Mudita Forum ...Launched
Pressing obligations have prevented me from blogging much this week, but this evening I had the pleasure of launching mudita forum. Here’s the welcome message I posted, which gives a preview of things to come:
Welcome to Mudita Forum! We currently have 18 members, which is just about the perfect size in my mind, although I’m open to seeing the list grow. I’ve enjoyed reading your self-introductions, of which I’ll be sending out a handful each day over the next few days.
I’ve been discussing the concept for this list with Kirez for more than a year, and I’m excited to see it finally coming to fruition. I was particularly encouraged by the responses I received from many of you as I began floating the idea for the list. Until a few weeks ago, I had no clue there were so many Objectivists interested in Eastern thinking. Yet, I discovered the other day that there’s even a lecture titled “demystifying Yoga” in the schedule for this year’s TOC summer seminar!
As many of you already know, the unusual word in the title of this forum — mudita — is a Pali word that means “sympathetic joy” or “happiness at another’s success in life.” I learned the word this past summer at a retreat and, as I began contemplating its significance conceptually, I became more and more fond of its implications, both philosophically and spiritually. I have posted additional thoughts on the subject at my weblog, Mudita Journal, which some of you have seen. Here is a link to my posting on the meaning of mudita:
http://www.muditajournal.com/archives/000007.php
I don’t sense that we’re going to have difficulty finding fascinating subjects to discuss. But if we do get stalled, I have a number of ideas that have been floating in the back of my mind:
* Since most Objectivists would shake their head at the mere thought of an Objectivist forum for studying “Eastern ideas,” at some point we should probably consider creating a FAQ that addresses questions like “What are the benefits of meditation?” and “Why would a rational individualist care about mindfulness?”
* The introduction of Eastern ideas to Western culture raises some fascinating conceptual challenges: How does mindfulness fit with leading a productive life? Doesn’t the no-self thesis imply a logical contradiction? To what extent, if any, does leading an enlightened life require giving up materialistic pursuits?
* While most of us have been touched to one degree or another by Eastern thinking, it doesn’t look like many of us have read the same books; so there could be some utility to picking an excellent text and proceeding through it together, chapter by chapter, discussing the personal and philosophical implications of what we read.
Before attempting any kind of structured discussion, however, I thought I’d see what topics naturally spring to mind and capture our fancy. On that note, I’m opening up the forum to free discussion of any topic relating to Objectivism and Eastern ideas.
At some point I’ll probably write up some posting guidelines, but my chief concern today is simply to preserve an atmosphere of free, open inquiry. The best way to accomplish this, of course, is by treating one another’s ideas with kindness and respect. Naturally, many of our friends in the East set an inspiring example in this regard.
If any of you have ideas or suggestions for the list, please don’t hesitate to write me.
