartedly, is that we are all one thing, which is pure consciousness. Love. We are all unique, individual expressions of the same ONE thing, just like my pinky looks different and has a different function from my ear, but they are absolutely both a part of me.
My struggle with this world view is that this oneness is not the day-to-day experience of everyone in the world. A lot of people have it really, really bad in this world, to a point where they can’t even conceive of ‘it’s all one thing’. In other words, I can afford to have this world view because I’m white, educated, and was raised in a healthy, well-to-do family. Yes, I’ve worked hard, but I’ve also been given unfathomable opportunities- large ones, and daily micro-opportunities- just by virtue of being born into this body.
Zen and the Art of New Orleans Jazz Fest (or, Everything I Needed to Learn About Life, I Learned at Jazz Fest)
Jazz Fest in New Orleans. It’s my favorite place in the world, the highlight of my year. It’s not exactly what people think of when they think of spirituality, though. This year I brought a new friend with me, and I was telling someone, after the fact, that she was such a great Jazz Fest companion because not only was she awesome, but she was able to take care of herself so well. That prompted them to ask me: “what on earth happens there that she needs to take care of herself? Isn’t it supposed to be fun?”.
For you Princess Bride fans out there, Jazz Fest is like the fire swamp. Sure, there are obstacles, but once you figure them out (where to find air conditioning, how to find real toilets instead of porta-potties), you can live there quite happily for some time. Here are the top 9 life lessons I have learned at Jazz Fest:
Meditate-Anon (Part 2)- for the non-meditators!
Vedic meditation (or any physical or spiritual practice), while life-changing for meditators, can sometimes be a drag for the partners (and family members, friends, and colleagues) of meditators. Several weeks ago, I posted part 1 of this series- how Vedic meditators can make it easier for their family members, colleagues and friends, to be supportive of their practice. If you missed it, or want a refresher, you can read it here!