Intercultural Philosophy and the Nondual Wisdom of "Basic Goodness": Implications for Contemplative and Transformative Education.

Radical personal and systemic social transformation is needed to address global violence, inequality, moral confusion, and environmental destruction. Recent educational discourse has embraced intersubjectivity and contemplative education initiatives in North American schools and universities. This article argues that these turns would benefit from openness to the ontologies, epistemologies, and ethics of the wisdom traditions from which many contemplative practices originate. It discusses intercultural philosophy of education and introduces Eastern philosophical ideas, particularly the Shambhala Buddhist notion of nondual ground and wisdom of basic goodness. Awareness of basic goodness and its holistic expression in ground, path, and fruition can open vital questions about intersubjectivity, challenge current engagements with contemplative practices, and provide insights for transformational education in neoliberal times. The article concludes with a deepened understanding of intercultural philosophy of education.

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Abstract

Radical personal and systemic social transformation is urgently needed to address world-wide violence and inequality, pervasive moral confusion and corruption, and the rapid, unprecedented global destruction of our environment. Recent years have seen an embrace of intersubjectivity within discourse on educational transformation within academia and the public sphere. As well, there has been a turn toward contemplative education initiatives within North American schools, colleges and universities. This article contends that these turns might benefit from openness to the ontologies, epistemologies, and ethics of the ‘wisdom traditions’ from which many contemplative practices are drawn. To illustrate this point, we discuss the value of intercultural philosophy of education, and introduce Eastern philosophical ideas, specifically, the Shambhala Buddhist notion of the nondual ground and wisdom of basic goodness and related teachings. We detail how awareness of basic goodness and its holistic expression in the ground, path, and fruition of Shambhala teachings can open vital questions regarding intersubjectivity, challenge and reinvigorate aspects of current engagements with contemplative practices, and provide significant insights and educational paths for transformational endeavours in neoliberal times. Informed by our learning from Shambhala, we conclude with a deepened understanding of intercultural philosophy of education.