All posts by Lao Xia

Books! Rupert Sheldrake’s Ways to Go Beyond

Books, Practice

A few weeks ago Rupert Sheldrake’s new book Ways to Go Beyond and Why They Work saw the light. As soon as I saw the beautiful sunflower on the cover, I knew I had to order a hardcover edition of this sequel to Science and Spiritual Practices.

Is it pure coincidence that a book written in the same spirit as the Gamma Tao has a sunflower on its cover? Or is this symbolic telepathy? In the universe of Rupert Sheldrake this may even be a possibility.

Whatever it is, I do feel a special connection with Rupert Sheldrake. I have heard him speak on several occasions now. Last year I even briefly hold hands with him during a short group ritual before having cakes, tea and conversation together at the HowTheLightGetsIn Festival in Haye-on-Wye.

Such a spontaneous tea ritual is typical for the way Sheldrake approaches spiritual practices in his latest two books. According to Sheldrake spiritual practices have many positive effects that can be experienced by participants and validated by scientific research.

In Science and Spiritual Practices Sheldrake wrote:

“the old-fashioned opposition between science and religion is a false dichotomy. Open-minded scientific studies enhance our understanding of spiritual and religious practices.”

Our little tea ritual at the festival certainly brought about feelings of gratitude and instantly increased the bond between the participants.

A controversial scientist

In scientific circles Rupert Sheldrake is a controversial man. His theory of morphic resonance has often been dismissed as pseudoscience. His experiments on dogs that know when their owners are coming home, the sense of being stared at and telephone telepathy are seldom taken serious by other scientists. A few years back TED in a rare act of censorship banned his talk from its website.

In this talk and his book The Science Delusion Sheldrake argued that many things that are taken for granted in science can still be questioned. He challenged the scientific world to break out of its mechanical and materialistic paradigm. Science has brought us great technological progress, but in his eyes it has become a dogmatic “belief system” based on philosophical materialism.

There may be a great amount of speculation in the idea of morphogenetic fields or the possibility that the sun has a degree of consciousness, but when he poses “heretical” hypotheses like these, Sheldrake does so with carefully phrased arguments and always remains within the boundaries of free scientific enquiry.

It is impossible to say whether Sheldrake’s hypotheses are true or false, but his arguments often make sense. Consciousness remains a “hard problem” for modern science and the idea of panpsychism seems to gain some new grounds. I find debates on the relation between science and religion or the nature of consciousness always fascinating and listen to talks of opponents like Sam Harris and Daniel Dennett as well. I never feel angry or upset when my own world view is challenged. More than that, debates like these can lead me to an open-minded state of aporia.

Wisdom of spiritual practices

The Gamma Tao is agnostic about these things. As I wrote several times before, the Gamma Tao is not about the ultimate truth of reality, salvation or enlightenment. It is a basis for practical wisdom that works.

And that is exactly the reason why Ways to Go Beyond and Science and Spiritual Practices align so well with the spirit of the Gamma Tao. These two books show again and again how spiritual practices from all kinds of religious traditions can help us to increase our wisdom as human beings.

Sheldrake does not only show how they work, but as the subtitle of Ways to Go Beyond already suggests, he also sets out to explain Why They Work.

In Science and Spiritual Practices Sheldrake wrote chapters about: meditation; the flow of gratitude, reconnecting with the more-than-human world; relating to plants; rituals and their relation to the past; singing, chanting, and the power of music; and pilgrimage and holy places.

In Ways to go beyond he continues with: the spiritual side of sports; learning from animals; fasting; psychedelics; powers of prayer; holy days and festivals; and cultivating good habits and being kind.

All chapters end with a few suggestions on how to integrate these practices into our own lives.

Both books show that Rupert Sheldrake has a broad knowledge of both religious traditions and recent scientific developments. At the same time these two books are very personal. Sheldrake draws a lot on his own personal experiences. Some passages read like an autobiography.

The key word is connection. As Sheldrake writes in the last chapter of Science and Spiritual Practices:

“Connection is the theme that unifies them [the spiritual practices] all. They lead us beyond the mundane to deeper kinds of connection.”

The word religion itself also carries this idea of reconnecting (“re-ligare”). In this sense, you may say that all spiritual practices are essentially religious.

The chapters in Science and Spiritual Practices and Ways to Go Beyond show how each practice helps to establish new kinds of connection. This power to connect is the main reason why spiritual practices work and why they can help us to flourish like a sunflower.

Seeds of Interfaith Harmony

Events, Traditions, ,

This week we celebrate World Interfaith Harmony Week. This interfaith celebration was first proposed in 2010 by King Abdullah II and Prince Ghazi of Jordan during a plenary session of the United Nations General Assembly and is now a recurring event.

The promotion of interfaith harmony is also a key objective of the Gamma Tao. It is actually one of the main reasons why this website exists. If the Gamma Tao was only my personal way of life there would be no compelling reason to share it.

Even though my focus is on internal personal wisdom, I believe that the Gamma Tao offers an unique way of bringing religions and philosophies of life closer together.

The Gamma Tao is a only a modest lower path offering a common ground on which all the higher paths can shine. The Gamma Tao does not reduce, replace or incorporate these wisdom traditions in any way. According to the Gamma Tao all religions and philosophies offer valuable and unique insights that can increase our wisdom and humanity and lead to various forms of realisation, salvation and enlightenment.

I really hope that the World Interfaith Harmony Week will flourish more and more and become a meaningful tradition that will be celebrated in many religious communities around the world.

In his speech at the UN General Assembly, Prince Ghazi of Jordan projected that:

if preachers and teachers commit themselves on the record once a year to peace and harmony, this means that when the next interreligious crisis or provocation occurs, they cannot then relapse into parochial fear and mistrust, and will be more likely to resist the winds of popular demagoguery.

The celebrations are supported by important interfaith institutions as the Parliament of the World’s Religions and URI. The theme for the observance of the Interfaith Harmony Week for 2019 is “Sustainable Development through Interfaith Harmony.”.

The Gamma Tao can offer sunflower seeds. Wouldn’t it be a nice and meaningful practice if different religious communities would visit each other on World Interfaith Harmony Week to exchange sunflower seeds?

If we plant these seeds and take good care of them interfaith harmony will grow high into the sky and really start flourishing!

Apology Week 2018

Rituals
Apology Week comes to a close today. Since I posted the picture above on December 15th, I refrained from several pleasures, like sweets, entertainment and music, ate mostly vegan food and meditated about collective guilt.
After three years Apology Week has now become a more or less established personal tradition. It is a part of the Gamma Tao and, just like the Gamma Tao itself, it is always open for others.
It would certainly help my own practice of Apology Week, if other people would join next year. It is a bit awkward to observe a period of fasting nobody knows about. Especially during a week in which all kinds of Christmas sweets are already coming your way. It is hard to refuse them and even more complicated to explain why.
On the other hand the timing of Apology Week is perfect. It leads right towards Winter Solstice and precedes all the religious celebrations from the Northern Hemisphere that are related to the return of light.
Apology Week has become a very meaningful tradition for me. I even believe it has some potential beyond my own personal Gamma Tao. To my knowledge there is nothing like Apology Week in this world. A tradition of collective regret could help to improve relations between human beings. Apology Week addresses a lot of suffering that exists in the world, both in the present and from the past.
Apology Week in its present personal form is not about reconciliation. I do not go out and apologise to people. Apology Week is about collective guilt, not personal guilt. In our interconnected world we do not have to play an active role in order to be part of something bad. In some cases we contribute only a very small part to a bigger problem, in other cases others may do or did the dirty work for us.
Apology Week is for me a way to recognise that I have a share in the suffering that, along with all the good things, my species, my nation, my tribe or any other group that I am a part of or related to, has done in this world.
It is most of all a mental practice to develop a deeper environmental awareness and more empathy.
Apology Week is still a personal tradition in development. My own practice of it last week was still far from perfect. For next year I plan to collect stories, films and other materials that can help me focus better on the themes of the day.
Especially here participation of others could help. It would be nice to receive dedicated guided meditations. This week I realised that a form of Tonglen meditation could be helpful for the purposes of Apology Week.

