yb-amma

Amma and the Cab Driver

Monday, June 10, 2013

Lacking the subway system of New York, Los Angeles has provided little opportunity for unique social interactions while in transit. The Super Shuttle is one. Being picked up from my apartment in Mar Vista to travel to LAX last night, I sat next to a chirpy fellow who seemed happy at the prospect of existence. I knew the ride was going to be informative. It wasn’t until we were well along Lincoln Blvd that he started talking, nearly immediately referencing a book he had just written about his spiritual awakening.... 

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Life Lessons From Kareem: Do More Yoga

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Growing up, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Magic Johnson were the reasons I became the basketball fanatic I was and remain today. I spent countless hours shooting at my driveway hoop to perfect my sky hook. (Ok, perfecting is not the word I’d use.) In fact, while it’s weird that a Jersey boy grew up a Lakers fan, I attribute that to these two men. That said, these 20 Life Lessons from Kareem are brilliant, especially #19: 19. Do more yoga. Yes, K, I know you do yoga already. That’s why you’ve been able to... 

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“Islamophobia,” Terrorism, and Liberal Confusion

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

There is a recent fashion of labeling people who point out the link between radical Islam and terrorism as being “Islamophobes” or simply racist. Sam Harris in particular has fallen prey to this kind of criticism. This is well-meaning but incorrect. It is based on a confusion that happens a lot in our liberal demographic: equating the critique of ideas and beliefs with the oppression of, or prejudice against, races and cultures. But these are two very different things. We would not be oppressing Republicans... 

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The Yoga of Louis C.K.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

I have no idea if Louis C.K. does yoga. And I don’t particularly care. I file the weird proliferation of yoga studio celebrity sightings into the same bin as anything found on any gossip blog—I pay it no mind. The fact that Lady Gaga walks into a hot yoga studio or whatever new alternative singer has a hot yoga body does not change my practice one bit, nor should anyone really care if someone famous does a few asanas a few times a week. What really interests me is the meeting point where philosophy intersects... 

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Why You Need to Watch Vice on HBO

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

I’ve long had a love-mostly dislike relationship with Vice. I’d see the mag around NYC for years and pay it little mind. While I don’t mind sarcasm—I consider it high art, in fact—the snark that has replaced much of journalism in the form of blog posts and scrimpy articles annoys me. While much of Vice’s site and magazine remains full of such trifling writing, there also exists a lot of incredible reporting. Specifically, showing you things other outlets won’t. Last week I read this... 

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21st Century Spirituality

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The Jagged Paradoxes of Aghori Babarazzi

800px-India_-_Delhi_Sadhu_-_4765

In both form and content, the work curated by Aghori Babarrazi presents a jagged paradox, true to his pseudonym, that defibrillates the limping heart of yoga philosophy. His crew consistently speaks for yoga-as-egoic-dissolution—through the most singular and eccentric voice of modern yoga literature. They repeatedly invoke the austerity of complete personal responsibility, while delighting in trash-talk from behind the scrim of anonymity. Aghori’s editorial paradox mirrors... Read More

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Philosophy

The Contortionist: Science, Morality and Extreme Relativism

Christopher David Bousquet 2012 Shankbone 4

A debate has raged since the publication of Sam Harris’ book, The Moral Landscape, as to whether or not moral questions can be approached using the scientific method. Even among Harris’ readers there has been a lot of skepticism, and the academic philosophy community has widely criticized his contention that science has a role to play in [...]

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Our Brain

Can Science Tell Us What is Morally Right and Wrong?

slavery__esclavage__sklaverei

This article is a response to Julian Walker’s recent blog, The Contortionist: Science, Morality, and Extreme Relativism    Julian Walker recently argued that “moral questions have to do with human well-being, and human well-being is something that we can look at through the lens of science.” I agree with his assertion that the scientific method can help [...]

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Society

Amma and the Cab Driver

yb-amma

Lacking the subway system of New York, Los Angeles has provided little opportunity for unique social interactions while in transit. The Super Shuttle is one. Being picked up from my apartment in Mar Vista to travel to LAX last night, I sat next to a chirpy fellow who seemed happy at the prospect of existence. [...]

9

Politics

“Islamophobia,” Terrorism, and Liberal Confusion

Screen Shot 2013-04-23 at 11.53.10 AM

There is a recent fashion of labeling people who point out the link between radical Islam and terrorism as being “Islamophobes” or simply racist. Sam Harris in particular has fallen prey to this kind of criticism. This is well-meaning but incorrect. It is based on a confusion that happens a lot in our liberal demographic: [...]