Good thinking! I think Sting has chanted with Krishna Das in a few songs. Seems like he would like a push to do it again.

There is an irony in decrying the decline of transparent journalism while remaining Anonymous.

Hi Stefanie, Matt, Bob, and fellow readers (co-conversationists)! I think my question is related to Matt's:

In North American Buddhism there is a sense that we must diligently practice the Buddhadharma in order to not lose out on the opportunity before the Asian masters pass away. The notion that there are qualified North Americans who can pass on an "authentic lineage" is sort of new.

Is there a similar feeling in the yoga tradition? Are there "authentic" North American yogis contrasted with yoga practitioners. Is this a concern in the contemporary yoga community?

-Sawennatson

What a discussion!

Jelefant writes: Many people, including Buddhists, overlook the metaphor and literally *believe* that the sort of coherent self that exists on earth returns in another body, but I think that misses the grace of the teaching."

I find this true in myself. Lately, to counteract this, I have been think of this "coherent self" as a bunch of animated causes and conditions. Now adding that to Bob and William's discussion from chapter six: "all activity (even selfish activity) is a manifestation of him." My mind is shattering.

Here you go, Susan. The entire set of video clips from Sam Keen`s lecture in Berkeley:http://fora.tv/2010/03/11/Sam_Keen_In_The_Absence...

Her Eminence Jetsün Khandro Rinpoche has students who offer a study group in Atlanta. I think Khandro Rinpoche is not strictly Karma Kagyu as she was born into the Mindrolling Lineage of the Nyingma school as well as being a Kagyu tulku. I`m not to familiar with Rinpoche myself but a few people I know who consider themselves Karma Kagyu speak highly of her.
http://www.lotusgardens.org/practiceandstudy/regi...

On a side note, Khandro Rinpoche does have a reputation of being in your face, tough, as well as compassionate; characteristics that Bill attributes to Karma Kagyu lamas.

While reading your comment, I remembered a video clip of Sam Keen talking about how people reinterpret profound experiences of individuals into dogmatic and secular structures. What I think he says is someone has a transcendent experience, "an enlightenment experience", and the later on we as a culture use the myth of that person to exert our own power. I could see that happening with the Gita and taking the language of war to be literal. You've illustrated a plausible argument in your comment. Food for thought.

I'll let Keen speak for himself (without my misinterpretation):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waIE0KCKL20

Hello. I've been eyeballing this book from its dusty perch on the shelf since high school. I read it after "Violence & Non-violence" course. It was a lot for my teenage mind to take in. Thanks for being the push to re-examine the Gita.

I'd be in. Reading the Gita has been on my to-do list for a while now.