Silent γ at the PoWR

Events, Interfaith,

The γ of the Gamma Tao is a silent consonant. The γ does not need to be pronounced, just like the silent H (or H muet). Its basic values gratitude, compassion and just proportion are not unique and can be found in most wisdom traditions. In this spirit I represented the Gamma Tao last week at the Parliament of the World’s Religions.

Only on a few occasions I gave my “non business card” to others. These were in fact the same old cards I had made especially for the Parliament of 2015. I did not personally attend the Parliament in Salt Lake City, but as a small sponsor unexpectedly I was offered some promotional opportunities there.

At that time I felt strongly about a mission to heal religions so that religions may help to heal the world. Nowadays I am much more humble and focus on my personal path.

When someone at the Parliament asked me about my affiliation, I replied that I represented a personal religion, but more than that I felt affiliated to all wisdom traditions that were present in Toronto. The Parliament itself feels very much like my spiritual home.

So many things came together in Toronto. I am very glad that this time I had the opportunity to join. I was touched by many speakers at the Parliament, regardless of their affiliation. It was great to hear some of my favourites again, like Karen Armstrong, Vandana Shiva and Tu Weiming.

I was deeply impressed by the wisdom of the indigenous traditions that were represented at the Parliament. Other speakers that made an impact on me were among others Arun Gandhi, Chidanand Saraswati, James Lawson Jr., Ebook Patel, Ingrid Mattson, David Rosen and last but not least Larry Greenfield, the executive director of the Parliament.

Several speakers were even more impressive in their deeds than in their words.

In between the speeches and especially during the Sacred Music Concert there were great music and dance performances. I am particularly glad that I learned about the “Prayer of the Mothers, sung by Yael Deckelbaum, which became an anthem for the March of Hope, lead by “Women Wage Peace”.

In preparation of Golden Rule Day 2019 there was a very cheerful session that made everyone sing and dance. The presentation of the Commitment to a Culture of Sustainability and Care for the Earth that has been added to the Global Ethic of the Parliament was an important official moment. This declaration can be signed by everyone here.

In a time that religions – often for good reasons – get a lot of bad press, the Parliament brings out the best from all these wisdom traditions. One of the speakers even called the Parliament of the World’s Religions the Parliament of the World’s Wisdom.

I could not agree more. There was no need for an aspirated γ. The spirit of the Gamma Tao seemed to be manifest in the Parliament itself.

Personal religion at the Parliament

Various

Next month I plan to visit the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Toronto. The Parliament is a huge forum for interfaith dialogue with a history that goes back to 1893. I am looking forward to find inspiration and meet people from as many different wisdom traditions as possible.

To be clear, I will be there as a private visitor. Even though the main objectives of the Parliament of the World’s Religions coincide perfectly with the spirit of the Gamma Tao, I will not participate actively in one of its many interesting sessions.

I will represent the Gamma Tao in a humble, very discrete manner and with deep respect towards all the other major traditions that are present at the Parliament, hoping to learn even more from them than I already have.

The Gamma Tao will probably be one of the newest religious paths present at the Parliament. It will certainly be the smallest, because to my knowledge I am still the only person in the world who actually follows the Gamma Tao.

Even though it is open for everyone, the Gamma Tao can be considered as my personal religion.

The fact that the Gamma Tao is a personal religion does does not mean that I can do what I please and bend its rules at will. In fact, it is the other way around. Ever since it originated in my mind, it is the Gamma Tao that leads me. The Gamma Tao gives me direction. Its objective of personal and universal flourishing does not come without obligations.

Surely I am not the only one with a personal religion.

As Mahatma Ghandi famously said:

“In reality, there are as many religions as there are individuals”

I believe this is true. How perfect or orthodox your religion may be, your own understanding of it is always determined by personal conditions.

Many people nowadays practice personal forms of religion and consider themselves “spiritual, but not religious”. They use this formula to distance themselves from organized religion.

I understand why religion has become so controversial, but I do not mind calling the Gamma Tao a religion.

The Gamma Tao will never be part of organised religion. That’s almost a contradiction in terms. Why would a personal religion be organised?

On the other hand, the Gamma Tao could one day become a platform for people that share the same basic ideas about what is important in religions and philosophies of life. The whole idea behind the Gamma is that it offers only a basic foundation. It would be a platform that promotes diversity and stimulates people to become active in their own communities, because without any form of organisation you cannot have much impact.

So it could be a platform of γHumanists, γTaoists, γChristians, γBuddhists, γMuslims, γJews, γHindus, γPagans, γAtheists or any combination of these and other wisdom traditions, a platform of people that beside their own main paths observe the minimal principles of this basic “interfaith philosophy”.

It might never happen. If the Gamma Tao does not become such a platform, that is perfectly fine with me. It will remain my basic philosophy of life or personal religion.

I do not feel any aversion towards the word “religion” anymore. Actually, I like it more and more. I like it in the same way as the word “philosophy”. For me these words have become broad and open concepts available for every human being, not limited to an institutional context, whether that is a church, a temple or a university.

While philosophy is literally love of wisdom (philo-sophia), I now see religion as a way to “re-connect” (re-ligare) to our universal origin.

Since this broad concept of religion encompasses our whole being in the universe, it is not only “spiritual”. It is also “material” and in this world. So it includes ethics and certainly does not exclude reason. It is the art of being in the universe and living a good life. I call it an art because living a good life requires skills and creativity.

The values of the Gamma Tao combine all these elements for me. The Gamma Tao may be a personal religion in its forms and practices, its scope, principles and objectives are universal, just like all “real” religions.

A personal religion like this is certainly not a non-binding ego trip, it is a personal way to re-connect with the universals.

Since the Parliament of the World’s Religions is a gathering of all religions, it should also be open to personal religions. I am excited that by simply being there I can represent the Gamma Tao.

I plan to write more about my experiences in Toronto here in this blog.

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My moral compass

Various

When there is talk about a moral compass, someone has probably lost his or her way. People wonder whether this person has a moral compass. But what exactly do they mean by that?

It is hard to find descriptions of a moral compass that is doing its job. What should the specs be? A moral compass is often described as an internalized set of ethical values that guide a person through life, quite similar to a person’s conscience. Such a description is still not very concrete.

The Gamma Tao seems to be an exception. It is one of only a few concrete examples I know of a working moral compass.

Religions and philosophies of life can feed a moral compass, but in general their scope goes far beyond concrete situations. It can be difficult to apply their teachings in real life situations. We may still need some practical guidance or a way to proceed. That is what a moral compass is supposed to do.

Conscience and moral compass

It is useful to make a distinction between our conscience and a moral compass. Our conscience is like a set of ethical emotions. Our conscience tells us how we feel about our actions. It is active in the present but also very much related to our past. We can have a good or bad conscience about our actions in the past.

A moral compass is something different. At least that is the way I see it. A moral compass is not a natural faculty of our mind. It seems to stand for a set of ethical values that we have acquired in our life.

Gamma Tao as moral compass

A compass shows our position in the present moment and indicates the best way to go from there. A moral compass should also be something we can use when we need to find our way

In the last five years the Gamma Tao has become my personal moral compass. It actually helps to guide my thoughts and actions. I am not a kind of person who spontaneously and by nature feels and does everything right. At times I need some correction in a better direction.

A compass with three poles

How does it work? The Gamma Tao has not two but three poles: a spiritual, an emotional and a rational pole. All these three poles attract me towards essential values and practices, indicating the need to use my spiritual, emotional and rational intelligence.

