Modern Truths

Author’s Note: Modern Truths contains sixteen talks on the Noble Truths plus a talk on how to decide what is and is not a teaching of The Buddha. The talks were prepared upon the request of devotees at a temple in Penang, Malaysia. All except the talk on the Path-factor Right View and that on the Path-factor Right Intention were also delivered. Again upon request, all except the talk on the four Noble Truths (‘A Modern Opportunity’, p.1ff), and the one on Right Intention (‘Beauty Is in the Eye of the Blind’ p.263), were published in Penang, in two separate books. 1) Modern Birth, Ageing, and Death (p.17ff) — 5 + 1 talks One talk on the Noble Truth of Suffering; four on the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering; and as an appendix, one on Right View (the first factor of the Noble Eightfold Path, the Noble Truth of the Path Leading to the Cessation of Suffering). As an appendix also a talk entitled ‘Is this the Dhamma-Vinaya?’ 2) Modern Happiness Very Difficult to See (p.117f) — 7 + 1 talks Seven talks on the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering, and as an appendix, one on the Noble Truth of the Path Leading to the Cessation of Suffering, the Noble Eightfold Path. Upon the request of devotees at a temple in Singapore, all seventeen talks (2+6+8) and their appendices are herewith published together. Since the talk on the Noble Eightfold Path, the talk on Right View, and the talk on Right Intention, were intended as the first three of a series discussing the Noble Truth of the Path leading to the Cessation of Suffering, they have here been put separately under The Path Leading to Modern Happiness Very Difficult to See (p.225ff ). The talk on how to decide what is and is not a teaching of The Buddha has been put at the end, as it is not directly related to any of the four Noble Truths, but is directly related to one’s study and understanding of The Buddha’s Teachings as a whole. Inconsistencies in translation, etc., between one talk and another have been left as they are. Ekacco Bhikkhu [From a book published by Pa-Auk Meditation Centre, a Centre of Theravāda Buddhist Tradition]

In his first book composed in English, Rémi Brague maintains that there is a fundamental problem with modernity: we no longer consider the created world and humanity as intrinsically valuable. Curing Mad Truths, based on a number of Brague's lectures to English-speaking audiences, explores the idea that humanity must return to the Middle Ages. Not the Middle Ages of purported backwardness and barbarism, but rather a Middle Ages that understood creation—including human beings—as the product of an intelligent and benevolent God. The positive developments that have come about due to the modern project, be they health, knowledge, freedom, or peace, are not grounded in a rational project because human existence itself is no longer the good that it once was. Brague turns to our intellectual forebears of the medieval world to present a reasoned argument as to why humanity and civilizations are goods worth promoting and preserving. Curing Mad Truths will be of interest to a learned audience of philosophers, historians, and medievalists.

Mindfulness—focusing on the present moment while accepting your feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations—is growing in popularity. You can find apps, online courses, and articles on the subject. Businesses like Google are incorporating the practice at work, resulting in lower stress levels, less frustration, fewer sick days, and less burnout. Health centers at universities are getting in on the act too, helping overly stressed students find relief. This basic guide to mindfulness is geared toward the curious, the beginner, and the person looking for real help with the burdens of modern life. Divided into five sections—Appreciating Mindfulness, How to Practice, Mindfulness in Action, Going Deeper, Going Even Deeper—this handy guide tells you everything you need to know to get rid of stress and gain newfound peace: how mindfulness works, how to practice it, and how to apply it in daily life. Along with explanations of mindfulness, each chapter includes a unique guided meditation and a timeless truth that will guide the reader to deal with obstacles to practicing mindfulness, living with wisdom, and how to create unconditional happiness through mindfulness.

Our nation's founding document, the Declaration of Independence, confidently declares, "These truths we hold to be self-evident" And yet, America today seems mired in a truth crisis. Postmodern relativism has cast doubt on the Enlightenment notion of shared, self-evident truths held by all; technologies have made the swift proliferation of untruths commonplace; political sensibilities have become so partisan as to tolerate public personalities who brazenly lie. Many Americans, Jews among them, are understandably concerned for the future of truth as we once knew it. With this book, These Truths We Hold: Judaism in an Age of Truthiness, the editors and HUC-JIR have demonstrated a commitment to full engagement in the contemporary moment as well as to our Jewish heritage as a repository of complex and deep truths. We have assembled an impressive list of contributors who address the subject of truth in Jewish tradition and in contemporary Jewish life from several important perspectives: biblical, talmudic, liturgical, scientific, philosophical, satirical, pluralistic, and poetic. The articles are meant to shore up faith and to serve as a bank of resources to orient readers to Judaism's rich, multi-faceted and morally edifying teachings about truth.

A leading biblical scholar's landmark work challenges the historical realism that has dominated the discipline for more than two centuries How can a modern person, informed by science and history, continue to recite the traditional creeds and confessions of the Christian church? What does the Bible mean and how do we verify biblical truths? In this groundbreaking book, a leading biblical scholar urges readers to be more creative interpreters of biblical texts, mapping out an alternative way of reading that is not first and foremost about understanding what those texts would have meant for the original authors and readers. Limiting our study to the ancient meaning of the text, he argues, has produced either bad history, or bad theology, or both. One cannot derive robustly orthodox Christian doctrine or theology from a mere "historical" interpretation of the Bible. Martin offers instead theological readings of the New Testament that are faithful to Christian orthodoxy as generally understood, but without attempting a "foundationalist" understanding of the meaning of the text. His provocative and ambitious book demonstrates how theology and scripture can remain vital in the twenty-first century.

"Susan Piver consistently offers what so many of us seek: A generous, caring, loving teacher, someone with an open heart and a clear mind, eager to help us find our own way forward." —Seth Godin, author of Linchpin Broken hearts, resentment, affairs, divorce. Why is it so hard to make relationships work? New York Times bestselling author and mindfulness expert Susan Piver applies classic Buddhist wisdom to modern romance, including her own long-term relationship, to show that ancient philosophies have timeless—and unexpected—wisdom on how to love. The Four Noble Truths of Love will challenge the expectations you have about dating, sex, and romance, liberating you from the habits, traumas, and expectations that have been holding back your relationships. This mindful approach toward love will help you open your heart fearlessly, deepen communications with your partner, increase your compassion and resilience, and lead you toward a path of true happiness. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain: expansive, real love for yourself and others.

Dealing with the matter of truth Truth has always been a central philosophical category, occupying different fields of knowledge and practice. In the current moment of fake news and alternative facts, it is mandatory to revisit the various meanings of truth. Departing from various approaches to psychoanalytic theory and practice, the authors gathered in this book offer critical reflections and insights about truth and its effects. In articulations of psychoanalysis with (for instance) philosophy, ethics, and politics, the reader will find discussions about issues such as knowledge, love, and clinical practice, all marked by the matter of truth.

The Being and Event trilogy is the philosophical basis of Alain Badiou's entire oeuvre. It is formed of three major texts, which constitute a kind of metaphysical saga: Being and Event (1988). ), Logics of the Worlds (2006) and finally The Immanence of Truths, which he has been working on for 15 years. The new volume reverses the perspective adopted in Logics of Worlds. Where in that book, Badiou saw fit to analyze how truths, qua events, appear from the perspective of particular worlds that by definition exclude them, in The Immanence of Truths Badiou asks instead how the irruption of truth transforms the worlds within which they by necessity must arise. An emphasis on regularity and continuity has given way to an attempt, one unquestionable in its philosophical power and implications, to formalize rupture and reconfiguration. The Being and Event trilogy is a unique and ambitious work that reveals how truths can be at once context-specific and universal, situational and eternal.