Am experiencing continuing unease with the use of the word Zen. This word, like the word "Christian," means everything and nothing. The point of most "religious" practice is to turn away from the things of the world, but as soon as the religion gets an identity, it becomes a thing of the world. Maybe I was called to write this blog in order to put that word to death in my mind.
I have great faith that my task is to discern the call, then act upon it. The perfect example: Mother Teresa. We now learn that she didn't believe the religious doctrines. She was tortured by that, but somehow she did discern her call, and act upon it. It does not always produce a peaceful state, however, despite soothsaying claims to the contrary.
Lighten Up
from Gaia.com
The View from Arizona
Life renewing itself.
Vince Pitelka Workshop
What I am seeing and learning to do this week. Click on image to learn more about Vince Pitelka and his work.
Everything You Need to Know About Religion
Photo by Amelie Sourget (credit is linked to photo)
Zen Machine
Myra the Maytag resides at Loonsong Cabin in Traverse City, MI. Read about her on 8/24 post.
Art in Progress
Glaze feats- Getting ready for my Aug. 16-17 show at the Everett Marina
To Do List
Thinking about my next Zen retreat. Image from growabrain.typepad.com
Seattle Zen Garden
Rocks on the space heater add a few more therms to the room.
Things Kittens Will Do
6/6/08 Lula the warrior kitten drinks with a straw.
Is It Really Zen?
A Zen Lesson-Click Picture
You Can Learn a Lot from a Cat
See post dated May 9 to learn what Tuxedo taught me.
Monkey Mind
From growabrain.typepad.com
3 comments:
I simple cannot agree with this, "The point of most 'religious' practice is to turn away from the things of the world...."
Just saying it aloud makes me ache. First, we have all the religious practices built upon non-dualistic religion. Second, We have all the religious practice that is directly involved with the world.
Eeeh. Yuck. Save yourself from the ideas that made that line possible.
It seems to me that even those practices that appear as removal a pace or two from the things of the world, in effect, prepare one to fully participate with clear vision in the world.
But then I am young and have many scales covering my eyes and many truths deceiving me in my view.
merton institute's weekly reflections
<a href="http://www.mertoninstitute.org/weekly_reflections.php">merton institute's weekly reflections</a>
I am not imagining that with age the scales have dropped away.
The point is this: Thich Nhat Hanh said "The enemy comes with a big basket of words." I have lost faith that discernment of the call can be attained from a basket of words.
"Non-dualistic religion" is a Platonic ideal. Buddhism (for example) includes as many different dogmatic iterations as Christianity. Complex hierarchies of dieties and earthly organizational structures abound in the varieties of Buddhism.
The silence and the sitting have been for me, the call. This since I was a child. Motives for action in the world arise from these, but they do not comprise any organized structure.
But then I am old, and still feel like a mere infant on the spiritual path. Even writing this diary, I feel like a kindergartener first learning the alphabet, even though I have spent a lifetime of earnest spiritual endeavor.
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