Wisdom for Society: A New Space for Dialogue and Discovery

September 22, 2021Amalée, Fian, Lara, Maitri

You may or may not have heard about Rigpa Germany’s new, juicy project - Wisdom for Society. In either case, we’re excited to share more information about it with you here.

Wisdom for Society developed from the wish to share and reflect upon the know-how of a Buddhist tradition - which has been practiced for over 2,500 years - in a digitized and globalized world.

It opens a space for dialogue between different perspectives on Buddhism, modern life, and social and personal challenges. This space is for people of all faiths and none, the younger and older, people of all backgrounds and identities.

How does Wisdom for Society work?

Wisdom for Society is a multimedia platform: we produce and publish articles, videos, and podcasts, and organize events. Our authors reflect on topics that are close to their hearts and which develop out of personal experience, basing their thinking - about social, ecological, societal, and personal challenges - on the Buddhist tradition. Writers and editors are part of the Rigpa community. We also invite expert guest speakers and writers to share their insight and experience around particular topics.

Wisdom for Society is a German website, which also hosts English content. We currently have two great articles in English, one by Ian Ives and another by Andrew Warr and Christine Warmuth. This month we also have a two part workshop on Intentional Digital Habits led by Jonathan Garner. More events and articles in English are coming up in the next few weeks and months.

Our focus changes approximately every three months. Our current focus is #digitalwellbeing. Following this we will explore the topic of #freedom&identity.

#digitalwellbeing

Here we investigate the interdependencies between mind, technology, and the consumer society we live in. We will discover the impact of an unintentional relationship with technology and explore how to cultivate agency in the way we use it. This will be an opportunity for an interactive journey of learning, self-reflection, observing our habits and intention, and putting ourselves in charge in a loving, aware, and spacious way.

#freedom&identity

Buddhist teachings and practices have a valuable contribution to make to the ongoing discussions around salient categories of identity, such as sexuality, gender, and race. They can help bring our understanding – that prejudice and ‘othering’ have no justifiable basis and that we are not fixed beings – from the head to the heart. With our focus on #freedom&identity we will be investigating how we can acknowledge and value our identity while being less constrained by it. There is a central place for love in these reflections, love for ourselves – our changing, intersecting, and multiple facets – and love for others, no matter who they are.

To stay tuned, follow Wisdom for Society on social media, and feel free to share the project with the people in your life who may benefit!