On May 30th, the Garrison Institute hosted an enlightening Fellowship Forum titled “Artificial Intelligence and Our Spiritual Imagination.” This profound conversation between renowned philosopher Dr. Bayo Akomolafe and Dr. Angel Acosta delved into the complex interplay between AI and spirituality, challenging participants to reimagine their understanding of technology. The forum began with the provocative idea that AI was not created…
This month, we are planting seeds for an exciting fall harvest of events, ideas, and collaborations. As we plan ahead, the concept of unlearning is springing up. Unlearning refers to the process of consciously letting go of previously held beliefs, assumptions, behaviors, or meaning-making filters that are no longer relevant, helpful, or representative of an expanded view of reality.…
This Earth Day, we’re reflecting on words shared by our Executive Director, Karen Doyle Grossman, at the Metamorphosis Forum this past fall. She writes: Lately, I’ve been reflecting on WHY were we all born at this particular time in history? Because it is clearly an inflection point on a grand scale. From a Platonic view, our souls agreed to be…
Insights like these don’t always come through experiences that are challenging, painful or even traumatic. Sometimes they do. Hardship is not a prerequisite for wisdom, however, it is at least part of the process – and a very potent part, at that. We all have hardship in our lives. How we respond to hardship is what reveals whether or not we have developed wise characteristics.
Saturday June 19 is Juneteenth, celebrated by many as the end of slavery in the United States. The Garrison Institute is observing it with a daylong virtual meditation retreat for the Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) community. It’s designed for anyone who self-identifies as Black, LatinX, indigenous, of Asian descent, or as part of any other community of…
By Sharon Salzberg and Diana Calthorpe Rose This article originally appeared in Newsweek. It’s been a long plague year. COVID-19 hospitalization rates are declining, but the stress level of health care workers remains sky-high. We’re in the pandemic’s third wave, and only a few weeks away from peak hospitalizations in early January. New, more contagious strains of the virus could increase…
This thought-provoking forum discussion between Caroline Margaret Volstad, J.D., and Lama Justin von Bujdoss (Repa Dorje Odzer) explores the challenges of disrupting suffering through spiritual care within carceral facilities. Caroline and Justin spend this hour contemplating justice (which Justin defines as respect, agency, appreciation of value, and freedom from violence for all beings) in the context of Justin’s work as Staff Chaplain for the New York City Department of Corrections.
Martel Catalano is the executive director and co-founder of Beyond My Battle, a nonprofit focused on reducing the stress of serious illness, rare disease, and disability through emotional support and resources rooted in mindfulness. Martel is dedicated to helping individuals and families cope with health-related uncertainty by cultivating self-awareness, compassion, and supportive relationships. She has studied with mindfulness teachers in…