Andy Smith Says: January 2nd, 2007 at 5:43 pm Alan, excellent post. It’s too bad Michel isn’t participating here, I got the idea that he swore off this place after reading some posts that were supportive of Israel’s actions in the mid-East. I really agree with you about activists who try to change the world while excluding themselves. Mao seems to me one of the best examples, a great general, a poor leader beset by paranoia.If one defines meditation as sitting, yes, I agree it’s one-sided. If one defines it as simply the process of becoming more aware, it’s compatible with any activity, and so certainly does not preclude social activism. But in general, I think the relationship of spiritual practice to social activism is a very difficult one. I, too, think Gandhi and Aurobindo make an excellent contrast. Gandhi was definitely more of the social activist, Aurobindo more reflective, but both were aware of both the social and the individual, and tried in different ways to incorporate both approaches.
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