Ken Wilber, famous Integral philosopher, makes like a Playgirl:
Like lifting weights to get our bodies in shape, we need to train our mind and heart to grow their ability to love, forgive, offer empathy. We need regimens to grow Buddha-Jesus hearts. ~ Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche
Most spiritual traditions forget the body and focus on the mind and heart. Not Ken Wilber, Integral Philosopher. Not Sakyong Mipham, the buff, weightlifting, marathon-running, golf-obsessed Shambhala Buddhist teacher. Not the Samurai of old, who practiced kyudo (archery), martial arts and horsemanship…along with meditation and the less strenuous contemplative arts of haiku, calligraphy, tea and flower-arranging. And not the Shaolin monks of legend.
Still,
- why is it that most of our society gets that it’s important to work out and train the body…but forgets to train the mind through daily meditation or other practical, simple mental exercises?
- And why is it that the religious and spiritual communities, all too often, do little by way of taking care of their bodies, lost as they are in navel-gazing?
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It seems we all agree that training the body through exercise, diet, and relaxation is a good idea, but why don’t we think about training our mind?
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