All Wound Up - The Hungry Ghost

So often I find myself wound up like a spring over one thing or another. Usually it is when there is something I want and can't get or something that is out of my control.
Example, the other day I bought a beautiful tea cup to match my tea pot, at a garage sale. I was so happy when I got it home because it really did match. Until I thought, what if I could find another one that matches so I could have a little set. So, instead of letting it go, making a cup of tea and enjoying my find, I began searching the Internet for a matching tea cup. I wasted a good part of the day looking at fine bone china online. To make it worse, I wasted a beautiful sunny day, I was distracted from my children and my husband because of an overwhelming desire to find what I was looking for. Does this sound familiar?
Although the Internet is an amazing resource it can also be the perfect excuse to let your frivolous desires rule your day.
Buddhists call this the "hungry ghost" a beast of unquenchable desire, no matter how much you feed it, it will never be satiated.
This hungry ghost phenomena is one of our biggest problems. Let me show you how. If we are constantly looking out for something new we want to posses, then we are not looking inwards. We are not spending time exploring our mind, opening our heart, listening to God, whatever you want to label it. We are often so focussed on what we want, what we think we need, that we do not see the real need all around us. We do not see the suffering that surrounds us, the hungry, the homeless, the lonely, the broken and oppressed. We also do not see our own suffering. Yes, wanting things is a great distraction, but eventually you will find yourself alone, unable to escape from yourself.
The only remedy for this condition of human selfishness is to stop feeding the beast. At first it will be hard, almost painful to not give in to your desire to buy more, possess more. But the longer we sit with ourselves, listening, breathing, opening the more we will want to give. Once that desire to help others takes root it will grow like a weed and will bring you more joy than a new "thing" ever could.
The Buddha said, "Let us live most happily, possessing nothing; let us feed on joy, like the radiant gods." Dhammapada 15.4. Our happiness will never be contingent on what we possess.
~Namaste

The Heart of Christianity

Book: The Heart of Christianity
Author: Marcus Borg

If you want a challenging, progressive book that describes the heart of Christianity then this book is for you. Although Borg is often a little dry and analytical he is also thorough and does not rely on the whimsical yet sloppy writing style of many authors of this genre.

Borg begins with an in-depth description and discussion of the traditional and emerging paradigms of Christianity. This is very helpful to a newcomer to progressive christian writing. This approach outlines the great possibilities of the emerging paradigm and shows how God, the Bible and Jesus can all be opened up to us when we take a less literal more allegorical approach.
Borg takes common "Chritian" language and concepts such us faith, belief, salvation and being "born again" and literally turns them upside down. We are able to see how the changes in the historical meanings of these words have dramatically changed the way we practice and what it means to believe. This could be challenging to some readers who are used to the more traditional paradigm.
The one criticism I would make about this text is that it is too short. Borg has tried to pack in a little too much information in a short book. Even in the final chapter Borg begins to introduce new concepts rather than surmising his previous points.
All together a fascinating and in-depth discussion.

Forgiveness

Today I had a very strange experience. I was out walking with my son, he was in the stroller and we were almost hit by a car. I crossed the road and went onto the sidewalk which is also someones driveway. There was a women backing out of her driveway, looking diligently out her back window and not seeing us. She kept coming and I had to run ahead with the stroller to get out of the way. I reacted by yelling at her, not the best thing I could have done but I was a little in shock. She saw me, stopped the car and got out.
"You almost hit us," I yelled, "You have to look where you're going!"
"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you, I'm so sorry," she said. The strange thing was she was genuinely upset. Usually when someone almost runs me down they don't even apologise, they just yell at me for being in their way. This woman burst into tears and kept repeating the same thing over and over. "Are you ok, Im so so sorry."

She came close to me and touched my arm, "Really are you ok?" she said. Then I hugged her, a perfect stranger, we just stood there in the driveway and hugged.
"I'm Janice, " she said, a little calmer. I now felt terrible for yelling at her.
As it turns out this was not the first time this had happened. The elevation of their driveway makes it almost impossible to see pedestrians, she explained. So much so that Janice and her husband have talked about moving because they feel it is only a matter of time before they really run someone over.
She looked down at my baby and put her hand on his head and on my arm and said, "God, thank you for saving these people today."
Then she looked at me and said, "Do you forgive me?"
Surprised, I said, "Of course I do. We're fine. Are you going to be ok?" 
"Yes, my husband is inside, I'll go in and sit down for a while."
I told her to go in and relax and drink an big glass of water, which, if you asked my husband, is exactly what I prescribe for just about any illness, pain or problem. She agreed and we parted ways.

