Intuition and the Creation of a Better World

Batchelor, Stephen

At a time when the all-embracing certainties of closed societies and belief systems no longer convince or reassure us, more and more do we find ourselves in that perplexing middle ground between communities and ideas. Having embraced this homelessness, we are at liberty to weave our way between buddhism and monotheism, the religious and the secular, science and art, literature and myth. In exploring the fertile spaces between traditions, we open up a path that may be rooted in a specific tradition but has branched out into the no-man's-land between them all.

In an open society saturated with information, the gaps between traditions serve as a refreshing but unsettling wilderness. By dwelling in their emptiness, we are able to return to those questions for which each tradition claims to have the answers. The anarchy of the gaps makes it impossible for any ideology or religion to take hold. For the very act of laying claim to that inbetween space would enclose it in boundaries and compromise its openness, thereby turning it into a closed space separated from other closed spaces, thus creating more gaps that are beyond one's reach.

... Yet a culture of awakening does not rest on the universalist assumption that all "spiritual" paths ultimately lead to the same destination: some may be vicious circles that go nowhere, while others may be in thrall to longings for eternity. As a middle way, such a culture would be rooted in a vigilant care that is constantly on guard against the lures of both the demonic and divine.

Stephen Batchelor, Living With the Devil: A Meditation on Good and Evil, pp. 180 - 187

<< back

What's New

2016  is being observed by United Nations as International Year of Pulses. Check out a meditation  for thise theme and a full list of dates for the 2016 UN calendar.

To receive a monthly list of international events to 'Hold in the Light' by email write: info@intuition-in-service.org with 'Newsletter' in subject line.

 

Other Resources