Joanna Macy: No Self as Good News

Dr. Joanna Macy is a scholar of Buddhism, general systems theory, and deep ecology; she has been a visionary force in environmental activism for over five decades. Her groundbreaking work, The Work That Reconnects, draws from spiritual traditions, general systems theory, and deep ecology to inspire a transition to sustainable human culture.
The central purpose of the Work that Reconnects is to help people uncover and experience their innate connections with each other and with the systemic, self-healing powers in the web of life, so that they may be enlivened and motivated to play their part in creating a sustainable civilization. This is the aim of the Work That Reconnects: help us take part in the epochal shift from the industrial growth society to a life-sustaining civilization. This Great Turning is happening now on many fronts. In order to do this, we pursue these contributing goals:
• to provide people the opportunity to experience and share with others their innermost responses to the present condition of our world
• to reframe their pain for the world as evidence of their interconnectedness in the web of life, and hence of their power to take part in its healing
• to provide people with concepts--from systems science, deep ecology, or spiritual traditions--which illumine this power, along with exercises which reveal its play in their own lives
• to provide methods by which people can experience their interdependence with, their responsibility
• to, and the inspiration they can draw from past and future generations, and other life-forms
• to enable people to embrace the Great Turning as a challenge which they are fully capable of meeting in a variety of ways, and as a privilege in which they can take joy
• to bring people into mutual support and collaboration in working for the world

[@jylyhughes5085]

Utterly marvellous .... a superb and gorgeous talk by our dear teacher Joanna Macy ... xxx

[@EmmaAlley]

Q

[@petercutting2215]

Jyly Hughes o

[@gaiainanna9069]

I love her. Reminds me of my mother ... so grateful For this guide

[@JayHsiaoProjects]

Thank you for sharing this loving talk of Joanna!

[@Lorna2343]

This is a beautiful lecture. Thank you for putting it on youtube

[@Kaliashdevi]

Not knowing Joanna's work and message, there was a deep resonance with this until she spoke about one of her favourite incidences with Buddha and traditional Bramhins who wanted to ask him a question. Regardless of what she believes their motive was, anyone who is aware (meaning hearted-centred) would not reply 'if you wanna know, I will tell you.' It smacked of (self) pride along with Buddhism versus Hinduism. The other misleading point is that Buddha was 'always sitting around talking with groups of people,' when research has shown he continued to live in the forest and mainly alone or in small groups. For 17 years, I have lived in the remotest Himalayas and have known both Hindu and Buddhist Yogis. Along the Old Silk Road and in remote monasteries, you can see 1,400-year-old paintings by Yogis who met and discussed their perspectives without the competition and back-biting there is today - and I have to say mostly by Buddhist's. We also need to bear in mind Buddha was raised as a Hindu and had access to the wisest teachers. The highest oldest Hindu mystics going back to what's now thought to be more than 9,000 years, but probably longer, believed the self is an illusion and that there is only one life manifesting in an infinite number of ways. It's such a shame that evidently those who follow any religion have to split everything up - including the words of the wise ones.

[@deborahbright3884]

could be that something is lost in the translations.

[@kalkiavatar100]

