Evolutionary Culture

"The only thing constant is change." - Heraclitus

We are not a static species, nor are we, in our mortal form, an omniscient species in spite of our cities of grandeur, our civilizations of might and wonder, we are fragile, our material bodies subjugated to death and finite existence, our creations consumed by time.

We are interdependent with all life, with the ecosystems of our Mother Earth. We are interconnected with the entirety of consciousness itself and yet in aggregate, in this historical moment, human beings are causing great harm to the web of life through our negligence, consumption, greed and through our extractive industries that have pushed us past carrying capacity.

We destroy our own kind either directly through the ravages of war or through the slow death of social inequality and poverty which has the richest 1% of the world owning half the world's wealth; Our collective impact has brought numerous species to the edge of extinction an operating cost of our current civilization. It is not sustainable.

As one civilization dies another is born, with Death and Birth are tightly bound in a lover’s embrace.

There are universal laws that bring all things back into balance and when a species over consumes, when a civilization is out of balance, there is creation, destruction and rebirth. This blueprint is encoded into our ancient myths. Smoke signals across time, a memory of what is possible, an aspiration deep in our collective consciousness, a SEED waiting to fully flower.

We carry within us the SEEDS of change and evolution, of calibration and renewal, SEEDS of hope and remembrance, light signals for these tumultuous times we are in. These seeds, in the Buddhist context are bodhicitta, the potential for awakening that resides in every human being, that regenerates awakening, empathy, and compassion for the benefit of all beings.

These SEEDS are expressed as new forms of art and culture, a deep remembrance of how humans can live in harmony with each other and create modes of living that consider the well-being of future generations and the happiness of all. These SEEDS are a remembrance of civilizations, a state of being that is awake, compassionate and loving in its very essence, which understands our interconnectivity to all life and to each other. If we harm another we are harming ourselves.

In a recent talk, Buddhist scholar, Robert Thurman, illuminates the Buddhist understanding that the pure land Shambala, is not some distant realm or dream but is with us all at all times, a state of being, a shared realization and state of consciousness that is just a blink away, a small calibration by degree, from where we sit and breath right now now. It is a “place”, our collectively awakened boddhicitta the seed, the root from which all creations of enlightened culture evolutionary culture flowers.

Homo Sapiens are young, from what we can tell some 200,000 to 300,000 years of habitation on our 4.5 billion year old planet. We are infants, children in the big picture and is easy to conjecture that we are but one of many sentient species on but one of many worlds. The luminous and illuminating Buddhist Mahayana text the Avatamsaka Sutra explores the potential and path of boddhisattvas and buddhas and the birth and death of worlds, billions of worlds, beyond counting all co-existent, a reminder of what could be and what indeed may be when we have the eyes to see.

Although in our current times, many of us may have fallen under the spell that hunger and starvation, violence and degradation are our birthright and that it makes sense to rape the earth, or to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on war instead of food, medicine and education, this is but a spell, a persistent spell, but like all fevers of delusion it has an end, that in this case is catalyzed through the doors of compassion, courage and collective awakening. If we choose this course and dedicate ourselves to this collective action we can transform and bring sweet Medicine to “those wounds that will not heal”. This will take vigilance, courage and compassion for others… and for ourselves.

For in truth we carry the dream-seeds of the future inside us and it replicated out through the ethers in each word we say, every action and every thought. We are the active architects of the future, the agents of change.

What is your offering? What is our offering together?

I am inspired by the many extraordinary souls that are gathering at this time so many of us are courageously changing our cultural narrative and flowering the SEEDS of renewal and remembrance.

Individuals and communities who are committed to the well-being of all beings now and through time.

Those who are committing to Inner and Outer Peace.

Those equally compassionate with themselves and others.

It is time. We are here.

I look forward to hearing from you in the comments below. I am grateful we are this journey together.

Much Love,

Sarah .:. Drew

Share your wisdom in the comments below:

Send me a personal message HERE

Explore More:

Read Sarah Drew's novel Gaia Codex: View website | Purchase the book

Robert Thurman - Infinite Life | Purchase | View website

Avatamsaka Sutra | Purchase

#MotherEarth #MorphoButterfly #EvolutionaryCulture #Buddhist