How To Stop Living An Artificial Life | Karen Armstrong
Karen Armstrong, a former nun and leading religion scholar, discusses how ancient religious customs can help us revise our relationship with nature, reduce self-centeredness, and live more authentically. She offers practices to foster a deeper, more reverent connection to the natural world.
Deep Dive Analysis
13 Topic Outline
Introduction to Karen Armstrong and Sacred Nature
Ancient Religions' View of Nature vs. Judeo-Christian Tradition
Reawakening Awareness and Reverence for Nature
The Confucian Practice of Quiet Sitting
Applying the Golden Rule to Nature and Animals
Benefits of Nature Connection: Awe and Interfusion
Buddhist Meta Practice Extended to Nature
Ancient Indian 'Great Sacrifices' for Nature and Others
Puncturing Self-Concern and Practicing Kenosis
Reflecting on the Pain of the World and Compassion
Optimism for Mitigating Climate Crisis through Individual Actions
Karen Armstrong's Evolving Conception of God and Holiness
Holiness as Otherness and Wonder in Small Things
6 Key Concepts
Sacred Force in Nature
Many ancient world religions (Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism) saw a sacred force present in nature, responsible for life and seasons. This force, called 'chi' in China or 'Brahman'/'rita' in India, was revered as physical and spiritual, beyond human grasp but experientially present.
Artificial Lives
This term describes a modern way of living where people prefer virtual copies of nature (like photographs) over direct experience, often engaging with technology instead of their natural surroundings. It signifies a detachment from the vital, sacred reality of the natural world.
Quiet Sitting
A Confucian practice involving sitting comfortably and opening one's mind, heart, and ears to the sounds and things in the environment, even the smallest. The goal is to become deeply aware of nature's sacrality and see natural elements as friends and companions.
Anatta (No Self)
A Buddhist concept emphasizing the need to forget or leave the self behind. This is achieved by focusing outward on the things around you, particularly nature, to escape the prison of self-concern and attain enlightenment.
Kenosis (Emptying Self)
A Greek term meaning 'emptying' or self-emptying, recommended as a practice to counter self-preoccupation. It involves quietly acknowledging how little one knows or does for others, not out of guilt, but as a recognition that there is always more to be done and a way to step outside the ego.
Holiness as Otherness
Holiness is defined as 'other' or 'sacred,' referring to the quality of recognizing the mysterious, unique inner life and existence of things outside oneself. It involves marveling at the otherness of nature and beings, which takes one out of self-preoccupation.
6 Questions Answered
By engaging in practices that foster a deeper connection with nature and other beings, moving beyond self-preoccupation to appreciate the sacredness and interdependence of the world around us.
Unlike religions that saw the divine infused in nature, Judeo-Christian traditions primarily saw the divine in historical events (like the Exodus or Jesus' life) and viewed nature as a resource to be subdued, a perspective reinforced by philosophers like Bacon and Descartes.
Start by dedicating just 10 minutes a day to observe nature around you, whether it's a park, a canal, or even an ordinary tree. Turn off technology and simply observe the sounds, birds, insects, and vitality of the natural world.
Confucians extended the Golden Rule ('never treat others as you would not like to be treated yourself') to nature, emphasizing that one must treat nature with the same reverence and care as one would treat other human beings, recognizing its inherent life and sacrality.
By acknowledging the pain of others and the world, but then taking small, constructive actions to alleviate it, such as sending goodwill or performing acts of kindness. This shifts one from feeling swamped to a posture of usefulness, which is inherently ennobling.
Her view has transformed from a 'scary big brother' God who critiques and judges to a mysterious, ineffable force that infuses everything, present in every person, plant, tree, and creature, and experienced as moments of peace and wonder when one loses oneself.
19 Actionable Insights
1. Practice Kenosis
Practice kenosis, or self-emptying, nightly by quietly acknowledging how little you know and how much more there is to be done, without self-flagellation, to reduce self-preoccupation and ego.
2. Practice Universal Goodwill
Cultivate a practice of sending out goodwill, affection, and concern to everything in the universe—every person (regardless of likeability), every creature, tree, and plant—to escape self-preoccupation and achieve equanimity for all beings.
3. Daily Nature Observation
Dedicate at least 10 minutes daily to observe nature without technology, focusing on sounds, birds, insects, flowers, and trees, to cultivate awareness of our dependence on the environment and its inherent vitality. Increase this time gradually to integrate it into daily life.
4. Practice Quiet Sitting
Engage in ‘quiet sitting’ daily by finding a comfortable position and opening your mind, heart, and ears to the sounds and smallest details of your surroundings for at least 10 minutes, fostering awareness of nature’s sacrality.
5. Expand Your Circle of Concern
Practice expanding your mental focus beyond personal preoccupations in concentric circles: start with yourself, then move outward to become aware of nature’s magnificence and your dependence on it, and further out to other cultures, sending goodwill to all.
6. Apply Golden Rule to Nature
Extend the Golden Rule (’never treat others as you would not like to be treated yourself’) to nature, treating all natural elements with the same reverence and care you would wish for yourself.
7. Reflect on World’s Pain
Actively reflect on the pain of the world and others, allowing their suffering to enter your heart, and gently chide yourself for not thinking of it enough, as a way to move beyond self-preoccupation.