Namaskaram! The Boddhisattva, Christ, or World Teacher, is said to have laid his Body of Light to rest in His Himalayan retreat after creating a human body - made up of the four higher sub-planes of the physical plane (excluding gaseous, liquid & gross matter, i.e. the usual nervous system, flesh, blood and bones) - otherwise known as a 'mayavirupa', on 7th July 1977. Then descended to the Pakistan to acclimatize that body before arriving at Heathrow airport London on 19th July. All the necessary details of that response to the 1st and 2nd World Wars fought on the physical plane, which allowed Him under Law to do more than work in the age-old fashion of over-shadowing the minds of disciples, such as Siddhārtha Gautama, Jesus, Adi Shankaracharya, and many others, alongside His brother, Lord Buddha, (Who achieved liberation in the 1st Solar System or Mahamanvantara and waited for Lord Maitreya to attain liberation after returning into incarnation from the Moon-chain of this 2nd Solar System). He has now surrendered His Kamamanasic Body (or astral & mental vestures, ) for the use the present World Teacher who has taken up the leading role within the Spiritual Hierarchy or inner government, under the directing energy of Lord Buddha in or on Shamballa. Lord Maitreya took up that position for both the Piscean and the Aquarian cycles. He remains in London, while returning to that Himalayan retreat to re-charge that 'mayavirupa' or Body of Illusion, approximately every 12 years. All the necessary information was given by Benjamin Creme during a one-off attempt to draw the attention of humanity's mass media, especially BBC t.v. services since 1982, when a newspaper advertisement was paid for his Share International organisation, who published a monthly magazine together with Questions and Answers that took place during his monthly lectures at Friends House, Euston. The role of the mass media, of course, is supposed to represent the welfare of mankind, itself, rather than only its businessmen and ruling class! I cannot agree more with what you have suggested is a prejudice by so-called 'buddhist scholars'; a term that suits the intellectual head-banging and secular nature of their unenlightened souls, or Energy Governing Organs. Should they and all the other "business guru's" seek the enlightening Grace of the Christ or Boddhisattva, Kalki Avatar, Imam Mahdi, Miroko Bosatsu, or whatever other name any spiritual organisation has given to the Expected World Saviour, at this time, then they will need to accept the fact that Lord Buddha and Lord Maitreya, (who will hold the title of the Christ, or Boddhisattva until the Master K.H. takes over that responsibility at the end of the Aquarian dispensation) are not competing with each other or anybody else, either external to or within the Spiritual Hierarchy of Masters of Wisdom, Love and Compassion! It is only Mental Units or atoms comprising each individualized Soul, Ego, or Causal Body (as sparks of God's all-consuming Fire) which competes with others of that kind - either aggressively or in a pious self-righteous manner - while fighting its own inner battles to the death, as Dwellers of the Threshold of divinity. The man or woman is then referred to as 'Dwija or twice-born', as explained by my Paramguru in his book, THE HOLY SCIENCE, Chapter 3. Sutra 28. by Swami Sri Yukteswar (1855-1936) published by Self-Realization Fellowship 2011. Sutra 23 is translates as follows: "There are five states of the human heart: dark, propelled, steady, devoted, and clean. By these different states of the heart man is classified, and his evolutionary status determined." The Tibetan Master, - an itinerant teacher until the Chinese invasion - is among those other immortal men who are part of the Externalization of the Spiritual Hierarchy, as described by his accepting disciples. Alice A Bailey and Benjamin Creme. There teachings are the only reliable sources of information regarding what has been taking place in the world, as predicted in the Alice Bailey teachings, since 1975. Together with D.K.. the Master Jesus, Morya, Hilarion, Koot Hoomi, and the English Master, and others, will be gradually introduced by Lord Maitreya, once the promise or necessary invitation to address humanity during a live televised press conference is kept by the BBC. That promise given by its Chairman, Michael Grade, in 1986 was prevented by members of the ruling British Establishment from being kept in 1987, leading to his resignation. Since then, Lord Maitreya has accepted other invitations to appear - incognito- on t.v. and radio stations in various other countries, since 2010; as an ordinary human being without demonstrating any of His extra-ordinary divine powers, while his love energy has been saturating the airwaves or mind belt of humanity, and gracefully protecting and blessing the human kingdom from self-destruction. When humanity wakes up, and resists those opposing materialistic forces, and directly invites His divine help, then He can decide exactly when to complete the final arrangements for the great Day of Declaration, or Clarification. According to those more evolved souls from other planets in our solar system, we only have 4 more years from now to prevent global warming from destroying our global laissez-faire capitalist civilization (whether rules by so-called democratic, communist, or authoritarian dictatorships). You may be assured that "everything is known from the beginning" and that His timing will be much more effective than King Canute's - Cnut Rex, King of England, Denmark and Norway in 1016 - while demonstrating his humility to his courtiers and showing them that God was the Supreme Power. Members of the New Group of World Servers, such as this dear lady, will then lose any sense of superiority or despair! Hari Om! Jai Guru. Jai Sai Ram! Jai Prema Shanthi! Aditya.

[@GigiAzmy]

where did you get that sweater coat from Joanna ;) I love it

[@heatherluke4996]

which book was she reading from does anyone know...