Spirit Fire Radio: Practicing Positive Harmlessness with Dr. Dorothy Riddle

With so many examples of inconceivably reckless violence surfacing week to week, we cannot help but ask ourselves questions. Where have we gone wrong? What part do I play in this? Can I be a part of the solution? 

Harmlessness is at the center of all spiritual traditions, yet the violence continues, and often in the name order, duty, or religion. Again, where have we gone wrong? 

A few weeks ago, on one of our favorite shows to date, we discussed moving beyond duality and the harms of an "us vs. them" mentality with Dr. Dorothy Riddle. The conversation continues. Dr. Riddle has written a three volume series of books entitled Enough For Us All; Volume Two is entitled Positive Harmlessness In Practice. In it, Dr. Riddle posits that we have no collective experience of harmlessness because our habits of harm are so pervasive. She offers daily practices to build our "harmlessness muscle," invites us to embrace an ethic of harmlessness, and introduces the Harmlessness Scale as an opportunity to self-check. 

This conversation coincides with Spirit Fire's weekly meditations on Mind, which is step #9 of The Practice of Living Awareness. The first half of our meditation program delivered the tools necessary to establish shamatha, or peaceful abiding. The second half leads one to a greater understanding of vipassyana, or penetrating insight. When these two methods or states of being are effectively combined, a Living Awareness unfolds. 

Violence and harm are learned behaviors. The mind has contracted to the point of ignorance and indifference. May our conversation shed some light on processes that will counter this state of being with expansiveness, understanding, and awareness. Please join us.