The Reality of Materiality, with Greg Thomas

Buddhist Geeks

In this episode Vince Fakhoury Horn is joined in dialogue with journalist, educator, & scholar Greg Thomas to meditate together on race. Greg’s work is informed by Integral Theory, the philosophies of Albert Murray and Ralph Ellison, and draws upon the rich history of the African American experience and Jazz. In this dialogue, Greg shares his reflections on race, from an integral perspective, exploring the potential for liberation–especially from racial ignorance & animus–on personal, cultural, & institutional levels.

Memorable Quotes

“Race is just one more tool of the ego to separate and to create structures–whether it’s subjective, inter-subjective or objective structures–to separate, divide and categorize.” - Greg Thomas

“There is a truth to the fact that we all are one, and that we share in the ineffability of the source, of the fullness of emptiness. And all these things that signify–because we’re using human language–that our origins, our source, from and through which all things come and flow, and towards which we’re moving. But in-between time, on this human level, in this particular incarnation we have to deal with the reality of materiality, of the material plane that we’re on. That materiality itself, is going to bring suffering. Duality will do that. Non-duality is Oneness. We have to navigate skillfully, using skillful means. And that’s where we get to Wisdom. Wisdom allows us to be able to play with these dualities. ... [Wisdom] takes into consideration I, We, & It, it takes into consideration the dual & the non-dual, it takes into consideration the reality of the oneness and the particularity of the many.” - Greg Thomas

“They have planted and we ate. We plant and others will eat.” - Siddho Ahmad Fakhoury, Vince’s Great-Grandfather on planting olive trees

Episode Notes:

👤 Greg Thomas’s Online Portfolio

👤 The Jazz Leadership Project

👤 Greg Thomas @ Integral Life

🔗 Integral Life

👤 Diane Musho Hamilton

👤 Anthony Appiah

👤 Danielle Allen @ Twitter

📃 Ralph Ellison

📖 “My Grandmother’s Hands” by Resmaa Menakem

📖 “Turning the Wheel: Essays on Buddhism and Writing” by Charles Johnson

👤 Bell Hooks

🔗 Essentialism

📖 “Mindful of Race” by Ruth King

📃 Jazz vs. Racism by Greg Thomas

📖 “The Ethics of Identity” by Kwame Anthony Appiah

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