People have different ways of expressing their feelings and their thoughts. There’s a range from concrete to abstract… some people love ”gettin’ down” and working with their hands, and others prefer verbally exploring lofty concepts and talking endlessly about them.

Although Ethics for the New Millennium is not ”about Buddhism” there are many core Buddhist principles that play a part in the development of His Holiness’ thought and the evolution of the “argument” on behalf of ethical behavior that emerges in this book.√Ǭ† And Buddhism, also, ranges from quite concrete to extremely abstract—there’s a reason it is sometimes jokingly referred to as “the religion of lists!” So there is plenty of room for lots of different types of expression. This is true for almost any religious or secular foundations of thought and living that you might encounter (that’s a topic to be explored another day, isn’t it?…)

You might find that some of your study circle members participate less than others in discussion and conversation. Try something new with these folks—ask whether they would be more comfortable expressing their thoughts and feelings in the form of artistic representations! (Keep reading for examples and suggestions…) [Read more...]