70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

An interview with Wole Soyinka and Karima Bennoune.

Human rights are universal - they apply to everyone, everywhere. Yet today an increasing number of people and governments claim that human rights are relative.

More on The First Island 'Plogger'

Further to our post The First Island 'Plogger' where Neil McCall said how he was inspired by a TV piece on the subject I've located this BBC clip which I suspect is the one he was talking about.

Wat Samphran Temple

Now here's an interesting video I've just come across, I was particularly fascinated by all the symbolism embedded in the structure and its design.

Mirror of Zen - A Day in the Moment of a Modern Zen Monk

I have just been sent this fascinating video by one of our Sangha members.

Zen's ancient teachings seem a mystery to many. But actually, Zen is very simple: Zen means attaining my true self -- "What am I?" In this revolutionary film by acclaimed filmmaker Christine Schmitthenner, we see a Western Zen monk in his daily activities in the world: chanting, meditating, preparing breakfast, riding public transport, meeting with friends, even shaving his head -- from moment to moment, not attached to conceptual thinking, everything is Zen, which just means everything is "moment." The subject of this unusual film, Hyon Gak Sunim, allowed filmmakers to follow his daily living and teaching activities for a week as he met with students and organized his daily activities.

Optimise Your Brain

Once it was widely believed that the brain was incapable of changing. Now we know that’s not the case, and that our thoughts and other mental activities almost literally rewire and sculpt our brains. One of the most potent tools for changing the brain—and thus our ability to live happy and fulfilling lives—is meditation.