[van-announce] "Toward a Buddhist Social Thoery" talk by David Loy Sat Feb 24th 7pm

[Tasha Bassingthwaighte]

Toward a Buddhist Social Theory
<http://vancouverbpf .wordpress. com/2007/ 01/25/toward- a-buddhist- social-theory/>

A Talk by Author David Loy

*Centre for Peace . Saturday, February 24 . 7:00pm*

The world is set on a perilous course: global climate change has become 
impossible to ignore; the income gap grows between the richest and 
poorest segments in our society, at the same time as the gap between the 
world's richest and poorest nations; the world's most powerful nation 
bombs others in its quest for more security. These problems demand that 
we find an explanation for their complexity and interrelationship.

David Loy attempts such an explanation by extending the Buddhist 
teaching of sunyata to look at the ways that we try to fill up the 
"nothingness" that haunts us individually and collectively. He examines 
how our actions to avoid/compensate for our nothingness contribute to 
current social problems and ecological crises. Highlighting what he 
describes as the 'Three Institutionalized Poisons (collective greed, 
collective ill will, collective delusion)', David's ideas provide a 
useful framework for creating social theory from a Buddhist perspective.

David R. Loy is Besl Professor of ethics/religion and society at Xavier 
University in Cincinnati, Ohio. His work is primarily in comparative 
philosophy and religion, particularly exploring the relevance of 
Buddhism for modern Western thought. In addition to papers in various 
journals, he is the author of /Nonduality: A Study in Comparative Philosophy/ (1988), /Lack and Transcendence: The Problem of Death and Life in Psychotherapy, Existentialism and Buddhism/ (1996), /A Buddhist History of the West: Studies in Lack/ (2002), /The Great Awakening: A Buddhist Social Theory/ (2003), and, with Linda Goodhew, /The Dharma of Dragons and Daemons: Buddhist Themes in Modern Fantasy/ (2004). A student of Zen for many years, he is qualified as a teacher in the Sanbo Kyodan lineage.

1825 West 16th Avenue. Saturday, February 24 . 7:00pm

Tickets $12 . $6 for un(der)employed. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
   
  Space is very limited, so if you want to make sure to have a seat, preregister by emailing notrehta at telus.net saying that you're coming. 


Please disregard the following propaganda:
 Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com