Blue spiritual pole

The blue spiritual pole above is the space for our intuition and creative talents. In many cases we may experience intuitions about the best way to go. Some people say that they always follow their intuition. This could very well be the right way to go, but this moral compass tells you to check the other poles as well.

Ethical decisions are seldom routine. Every situation is unique. We cannot take the same route every time. Often we also need our Golden Gift of creativity to find creative solutions to our problems.

The basic spiritual value of the Gamma Tao is gratitude. A basic value attracts our behavior in the right direction. We know that in many circumstances it is important to count our blessings first. In difficult situations gratitude can take the neutral value of acceptance. We have to accept what comes on our path with an open mind.

Red emotional pole

The red emotional pole to the right is the space for our feelings and emotions. Our emotions are important drivers of ethical values and behavior. We have to listen to our heart and try to do what feels good.

As the Golden Rule teaches us, we can use our own feelings to develop empathy and take into account the feelings of others. The basic emotional value of the Gamma Tao is compassion. Compassion can lead to positive action towards others. When this is difficult or unnecessary, we should at least avoid to do harm to others.

Green rational pole

The green rational pole is our thinking space. Our ratio is the essential regulator. We simply cannot allow ourselves to be carried away by emotions, even if we feel we are right. The intensity of our feelings can be either too strong or too weak. Emotions know no boundaries. Our ratio needs to regulate our emotions to some extent. This is also a constant theme in classical philosophy.

In this rational space we can take a step back and put all our intuitions and feelings into perspective. At the same time we can consider opinions of others, the norms and values of our communities and, last but not least, the possible consequences of our actions. We all know that what goes around comes around.

The Golden Mean or Golden Ratio leads to the basic rational value of the Gamma Tao: the just proportion. “Nothing in excess” (μηδὲν ἄγαν), as a famous inscription on temple of Apollo in Delphi teaches us.

The value of the just proportion should also be applied when we confront ourselves with bad habits or we face the natural environment.

Find the upward direction

According to the Gamma Tao the use of our ratio is the last step in the ethical decision making process, even though we may take various rounds of spiritual, emotional and rational intelligence before we make this final step.

From this point we need to try create a positive upward turn for the situation in which we find ourselves. The upward direction is always the right direction. That is direction indicated by the Gamma Tao.

Be aware that in many cases we have to overcome a bit of our ego to achieve this, as is also clearly indicated by the upward stroke of the γ breaking through the circle of our own mind into the world around us.

Benevolence

Unfortunately a compass like the Gamma Tao is not like a modern route planner. It will almost never get us exactly where we want to go. Life is not geography. It is much more complicated and dynamic. There are no guarantees in life.

If we use a moral compass in our life it shows that at least we have the intention to do what is best. It is an indication of our benevolence.

If we use our moral compass often enough we will eventually internalize its principals and practices. We will become better and better. We may even say: wiser and wiser.

A moral compass like the Gamma Tao can help you grow the seeds of your potential.

The more you practice, the more you will flourish.

Three light years

Events, ,

Three years ago, on the day of Summer Solstice, I started this website. It may not be perfect and it does not attract many visitors, but for me at least it is one of the most promising wisdom projects available. I often wish I could spend more time on it.

The Gamma Tao has become my playground. I feel that it gives me some “right to play”. More than ever I am actively looking for wisdom and inspiration. I want to learn from the great minds of our age, read their books, listen to their talks, whatever their backgrounds may be.

As a Gamma guy, I do not belong to a particular camp. Some people would frown if they knew all the speakers I have listened to in the past three years. These speakers themselves would probably also be “bien étonnés de se trouver ensemble”.

I like to hear many different perspectives and do not mind whether new insights come from scientists, philosophers or spiritual teachers.

One of the highlights of my wisdom journey so far was the HowTheLightGetsIn Festival in Hay-on-Wye that I attended only a few weeks ago. It advertises itself as the world’s biggest festival of philosophy and music.

