Believers, Contemplatives, and the Future of Human Civilization: A Buddhist Response to the Current Metacrisis | Part 6 - The Cultivation of Emotional Intelligence

On October 12, 2024, Dr. Wallace emerged from retreat silence for a few hours to offer Part Six of his public talk series, “Believers, Contemplatives, and the Future of Human Civilization: A Buddhist Response to the Current Metacrisis.” The focus of this talk was emotional intelligence, the fifth element of the CCR’s Sixfold Matrix of Mental Balance.

As long as we are primarily devoted to the pursuit of our own individual happiness by way of sensual pleasures and the pursuit of financial stability, influence, and reputation, our emotions will constantly fluctuate between elation and depression, hope and fear. The development of emotional intelligence is rooted in prioritizing genuine well-being over mundane happiness, where the former is cultivated from within and the latter is pursued outwards. Moreover, the sole focus on our own well-being as our highest priority destabilizes our emotions, whereas expanding our field of caring to all those around us is a direct path to ever-increasing emotional intelligence.

In this lecture Dr. Wallace addressed the theme of emotional intelligence by way of the cultivation of the “four immeasurables” of loving kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, and impartiality. Dr. Wallace discussed these virtues within the contexts of the Pali canon, Mahayana Buddhism, and Dzogchen. The four immeasurables are foundational for all schools of Buddhism and are indeed so universal that they can be practiced by everyone, irrespective of their beliefs.

Additional Resources

• Part 6 Notes
• Chart—The Four Immeasurables

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