We at the CBR Project condemn the brutal and deadly attack on the UN humanitarian aid convoy last week in Syria. Both aid workers and civilians were killed and aid supplies meant for thousands in the besieged city of Aleppo were destroyed. This is a documented pattern in the Syria crisis where the humanitarian space has been repeatedly violated. This…
What happens to our bodies after we die? Most of us are either cremated or conventionally buried in a cemetery. Katrina Spade, the founder and director of the Urban Death Project, says that both of these options are wasteful and “ensure that the very last thing that most of us will do on this earth is poison it.” She has…
The following is an adaptation from Jonathan F. P. Rose’s new book The Well-Tempered City: What Modern Science, Ancient Civilizations, and Human Nature Teach Us About the Future of Urban Life. Please join us for a conversation with Jonathan F. P. Rose and journalist Andrew Revkin at the Garrison Institute on October 17, 7PM. The world’s first cities were founded around temples approximately…
Zen teacher John Tarrant recently taught a retreat at the Garrison Institute on koans—teaching stories traditionally reserved for advanced Zen students—and creativity. Before the retreat started, Tarrant spoke with Garrison Institute Retreats Director Jane Kolleeny about how creative pursuits can support our contemplative practices. Tarrant is the author of Bring Me the Rhinoceros and The Light Inside the Dark and…
On November 3-6, 2016, the Garrison Institute and the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care (NYZCCC) are hosting the third Buddhist Contemplative Care Symposium. This groundbreaking gathering encourages leading researchers, physicians, nurses, social workers, spiritual care providers and patient advocates to learn the tools and gain the insight to provide the most effective palliative and end-of-life care possible. The…
I’m drawn to the Jewish notion of the soul, Nephesh, which is not something pre-existent but emergent—forming in and through physicality and relational experience. This suggests that we need our bodies to claim our souls. The body is where every virtue lives or dies. But more: our bodies are access points to mystery. And in some way that barely makes…
Josh Korda is the presiding teacher at Dharma Punx NYC in New York. During the recent Lion’s Roar retreat at the Garrison Institute, he spoke with us about how to handle difficult emotions and the importance of creating a “spiritual container.”
Welcome to episode seven of the Climate, Mind and Behavior Podcast. Each episode, we’ll explore groundbreaking intersections between climate change, resilience, contemplative practice and human behavior. Jonathan F. P. Rose works with cities and not-for-profits to plan and build affordable and mixed-income green housing, and cultural, health, and educational centers. Recognized for creating communities that literally heal both residents and…