I felt at home immediately. While queuing for the first event, I already spotted Antonia Macaro. Since I wrote a blogpost on her book More than happiness, I took the chance to say hello. I was also pleasantly surprised that all speakers received a sunflower.

Maybe the most inspiring thought came from the name of the festival itself. It comes from a line in the Leonard Cohen song Anthem:

“Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything…that’s how the light gets in”.

You can listen to this song here.

This phrase teaches you to have an open mind. Nothing is perfect.

It really reflected the atmosphere of the debates at the festival. Often debaters do not really listen to what others have to say. They are only waiting to find something they can disagree on to make their own points. The debates at the festival were not at all like that. They were mostly interesting exchanges of ideas.

Also the Gamma Tao is no perfect offering. During the past three years it has been continuously evolving, like a beta-version.

Three years ago, the gamma way started with a basic theoretical symbol. The Gamma Tao now also has an active form. Wisdom consists of reflection and action. Vita contemplativa has been complemented with vita activa.

Compared to the great traditions, the Gamma Tao remains a lower, initial path. Not a path that on its own leads to perfect wisdom, if that is even possible. The circle (or ensō) of the Gamma itself has a crack.

Spiritual enlightenment or salvation belong to the higher paths.

On the way back from the festival, I took the chance to visit Stonehenge. Each year thousands of people gather at Stonehenge to celebrate Summer Solstice at sunrise.

Archeologists suggest that in prehistoric times Stonehenge has been a place of celebration and worship at the time of Winter and Summer Solstice for thousands of years. This is based on the way the light gets into the monument on these days.

During my trip I paid the hosting costs for this website. The Gamma Tao will remain live online for at least another three years.

May the light of wisdom get in. In you, in me and the whole of humanity.

Happy Summer Solstice!

Books! The Courage To Be Disliked

Books, ,

Philosophical ideas are able to transcend time and place. In our contemporary connected world ideas travel faster than ever. Since the publication of Michael Puett’s The Path millions of western readers have shown interest in what Chinese philosophers have to say about the good life. Something similar, but in the opposite direction, happened to the book The Courage To Be Disliked, written by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga.

Since its publication in 2013 this book has sold millions of copies in Japan, China and South Korea. So does this book introduce ancient Greek philosophy to an Eastern audience? Not exactly. The Courage To Be Disliked is about the philosophy of life developed by Alfred Adler.

Who is Alfred Adler? If you never heard of him, there is no reason to feel ashamed. Alfred Adler is the “unknown third giant” of Austrian psychology, a younger contemporary of Freud and Jung. He was one of the original core members of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society, but he departed from it to establish his own school of thought that became known as Adlerian psychology. In several ways the psychology of Adler became the very opposite of psychoanalysis.

Ichiro Kishimi

One of the writers of The Courage To Be Disliked, Ichiro Kishimi, is one of the leading authorities on Alfred Adler. He is a certified counselor and consultant for the Japanese Society of Adlerian Psychology. He translated several of his books into Japanese and wrote an introduction to Adlerian psychology.

Ichiro Kishimi has been studying Ancient Greek philosophy from an early age. While scholars in the West would probably pose solid boundaries between philosophy and psychology or between classical and modern Western thought, from his Eastern perspective Ichiro Kishimi has no hesitations to place Alfred Adler in the tradition of classical Greek philosophy.

The Courage To Be Disliked presents Adlerian Psychology in the form of a Platonic dialogue between a philosopher and a young student. This form is also a kind of role play between the two writers Kishimi and Koga.

The dialogue form works very well to explain Adlerian psychology step by step and deal with possible criticisms. As a reader you find yourself constantly switching sides between the teachings of the philosopher and the objections of the student.

In the end it is up to the reader to accept or reject Adlerian psychology, but the book will certainly confront all readers with several challenging ideas about life and the possibilities to take control over one’s own happiness.

