The wisdom of the Buddha is timeless. The texts and practices we have as part of our lineage of teachings come from specific moments in human history, but their essence transcends temporality. This ancient wisdom is only beneficial if we understand what it means to live with it, here and now, facing 21st century lived realities, and 21st century problems.
What does Buddhism say is the appropriate way to engage in the struggles for equality? About toppling patriarchy, or grappling wtih white privilege, or negotiating the deeply ingrained and subconscious biases that are part of the very institutions of contemporary life? What about pop culture and contemporary entertainment culture? Does Buddhism offer strategies for participating with those and other forms of artistic and leisure expression? How does our environment affect how we practice?
This site, which is very much still in production, hopes to help think about some answers to those and other similar questions. There is no interest in conceptualizing a “new’ lineage of Buddhism, or “modernizing” Buddhism to meet the needs of 21st century life. The answers already exist in the texts and practices and lineages of our teachers, there is no need to create anything new, but simply to properly understand and apply it. The goal is to mine that endless source of wisdom to learn how to deeply practice Buddhism, and let it truly be the means by which we understand the world around us.