Religion and the Anthropocene

  Fear is the primary force upholding structures of domination. It promotes the desire for separation, the desire not to be known . . . When we choose to love we choose to move against fear—against alienation and separation. -- bell hooks  Shambhala Buddhism posits a philosophy of personal warriorship as the root of basic human wisdom that is available to help solve the world’s problems. Throughout many Asian cultures there are stories of a legendary kingdom of Shambhala: a kingdom of peace and prosperity, governed by wise and compassionate rulers with equally kind and learned citizens, creating a caring and harmonious model society. It is said that the kingdom of Shambhala was formed upon the teachings of the Kalachakra Tantra, a most revered wisdom of Tibetan Buddhism, which focuses on the Wheel of Time and tantric immersion within it as the mode of ultimate non-dual transcendence. Thus, Shambhala teachings uphold the image of the Shambhala kingdom as the ideal of secular enlightenm