“Mindful intelligence in context means changing the world right here, right now, one person at a time….If you want to practise meditation in your daily life, just shift the concept from being a meditator to being an individual who practises the oxygenation of beautiful states of mind.” ~ Alan Clements
E53 – ALAN CLEMENTS ON MEDITATION, INTIMACY AND SACRED ACTIVISM
OXYGENATING BEAUTIFUL STATES OF MIND
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About this interview:
How can we change the world by changing our consciousness?
In this interview Amisha meets author, investigative journalist and teacher of meditation Alan Clements. Together they explore the nature of meditation, consciousness, beauty and activism.
Alan shares the story of his enquiry into the influence of consciousness on consciousness itself, including what inspired him to study “the elements of consciousness that enhance its frequency, luminosity, liberty and enlightenment.” We hear about the shift from external exploration – through psychedelics, entheogens, diet and yoga – toward an internal exploration, which led Alan to Burma, to the Mahasi Meditation Centre, and his teacher there.
After studying mindfulness meditation in a Burmese monastery over a 10 year period, Alan returned to the world of laypeople and now spends his days writing, running retreats and teaching what he has learned to others. He and Amisha speak about the challenges of studying meditation outside the controlled environment of a monastery, and how we can practise mindful intelligence as a way of being in everyday life.
Alan shares his beliefs about how monogamous commitment is the way of the future for loving relationships, and why abandoning polyamory allows us to reach greater states of freedom together than we can alone. He tells how – by holding the highest integrity of presence in every moment and encounter – we can each change the world right here, right now and one person at a time.
“The most important act of activism today is to be in emotional integrity in the most heightened way – where you are, with whom you’re with – and let that be the evidence, should you die, of the greatest gift you gave to the future of life.” ~ Alan Clements
Alan Clements was the first American to become a Buddhist monk in Burma, where he lived for the good part of a decade. Since leaving the monastery, he has become a spiritual maverick, working for global human rights and teaching his contemporary understanding of liberation to audiences around the world. He has worked as a journalist in areas of extreme conflict, written multiple books and is the founder of World Dharma – a nonsectarian, multicultural organization of self-styled seekers, artists, writers, scholars, journalists, and activists dedicated to a trans-religious, independent approach to personal and planetary transformation through the integration of global human rights, meditation and the experiential study of consciousness, with one’s life expression through the arts, media, activism, and service. His books include A Future To Believe In, Aung San Suu Kyi The Voice of Hope and Instinct for Freedom. As a performing artist Alan has his stand up show – Spiritually Incorrect: The Art of Not Fitting In.
To find out more about Alan, visit: www.worlddharma.com
To connect or work with Amisha, visit www.amisha.co.uk
Links from this episode:
The Future Is Beautiful Patron Video Circle
The Future Is Beautiful book (gift)
Amisha’s Presence Mentoring Programme
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