The rapid ascent of AI will pose many philosophical and ethical questions that need urgent answers before humanity can confidently hurl headlong beyond the point of no return
illusion
The Face I Choose To Wear The Most Often
The face I choose to wear the most often is not a face. It is an intricate network of crossed out lines. It will not stop viewingonce you change the channel. Full of singleneurons in the brain, it sinks into the centralnervous system like an evolutionary inheritanceof compassion, the kind that can’t be consumedlike the sacraments. Soaring […]
Simulator
At the science museum they have a simulator. This one puts you on the surface of the Moon.It’s fun and unique for an adult. For a 3 year old,it’s a little terrifying. With every bump and shakeof the machine, he holds my shoulders a little tighter.I tell him we are almost done and he says “almost, […]
Maya: Creative Force, Illusion, and Motherly Love
Reflections. Courtesy of author. The Sanskrit term maya is usually translated as “illusion.” The etymology of the word is considered to come from the root ma, “to measure,” “to give shape,” and “to form.” In some early Sanskrit texts, maya has the meaning of “creative force” and it is related to the three innate qualities […]
The Rooster of Reality
Every day, we face the world through our senses. We become absorbed in sights and sounds that make up our reality, and we become convinced, no matter how dream-like it may be, that the picture painted is real. But, when we analyse the nature of that reality, we seem at a loss to know exactly […]
Show me the Truth
This poem on insight and illusion was translated from Portuguese to English by Daniela Boeira. Show me the truth Honey is sweet by nature Offer me the most precious treasure The lamp that dissipates the darkness Within my hesitant mind Small and slow steps Your enlightened compassion does not waver While cutting sharply through illusions I […]
Mother of the Dharma Body
This poem on the feminine infinite is offered in its Portuguese original and its English translation. Drolma Dharmakaya Mother Space of the beginningless end Ineffable and ever present Your touch is my very skin Free us from the imprisoning mind From the coarse eyes that only perceive lies I hear with delight the melody of life […]
Weaving Stories of Dharma and Joy
Raymond Lam Stories have been a beloved pastime of mine since I learned to read. In my childhood I devoured fiction of all kinds: from fantasy novels based on pop culture franchises to my favourite genre of world myths and legends retold in modern prose. Odin, Hathor, and Trickster Raven were my companions as much as my high school friends […]