Talk
What does it mean to truly know what is beneficial and what is harmful, and to act on that knowledge with both wisdom and compassion?
In this Ghatika Monthly session, Martin Ström explores Ethical Intelligence as a foundational dimension of mental balance, emerging not from externally imposed rules, but from a genuine cultivation of discernment and care.
Martin begins with the shared ground of our humanity, our universal drive to pursue happiness and be free from suffering. This happiness takes two distinct forms: hedonia, the pleasure derived from sensory experience, and eudaimonia, the genuine well-being that arises from cultivating inner qualities such as compassion, patience, and ethical integrity. It is this deeper eudaimonic flourishing, rather than the pursuit of sensory gratification, that forms the natural basis for a truly universal ethics.
Drawing on contemplative psychology and the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, we examined how Ethical Intelligence develops through the integration of compassionate intention and refined discernment, and why patience, compassion, and inner discipline are essential capacities for navigating the ethical complexity of modern life.
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About Martin Ström
Martin Ström is a long-time Dharma student, licensed psychologist and meditation teacher. He attended his first teachings with Lama Zopa Rinpoche at the November course at Kopan Monastery in 2003. Other important teachers for Martin are Lama Alan Wallace, Lama Lhundrup, Geshe Sherab, Stephan Pende and Venerable Robina Courtin. Martin is the founder of the FPMT centre – Yeshin Norbu in Stockholm, where he was also the director from 2017 to 2021. He was very inspired by Lama Yeshe’s vision of Universal Education and His Holiness Dalai Lama’s vision of secular ethics. Martin currently lives in Melbourne, Australia with his family. Connect with Martin on LinkedIn.
What is Ghatika Monthly?
Ghatika Monthly is an in-person and virtual gathering held on the 2nd Saturday of every month, in which CCR expert teachers offer accessible guidance in foundational yet transformative contemplative practices. Ghatika is the Sanskrit term for one 24-minute meditation session, which is a recommended length for beginning meditators. While most of the CCR’s expert teachers come from a Buddhist background, these sessions are designed to be secular, informative, and welcoming to beginning and advanced practitioners alike. At Ghatika Monthly, we hope to offer a taste of the contemplative technology that our full-time contemplatives cultivate for 8–12 hours per day at Miyo Samten Ling Hermitage in Crestone. Subscribe to never miss a session!