8. Practice Karuna
When encountering the suffering of others, bring them to mind and silently repeat phrases of compassion, such as ‘May you be free from pain, may you be free from despair, may you be free from suffering,’ to connect with their suffering without feeling overwhelmed and to foster a sense of helpfulness.
9. Cultivate Awe in Daily Life
Actively cultivate a sense of awe by noticing the small, marvelous, and powerful things in nature, like a colossal rainstorm, to forget the self and recognize the sacrality within everything, rather than passing it off mechanically.
10. Acknowledge Daily Sacrality
Make a conscious stop every day to acknowledge the sacrality present in all living things, from plants and trees to spiders, recognizing them as sacred.
11. Perform Small Acts of Kindness
Regularly perform small acts of kindness, such as standing up for someone on a bus or helping with shopping, to make others feel noticed, precious, and sacred, thereby enlarging their sense of self-worth.
12. Treat All Guests with Respect
Treat every person who enters your home with absolute respect, regardless of personal feelings, acknowledging the inherent divinity or sacredness within them, similar to the Indian custom of bowing to the divine in others.
13. Offer Food/Water to Animals
As a daily practice, put out food or water for passing animals, a small and easy action to acknowledge and support the life around us.
14. Practice Reflective Scripture Study
Engage in a daily ‘scripture study’ by sitting quietly with your eyes on the horizon and reciting a hymn or poem to yourself, building a sense of the world’s holiness and acknowledging the sacredness encountered in others.
15. Cultivate Habits Incrementally
Approach new practices like nature observation or compassion by integrating them little by little, day by day, to build habitual behaviors rather than expecting immediate, drastic changes.
16. Puncture Your Self-Concern
Regularly puncture your sense of self-concern by quietly reminding yourself of your occasional lack of achievement or that you ‘could have done more,’ without self-inflation or guilt, to foster humility and reduce self-preoccupation.
17. Find Nature Anywhere
Even in urban environments, utilize parks, canals, or ordinary street trees and gardens for your daily nature observation, recognizing the mysterious and precious life in even the smallest, most common natural elements.
18. Practice Non-Harm to Creatures
Cultivate sensitivity towards the fragility and preciousness of all life by avoiding unnecessary harm to creatures, such as taking bugs or mice outside instead of killing them.
19. Maintain Hope and Action
Despite overwhelming challenges, maintain a sense of hope and actively engage in small, daily practices to make yourself conscious of nature’s pain and beauty, recognizing that collective small actions can have a significant effect.
6 Key Quotes
The view is so much better when you pull your head out of your ass.
Dan Harris
We actually need to revise our relationship to the earth, and ancient religions, she says, provide a roadmap.
Dan Harris
I've learned to look at nature differently, not as I did when I was a child, but hearing oftentimes, he said, the still sad music of humanity, nor harsh, nor grating, though of ample power to chasten and chasten and subdue. And I have felt a presence that disturbs me with the joy of elevated thoughts, a sense sublime of something far more deeply interfused, whose dwelling is the light of setting suns, and the round ocean, and the living air, and the blue sky, and in the mind of man, emotion and a spirit that impels all thinking things, all objects of all thought, and rolls through all things.
Karen Armstrong (quoting Wordsworth)
The Chinese, for example, said that the golden rule, which all the world religions see as essential to their morality, never treat others as you would not like to be treated yourself. The Confucians said, now, you must apply this to nature too.
Karen Armstrong
Forget the self. And reach out to other beings, all beings, as one Buddhist text tells us. It's a prayer that the Buddha encountered some people who lived in the forest. And they said, look, we can't do this yoga. We don't know how to do it. We have a different kind of life. He said, you don't need it. And he gave this poem, let all beings be happy, you know, large or small, alive or still to be born. May they all be perfectly happy. May our loving thoughts fill the world above, beyond, and so that we're free of hatred.
Karen Armstrong
The word holy means other, sacred, other. It takes us out of our self.
Karen Armstrong
4 Protocols
Daily Nature Awareness Practice
Karen Armstrong- Take off your earphones and turn off all technology.
- Spend 10 minutes a day observing nature around you, even in urban settings like parks or a single tree.
- Let the sounds, sights of birds, insects, flowers, and trees enter your awareness.
- Increase the duration of this practice day by day to build a habit of awareness.
Confucian Quiet Sitting
Karen Armstrong- Sit quietly in a comfortable position (not necessarily yogic).
- Open your mind, heart, and ears to the sounds and things around you, even the smallest.
- Become aware of nature as a sacrality and see its elements as friends and companions.
Ancient Indian 'Great Sacrifices' (Daily Rituals)
Karen Armstrong- Put out some food or water for a passing animal every day.
- Treat every person who enters your house with absolute respect, as if they were a god, regardless of personal feelings.
- Engage in 'scripture study' by sitting in a quiet place with eyes on the horizon and reciting a hymn or poem to yourself every day.
Kenosis (Emptying Self) Practice
Karen Armstrong- Every night, remind yourself of how little you know.
- Quietly acknowledge how little you do for others.
- Do this without self-flagellation or guilt, but as a recognition that there's always more to be done.