Tricycle | Awake in the World

Rick Heller, editor of the online magazine The New Humanism, self-identified secular Buddhist, and Occupy Boston activist, recently released the eBook, Occupy the Moment: A Mindful Path to a New Economy. It combines Buddhist teachings with neuroscience to frame a discussion of mindful activism and the Occupy movement. Heller specifically focuses on the three poisons—greed, hatred, and delusion—and how an understanding of all of them, and in particular, greed, can shape how we go about changing society for the better.

From Occupy the Moment's introduction:

We in the 99% can serve as role models for those in the 1% who seek liberation from greed. To do this, we must be mindful of our own desires and ask whether we truly need certain things, or if we ought to share them with other who have even less than we do. In this way, compassion may "trickle up" to the 1% and liberate us all from greed.

In many ways, mindfulness is an individual pursuit. It may not be easy to see how it relates to economics. But in fact, our current economic system suffers from a lack of mindfulness. What spurs the economy is how we feel about money, and mindfulness can transform that.

The ebook's 100 pages are divided into 7 chapters and 8 accompanying meditations. It also includes appendices—for instance, "Breath Control When Threatened with Arrest"—and a resources section.

Occupy the Moment is 99¢ to buy and can be downloaded onto a Kindle or an Apple product (computer, iPhone, etc.) with the Kindle app. Following his own words about being liberated from greed, Heller is donating the first $5,000 in royalties to the Occupy movement.

You can buy the eBook here.