Christopher Titmuss > Quotes

“When others, out of Jealousy,
Mistreat me with abuse, slander, and so on,
I will practice accepting defeat
And offering the victory to them.”
― Christopher Titmuss, Sons and Daughters of the Buddha: Daily Meditations from the Buddhist Tradition

“Right Diet: Let go of eating anything with a face - animals, birds or fish. Meditate on feelings of pleasure and pain, since people and creatures have such feelings in common. Find out about the methods of the meat industry from start to finish. Arable land produces far more food for humans. Buy organic food to protect the environment from the destructive effects of intensive agriculture, support local farms and local shops. Use as much as possible, fair trade imported goods. The Internet offers a wealth of information on the impact of diet, food and drink on humans and animals. Use medication from the pharmaceutical industry as the very last resort. Right Letting Go: Let go of your car. Or, if you believe you must have a car, then try to keep to one car per household and share your car with others. Drive sparingly and conserve fuel by staying well within speed limits. Only use the car for very necessary journeys. Make the same modest sized car last over many years. Use public transport or walk as much as possible.”
― Christopher Titmuss, The Political Buddha

“plastic, metal and glass. Develop and support local community initiatives and social networks that work together for the welfare of people, animals and the environment in the area where you live. Support complementary medicine, mindfulness practices, exercise and a sustainable lifestyle. Check ingredients in food, shampoos, and so on. Avoid junk food, cigarettes and all recreational drugs. Right Travel: Only use air travel, if at all, to serve others or to go to new destinations to change one’s life such as the monastery, the ashram, retreat centre, the rainforest, a pilgrimage, a visit to sacred places and through direct contact with nature. Use flights to reconnect with loved ones. If wealthy or the most senior of monks, still turn right when you step on board the plane and use economy class! Go camping or walking and take vacations in your own area. Minimise holiday hotels, beach resorts and flights for the pursuit of pleasure. Right Co-operation: Organisations and institutes need to co-operate together in the task of inquiry into all the key areas that make up our daily”
― Christopher Titmuss, The Political Buddha

“When we make mindfulness central to the whole practice of the Buddha-Dharma we are in danger of watering down the teachings to a particular quality of mind – called mindfulness. The teachings point directly to awakening to freedom, opening the heart, and enlightening insights into the nature of things. Anything else means compromise; settling for less than the best. We”
― Christopher Titmuss, Light On Enlightenment

“Companies remain intent on maximising profits, personal salaries, bonuses and career opportunities. Conferences on mindfulness, ethics and vision seem little more than exercises in public relations. These gestures seem trivial in comparison to the core aims of corporations. A meteor will land one day and extinguish them.”
― Christopher Titmuss, The Political Buddha

“Workshop leaders working with business men and women also need to develop the inner empowerment to inquire deeply into corporate values. Mindfulness courses need to expand the vision to address institution problems not just personal stress in the workplace. There is the sickness of greed and aggression in capitalism. Have courses, workshop and programmes become another marketable product to avoid challenging business ethics and policies?”
― Christopher Titmuss, The Political Buddha

“make a fundamental change in the relationship between nations, organisations, religions and politics start to listen, learn and offer badly needed resources stop trying to impose our will on the rest of the world train our armies to offer constructive resolution to conflict not destructive work on our inner life and develop our humanity.”
― Christopher Titmuss, The Political Buddha

“Our political leaders promote themselves through publicists, financial advisors and powerful military/businesses agendas. We see widespread corruption in democracy while small networks of thoughtful people have the unenviable task of keeping alive the flame of spirituality, justice and sustainable living. We need to: convert our factories to factories of constructive materials not destructive weapons employ our scientists to develop tools for mass construction not weapons of mass destruction employ words not weapons with our so-called enemies establish Ministers for Peace in our government, not Ministers for (so-called) Defence explore causes and conditions for war establish intelligence gathering to develop ethics and social responsibility”
― Christopher Titmuss, The Political Buddha

“A CHARTER FOR LIFE ON EARTH Listed in Alphabetical Order Right Action: Join and support organisations and political parties dedicated to the welfare of the Earth. Dissent skilfully about war, environmental destruction, economic targets and corruption in governments and corporations affecting the lives of people and animals. Dissent about harm and destruction of natural resources, land, water, and air. Engage in ethical investments and support worthwhile projects. Support and develop, as fully as possible, spirituality, religion, arts, science and philosophies that support the Earth and all its occupants. Right Conservation: Save energy. Use less oil. Conserve water. Wear more clothes at home and work out to keep warm rather than turning up the heating. Examine every area of your home and the rest of your life to see where you can save energy. Apply the principles of conservation to every area of your life. Campaign for switching off lights and energy at night in government and business offices, large and small.”
― Christopher Titmuss, The Political Buddha

“Supported by other Western nations, the USA acts like a mediaeval superpower unwilling to take responsibility for more deaths and decimation of societies since World War 2 than any other country on Earth. Has the world’s largest superpower a superego? Do the EU and other Western societies acquiesce to the USA rather than question the pernicious immorality of any war? Where is the morality of the subjugation of citizens in war zones? In religious terms, we have much soul-searching to do. The Buddha’s response to war and crime can shed light on contemporary situations.”
― Christopher Titmuss, The Political Buddha

