Drugs and Dharma in the 21st Century In June, please join us at CIIS online in a course entitled, "Buddhism and Psychedelics." We will explore the ideas of many Buddhist and psychedelicpioneers, including Robert Aitken, Richard Baker, John Perry Barlow, Stephen Batchelor, David Chadwick, Lama Surya Das, Ram Dass, Erik Davis, Rick Fields, Joan Halifax, Jack Kornfield, and Terence McKenna. Although this is a for-credit course, you do not have to be a full time student at CIIS to join us. For more info email registeronline@ciis.edu. The following article introduces some of the strands of our upcoming explorations... Two great directions in human thought and activity have recently beencoming into sharper focus. Buddhism and psychedelics share a concern with the same problem: the attainment of liberation for the mind. Recently Ram Dass and Ralph Metzner have released a book about the birth of a psychedelic culture. The drug war leads to cynicism and apathy and, of course, blights thousands of lives.
On Cynefin as a Sensemaking Framework: Part One In earlier posts, I discussed Dave Snowden’s Cynefin framework from the viewpoint of systems classification, offered an alternative to it, and then offered some critical comments. I did this because (a) Dave sometimes used the term “system” in describing one or another Cynefin “domain” and (b) a lot of the recent discussion on Cynefin in the act-km group focused on the issue of Cynefin as a framework for systems classification. However, looking at Cynefin from the above perspective is not consistent with Dave’s primary application of the framework as a model and tool for aiding “sensemaking” for decision making. Using Cynefin is mostly all about sensemaking for decision making and isn’t focused on categorizing types of systems for purposes of studying them, or developing general knowledge about them, or better understanding the holistic character of a system. In short, using Cynefin is not about systems analysis. The DEC-KLC-KM Framework Let’s begin with routine decision making. Simple
Thinking like a genius: overview Thinking and recall series Problem solving: creative solutions "Even if you're not a genius, you can use the same strategies as Aristotle and Einstein to harness the power of your creative mind and better manage your future." The following strategies encourage you to think productively, rather than reproductively, in order to arrive at solutions to problems. Nine approaches to creative problem solving: Rethink! Exercise #2 illustrates how famous thinkers used these approaches. Exercise #1: illustrates applications of the nine approaches. Text of exercise:Nine approaches to creative problem solving: Rethink! Thinking and recall series Concentrating | Radical thinking | Thinking aloud/private speech | Thinking critically | Thinking critically | Thinking creatively | Mapping explanation | Make your own map I | Make your own map II | Thinking like a genius: Creative solutions | Famous thinkers | Selected thoughts
.:ESRA On-Line - Bernard WERBER:. Radical thinking Are you looking for new ideas? Has your path reached a dead-end?Are your options limited, or just invisible? Often the way we experience the world is built on and bordered by our experiences! Most of the time, these shortcuts serve us well by providing answers based upon how we have solved problems in our past. However, these rules also can lock us into stereotypes, pre-conceived ideas, and uncritical analysis. Perhaps radical thinking may help you generate new ideas? First, briefly summarize your situation or challenge. Situation example 1: My elderly grandmother can’t get to the phone in emergencies. Situation example 2: I talk too much Opposite mode: I will be silent. Situation example 3: I am disorganized. Thinking and recall series
Pourquoi l’ayahuasca ? 1 La recette de la décoction correspondant à ce nom contient des proportions variables de Banisteriop (...) 1Ce texte s’articule autour de deux questions. Comment l’ayahuasca 1 en est-elle venue à se détacher de la multiplicité des plantes psychoactives découvertes lors de la rencontre coloniale et postcoloniale avec les Amériques ? Comment est-elle devenue la porteuse privilégiée de la circulation et la globalisation de pratiques spirituelles et thérapeutiques d’origine amazonienne, désormais emblématisées comme représentantes d’une spiritualité pan-indigène ? 2 Cette réflexion est complémentaire d’un texte récemment paru dans la revue Autrepart : Losonczy A.- (...) 2Par une approche généalogique des usages et des représentations dont les plantes psychoactives tropicales ont fait l’objet dans la culture savante euro-américaine et dans les sociétés amazoniennes, il s’agit de saisir les conditions d’émergence de nouveaux espaces d’interface symbolisés et alimentés par l’ayahuasca 2. 71M.
Teaching critical thinking Benjamin Bloom (1956) created this taxonomy or classification system for categorizing "competencies" in educational settings, as defined by skills demonstrated by learner type or intelligence. This breakdown provides a useful, incremental framework of complexity in demonstrating mastery of a subject or topic. The verbs include the skills that demonstrate each: Knowledge:To know something means to be able to remember or recall facts or bits of information, though one can "know" something without understanding it or being able to put it into a higher context. This process is illustrated by recall of sequences and lists, of events and dates; landmarks on a route; pictures and their graphic details; songs and lyrics; titles and names; even memorized definitions and explanations. Verbs include: choose, define, describe, enumerate, identify, label, list, locate, match, memorize, name, quote, recall, recite, recognize, reproduce, select, show, state Curricular guides and resources:
Terence McKenna's Timewave Zero and the Fractal Time software dostadning Divination. Divination: The Synchronous Universe. Divination (from the Latin divinare "to foresee, to be inspired by a god", related to divinus, divine) Article: By Alex Whitaker 2011 Although today divination is largely considered to be a false 'science', there is no doubt that in the past a great emphasis and respect was placed on those who claimed to be capable of it. Divination methods vary by culture and religion but in all cases, divination relies on a symbolic key to decipher the underlying meaning of physical events. The principle behind divination, is that it recognizes an essential link between our inner and outer reality. (More about the Oracles) It was perhaps because of this fact that the Greek philosopher Chrysippus determined to establish proof of fate through prediction (divination). 'For it is not a stoic doctrine that the gods concern themselves with individual cracks in the liver or individual bird-songs... Categories of Divination. Delphi: The site of the First Oracle. (Shamanism)
Key Documents You Need to Take With You in an Emergency - Kiplinger - Pocket As you prepare for Florence or the next big hurricane, make sure you gather financial documents that you'll need if you must evacuate or your home is damaged. QIn your last column, you talked about how to prepare for a hurricane, and you mentioned gathering key documents. What documents are those? AMany of them you likely already carry around with you. SEE ALSO: 10 Must-Have Items for Your Emergency Kit “As you rush out the door before a storm, some of the keys to your financial survival over the coming days may already be in your wallet, including your driver’s license, bank and credit cards, health insurance identification and some cash—ATMs and other machines may not be working,” says Neal Stern, a CPA and member of the American Institute of CPAs’ Financial Literacy Commission. If you have time to organize your records and put together a “go file” to take with you during a disaster, consider the following: Identification records. Home inventory and insurance records. Tax records.
Za'irajah A branch of the science of letter magic, (practiced) among the (authorities on letter magic), is (the technique of) finding out answers from questions by means of connections existing between the letters of the expressions (used in the question). They imagine that these (connections) can form the basis for knowing the future happenings they want to know. Here we have something like puzzles and trick problems.835 There are many discussions of the subject by them. From the Science of Letter Magic THE MUQADDIMAH Abd Ar Rahman bin Muhammed ibn Khaldun Very few people share the (self-scrutiny) of the Sufis, for negligence in this respect is almost universal. From the Science of Sufism THE MUQADDIMAH Abd Ar Rahman bin Muhammed ibn Khaldun