The Courage To Be Disliked may be a life changing book, even though it may take many years to fully grasp and internalize its teachings.

Adlerian psychology

It is difficult to summarize and do justice to Adlerian psychology in the way it is presented in The Courage To Be Disliked. Without the Platonic dialogue many arguments for and against Adlerian psychology will be lost here.

Adlerian psychology teaches us that we are not so much determined by our past as by the goals we set in our lives. At the same time it does not consider life as a linear process towards these goals. According to Adlerian psychology life is more like collection of dots or moments. We have to live in the present moment and enjoy all our little steps towards our goals like a dance.

In order to develop real happiness according to Adlerian psychology we should not set self-centered goals. Happiness comes from a feeling of belonging. We should develop a sense of community and always aim to contribute to the common good. Adler had a very broad and cosmopolitic concept of community. It included practically everything in the universe.

His concept of contribution was also very broad and not limited to beneficial acts. On the level of being practically everyone, even the incapacitated, can contribute to the community as a whole.

In Adlerian psychology all our problems are considered interpersonal relationship problems. Everything we do or think takes place within a social context. As long as we continue to see society as a place of competition and hierarchy, we will never be free and find happiness. We should therefore put our confidence in others – even at the risk that people take advantage of us – and strive to build horizontal relationships.

We should also be very clear about what our own tasks in life are and not interfere in the tasks of other people. We should certainly not worry about what other people may think of us. These judgements are none of our business. We should simply concentrate on our own business, find the courage to develop our talents, make a contribution to the community and ignore the things we cannot change.

If you want to place Adler in a classical tradition, you may find some resemblance with Stoic thought here.

Adlerian revival?

It is easy to see why Adlerian psychology with its emphasis on personal freedom combined with a strong sense of community and harmony attracts so many readers in the East. Adlerian psychology offers a way out of hierarchy, high expectations, conformity and the fear of losing face in the eyes of others.

The Courage to be Disliked has now been translated into various Western languages. It is too early to tell whether this book will lead to a broad reappraisal of Adlerian psychology in the West.

Ideas may flow quickly between East and West, but there may be unexpected cultural barriers that prevent the reimportion of ideas. I really doubt whether many Chinese people are willing to listen to Michael Puett’s teachings about their very own Confucius.

In Western countries many people seem to be very open right now to read about Japanese cultural phenomena like Ikigai, Shinrin-yoku, Wabi Sabi and Kintsugi/Kintsukuroi. Also Japanese books on cleaning (Maria Kondo), minimalism (Fumio Sasaki) and longevity (Junko Takahashi) are very popular today.

The Japanese do have a tradition to import ideas, improve on them and successfully export better versions. We have to wait and see what will happen to Adlerian psychology after this Japanese treatment.

Golden Rule Day

Golden Rule

The Golden Rule is one of the three treasures of the Gamma Tao. The Golden Rule is in fact at the very heart of it. The Gamma Tao is in a way an extended version of the Golden Rule.

Long before the Gamma Tao became a guiding compass in my life, I already observed the Golden Rule. The Golden Rule is a common ground for human ethical behaviour. I often wondered whether you would need anything else to live a good life. Whether you are religious or not, the Golden Rule offers a simple and universal principle for moral behaviour.

It is not surprising that the Golden Rule has been formulated in so many ways in different traditions.

The Golden Rule departs from the fact that we are all sentient beings who know more or less what feels good and what feels bad to us. It basically tells us that we can use this personal experience in the way we treat others.

Critics of the Golden Rule often point out that we all have different preferences. Others may not want to be treated in the same way as we prefer.

The Gamma Tao adopts the “negative” formulation: do not treat others in a way you do not like to be treated yourself. This formulation is less problematic and helps us to avoid doing unnecessary harm to others.

In all its formulations the Golden Rule leads us towards more compassion. That is probably the reason why the Charter of Compassion has taken the lead in the celebration of the Golden Rule.

May Golden Rule Day become the first intercultural, interfaith holiday celebrated around the world!