“Priests (Brahmins) and the Caste System”
― Christopher Titmuss, The Political Buddha

“Right speech requires clarity of mind and freedom from confusion about the meaning of non-duality, that super-ordinary reality embracing self and other. Buddhists often feel that to criticise firmly and harshly means being dualist. An increasing number of Western Buddhists have adopted the same polite, diplomatic tone. But dualism refers to greed, anger and delusion, not to critical analysis to end greed, anger and delusion. We”
― Christopher Titmuss, Light On Enlightenment

“Citizens have very little choice in terms of influencing major decisions. The influence of social media, the funding of political parties and the lust to hold onto power weakens year by year the body of the democratic processes. Cynicism and disillusionment has become rampant in democratic countries. We live largely under the control of rich and powerful institutions and individuals.”
― Christopher Titmuss, The Political Buddha

“The news consists of exposing the first Noble Truth (‘There is suffering’), but makes little reference to the other three. Wisdom concerns itself with all Four Noble Truths equally. It”
― Christopher Titmuss, Light On Enlightenment

“We might describe ourselves as living the illusion of knowing but not knowing. To know is to act. If we really knew about the state of the world, we would respond to it. It is the same with our unresolved inner problems. There would be no choice about it: we would be a force for change. Wisdom”
― Christopher Titmuss, Light On Enlightenment

“Religion has no major relevance for the teachings of the Noble Eightfold Path. It might even act as a distraction. At its best, it reminds us of the deep things in life, but life ought to do that already. We”
― Christopher Titmuss, Light On Enlightenment

“Ever since Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher lightened all the regulations for making money, the gap between the haves and have not has grown. Inspired by a 1980’s Hollywood movie, the mantra for Wall Street became “greed is good.”
― Christopher Titmuss, The Political Buddha

“exhaustion make a significant impact on the workforce. Western workers find themselves working as much overtime as possible to pay off debts, match earnings with outgoing daily expenses, pay monthly rents/mortgage, student loans, car bill and credit card debts. Certain corporations will employ young citizens for days or weeks, on trial for a job, without paying them any salary, with the excuse of giving them “work experience.” Young people believe that working in a coffee shop, store or office will help them get a job. They are there serving as free or cheap labour. Corporations influence legislation. Major corporations endorse lower taxation to make themselves better off and to get people to spend more rather than pay taxes for the welfare and support of the poor. The corporate world enjoys major tax breaks for the wealthy. Some of the superrich use tax havens worldwide”
― Christopher Titmuss, The Political Buddha

“The Nazis lived a vile conceit of themselves as superior to everybody else. Notions of superiority of the State feed into the dogma of views manifesting as “this is the truth, all else is false.” The adherence to such a view comes through its repetition and often the slow, insidious identification with the view as the truth that a large section of society blindly follows. The dark shadows of North American and European superiority continue to cast itself on Muslims and the rest of the world. The Buddha said that conceit consists of the measurement of oneself with others.”
― Christopher Titmuss, The Political Buddha

“Corporations control workers. Major and Asian corporations rely upon cheap labour to maximise profits. Workers in poor nations receive a pathetically low monthly income, barely enough to support their families, and often work in conditions that violate health and safety concerns. Around 3.5 million factory workers in China earn around $7 or $8 per day often working around 15 hours per day for around 50 cents per hour. They live in minimalist conditions and crowded sleeping quarters. Industrial accidents, sickness and sheer”
― Christopher Titmuss, The Political Buddha

“The Buddha stated that “happiness is the greatest wealth.”
― Christopher Titmuss, The Political Buddha

“Anybody who changes their religion does so because they haven’t understood their own”, he responded to my surprise. He then took down a copy of the Bible and turned to the first pages of Genesis. He then read out a verse “Do not bite off the tree of knowledge of good and evil.”
― Christopher Titmuss, The Political Buddha

“Right Mindfulness: Practice keeping to basic requisites of food, clothing, accommodation and medicine. Make things last. Refuse to live with excess. When you go to the shops carry shopping bags from home and do not accept plastic bags. Keep packaging to the minimum. Give to charity shops and buy from them. Be mindful of what you wear in terms of the ethics of shops and clothing factories. Avoid companies that are known to sell goods made in ‘sweat-shops’ in developing countries. Be mindful and informed about all points in this Charter. Right Renunciation: Let go of desire for a bigger or better home. Have a spring clean in your home and see what you can give away or recycle. Support and develop love of minimalism and enjoy the outdoors in all weathers. Avoid shopping malls. Buy only necessities. Avoid impulse shopping. Keep out of debt. Offer dana (in the form of donations, time, and energy) to worthwhile projects and individuals. Right Sustainability: Be well informed about recycling; compost waste food and recycle paper,”
― Christopher Titmuss, The Political Buddha