Category Archives: Politics

A Farewell, and an Invitation

Posted on August 7, 2018 by Tom Cummings

This is my final post to the Engaged Mindfulness blog. Nearly a year and a half has transpired since I wrote the two most recent entries, “What now?” and “What now? (part 2)”. These essays both grappled with how those … Continue reading →

Posted in Buddhism, Current Events, Mindfulness, Politics, Society | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

What Now? (part 2)

Posted on May 30, 2017 by Tom Cummings

In my last post, written in the week immediately following Donald Trump’s inauguration as president, I suggested two practices that might be of value during the troubling times to come – be more continuously mindful, and become more effectively engaged.  For the past … Continue reading →

Posted in Buddhism, Mindfulness, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

What now?

Posted on January 30, 2017 by Tom Cummings

In my last post, I argued that candidate Donald Trump was unfit to be president of the United States for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which were his manifest shortcomings in two of the most essential Buddhist … Continue reading →

Posted in Buddhism, Mindfulness, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

An anniversary post, and a political plea

Posted on October 18, 2016 by Tom Cummings

Today, the Engaged Mindfulness blog turns five years old.  In preparation for  this fifth-anniversary milestone, I recently scrolled back to my first post, “The Paradox of ‘Engaged Mindfulness’”, published on October 18th, 2011.  As I re-read it, I was struck by two … Continue reading →

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Dismal Prospects: The Looming World of Wealth Inequality

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Tom Cummings

A film I recently saw, and a book I’ve just finished reading, both have me contemplating the growing world-wide phenomenon of wealth inequality with a renewed sense of urgency. The film is Elysium, a science fiction thriller set in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Economics, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

What We Could Build

Posted on June 29, 2013 by Tom Cummings

One of the more absurd episodes in last year’s U.S. presidential contest came about after President Obama made the following remarks during a campaign appearance in Roanoke, Virginia, in July 2012: …. look, if you’ve been successful, you didn’t get … Continue reading →

Posted in Buddhism, Current Events, Interconnectedness, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Robert Thurman’s “Politics of Enlightenment”

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Tom Cummings

I recently came across an extraordinary essay by renowned Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman, in which he examines the potential contribution that Buddhism can make to the American political process.  It is such an inspiring explicitation of the principles that infuse … Continue reading →

Posted in Buddhism, Enlightenment, Mindfulness, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments