 |
Images have the ability to help us focus. When I wake up in the morning, I make a point of looking west in the hopes of seeing the Olympic Mountains. When they are visible, as they were this morning, the sight of them reminds me how small I really am and helps me shed the grandiosity that comes from excessive responsibility. I cherish that focus. Symbols authored by our fellow human beings can often accomplish similar effects and thus aid us in our emotional and intellectual discipline. In his book The Wheel of Engaged Buddhism, Kenneth Kraft offers us such a symbol. He presents us with ten images arranged in a mandala to help us apply our wisdom and compassion to the social, political, and environmental issues of our time. His essays on these images are an inspiration to those of us who believe that contemplation and just action go hand in hand.
Posted: 1/3/07; 12:09:39 PM # |
RSS