Can We Change the World by Meditating? David Loy speaks in NorCal events

Did you dig David Loy's recent article for Turning Wheel Media, "Can Mindfulness Change a Corporation?"If you are in Northern California, you have several opportunities to study with David in person - see below for details or check out his full schedule.For in-depth exploration, check out his weekend retreat:Money Sex Fame War Karma: Personal and Social Transformation Esalen Institute in Big Sur CA May 3-5More info-------------David R. Loy, a Zen teacher trained in Sanbo Kyodan tradition of Japanese Zen Buddhism, challenges us to look beyond personal transformation to include all sentient beings in our quest for liberation.What is the main challenge we are facing globally? According to nondualist traditions such as Buddhism, we are unable to live happily as long as we suffer from the delusion that “I” am separate from the rest of the world. In contemporary terms, the self is a psychological construct that is never secure enough, because it is haunted by a sense of lack. Since we usually do not understand the source of our discomfort, we often try to resolve it in ways that make things worse. Money and fame become symbolic realities with which we try to fill up our lack. Such obsessions are more than an individual problem: they reveal where our society is stuck. The “three poisons” (greed, aggression, delusion) have been institutionalized, and a collective sense of alienation from the earth is at the root of the eco-crisis. How can the “black hole” at our core be transformed into a source of joy and creativity? Through presentations, discussions, and guided meditations, we will explore personal transformation according to the nondualist traditions, and its relationship with social transformation.

In early May, Loy is bringing his teachings to the San Francisco Bay Area. You can find out more about what Buddhism can teach us on how to address our current crises at a number of talks and retreats.

• Tuesday, April 30, Loy joins Insight Meditation South Bay in Mountain View CA for a Dharma talk on “Why Buddhism & the West Need Each Other: The Non-Duality of Personal & Social Transformation.”
• Thursday, May 2nd, he lectures at Stanford about the Ethics of Wealth: “Buddha and the Green Goo: How Much Is Too Much?”
• Join Loy for a more in-depth exploration at a weekend retreat at Esalen Institute in Big Sur CA May 3-5 about “Money Sex Fame War Karma: Personal and Social Transformation.”
• May 7 and 8, he will teach in Carmel CA.
• Loy wraps up his visit to the Bay Area on Saturday, May 11 offering a daylong retreat to “Transforming Self, Transforming World” at the Sati Center for Buddhist Studies in Redwood City CA.

For more details on these offerings and about David R. Loy, please visit www.davidloy.org.