From Mindfulness and Independent Thinking to a Compassionate New Commons.
How can we transform the world if we are unwilling to examine ourselves?
This session will be facilitated and led by Lalith Gunaratne.
Humanity’s journey through the agricultural, industrial, technological and information ages has brought extraordinary advances, yet it has also changed our relationship with nature, our communities and ourselves.
Today, ecological disruption, social fragmentation, unfettered artificial intelligence and the threat of nuclear conflict invite us to question not only the direction of progress, but also the assumptions, values and ways of thinking that shape our choices.
Drawing on Lalith’s personal journey influenced by a Buddhist home and Catholic schooling – as a parent, entrepreneur and educator – this interactive Earth Conversation explores how mindfulness and a daily MindBody practice can help us become more aware of our thoughts, emotions and habitual reactions.
Bringing ancient contemplative wisdom into dialogue with Arthur Schopenhauer’s challenge to independent thinking, contemporary psychology, Iain McGilchrist’s work on attention and the action-research tradition of learning through reflection and action, we will explore what it means to live life as an ongoing inquiry.
We will consider how to move beyond an overriding emphasis on efficiency, control and competition towards greater adaptability, interdependence, ecological awareness and collective wellbeing. Rather than simply debating what others or society must change, we will ask how honestly we examine our own beliefs, how willing we are to learn from different perspectives and how consistently we translate our values into action.
Through personal reflection, small-group conversations and practical commitments, participants will explore how to cultivate metta (loving-kindness), karuna (compassion), mudita (appreciative joy) and upekkha (equanimity) in everyday life.
Together, we will inquire into a fundamental question: “What can we change within ourselves and how can that change ripple through our relationships, communities and institutions to help create a compassionate New Commons in which humanity and the Earth can flourish?”
Join us for 90 minutes of shared inquiry, dialogue and action. Bring your experiences, your questions and a willingness to examine what you believe and discover what you might do differently.
About Lalith:
Lalith Ananda Gunaratne is a parent, entrepreneur and educator whose journey spans mechanical and nuclear engineering technology, marketing and an MSc in Responsibility and Business Practice.
He pioneered a solar energy venture in the 1980s, bringing together technology, entrepreneurship and a commitment to practical solutions for sustainable development. Today, he remains engaged in multiple ventures, drawing on a broad, interdisciplinary perspective shaped by decades of experience across business, leadership and human development.
Throughout his life, he has pursued an ongoing action-research inquiry into the paradoxes of business life – balancing commercial imperatives with ethical responsibility, personal ambition with the common good and worldly engagement with spiritual grounding. Mindfulness and reflective practice help him navigate the constant ethical dilemmas of everyday life, continually examining how his values, choices and actions align and how business and individual endeavour can contribute to a more compassionate and sustainable world.
We held our previous session back in September with Alan Raw, exploring the expanding space sector and ensuring a hopeful and responsible future. You can watch it back here, and find our other Earth Conversations materials on our page here.
Registration coming soon!
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