For the rest of my walk I couldn't stop thinking about her, her eyes, how her arms shook. The look on her face when she asked if I forgave her. She really meant it; it wasn't just something to say. It made me think about our ability as human beings to forgive, to let go of our anger or hatred or even just mild frustration towards another person. It is such an important gift of compassion we can give to another person but also to ourselves.
The Buddha said, "Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned." In this life we waste so much energy holding on to anger or ill feelings towards others. 
I feel I was given a gift today and a reminder of the mysterious way God appears in our lives. Thanks Janice, for almost running me over!

~ Namaste ~

Where is God?

Sometimes, when presented with situations of what seems like insurmountable suffering or cruelty, we may have cause to question, "Where is God?" or "Why doesn't God fix this?" Recent examples may include the unrest in Libya and the earthquake in Japan. A better question might be does God intervene in worldly issues or not? Again this comes down to our fundamental ideas about who or what God is and what our relationship is with the Divine.

Marcus Borg describes this conflict in his book The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith. He talks about the supernatural, corporal type God versus the panentheistic "everywhere in everything" God.
For me God is everywhere and in everything. An energy of love and compassion that wishes for balance. Does God intervene in our world? I don't think so, but nobody knows for sure.
I am more comfortable with the concept of Karma in this situation than any sort of divine intervention. Karma suggests that there is a set of cosmic laws that have consequences, if you cause suffering you will intern receive suffering. Maintaining a Karmic balance works for me on an individual level but when extended to nations of groups it becomes problematic. To me saying that women in the Republic of Congo are raped because of bad Karma, would be a terrible miscarriage of justice. Or, to give another example, that the people of Japan deserved the earthquake because of bad Karma. This is just cruel and ignorant. There is no easy answer.

Whether God intervenes or not, we cannot blame God for the ills of this world. Most of the suffering we experience is a result of human nature, ours and that of others.Knowing whether or not God intervenes will not cause an end to suffering. This is precisely the reason the Buddha refused to answer his students questions on the nature of God.  In his book Zen Keys, Thich Nhat Hanh describes this idea, known by Buddhists as the Poison Arrow Teaching.

"Suppose a man is struck by a poisoned arrow and the doctor wishes to take out the arrow immediately. Suppose the man does not want the arrow removed until he knows who shot it, his age, his parents, and why he shot it. What would happen? If he were to wait until all these questions have been answered, the man might die first." Life is so short. It must not be spent in endless metaphysical speculation that does not bring us any closer to the truth."

Knowing everything about God will not make life any easier! I think this statement can have meaning for all of us, believer, agnostic, atheist and evangelical.

Namaste

Apple, please remove the Anti-Gay App!

Apple's Itunes store is openly supporting the bigoted Christian right by allowing the "anti-gay" app to remain. This is unbelievable to me! The people who run this application, Exodus International are responsible for so much negativity and oppression towards Gay and Lesbian people in the name of Christianity. It is disgusting.      If you feel as strongly as I do about this issue please sign the following petition.
http://www.change.org/petitions/demand-that-apple-remove-ex-gay-iphone-app#?opt_new=f&opt_fb=t

Namaste

Discerning the Call

I just returned from a weekend discernment process that was both intense and extremely rewarding.  There were just as many different visions of God as there were people discerning the call. I met people who are just coming out of high school who are looking for the next step in their journey and middle aged people who have worked all there lives in the church and now think it would be great to be paid for it.
There were people who wanted to be ordained ministers, people who wanted to work with kids, or the poor or work oversees. There were ordained ministers who work in rural settings and in inner-city missions, in spiritual direction, pastoral care, art therapy, social justice and gay rights.
It gave me so much hope that the presence of the Divine is working in so many lives, in so many ways. It is incredible the nourishment that you can receive through community spiritual experience. It also gave me hope that there are people out there who want to spend there lives caring for others, helping others through some of the hardest times in life, guiding others towards spiritual growth and well being.
I hope I can follow the example I was shown this weekend. To live a compassionate and useful life in service of others.

Namaste

Westboro Church Wins Supreme Court Ruling

Canada has hate crime and hate speech laws that prevent people like this from sharing their "views" with the general public.   
It is shameful and abhorrent to me that these lunatics can get away with spewing hatred in the name of God, at funerals no less! Worse though, is that America's highest court supports them.
If Jesus was alive today he would be a gay rights activist! He would be visiting AID's patients in the hospices, healing victims of gay bashing, protesting ignorant laws and heartless court judgments.
How do I know this? Because I have read the bible! Jesus loved those on the outskirts of society, he ministered to those others did not want or did not like. He did not go around protesting at the funerals of soldiers.
He did not support war, violence or even anger. He preached compassion, love and tolerance.
If they want to protest about something here are a few suggestions that are fundamental to Christian faith and heavily supported by scripture.
Wealthy bankers that caused the downfall of the American economy.
War, nuclear weapons and preemptive invasion.
The abuse of Chinese sweatshop workers just for cheap clothing from Walmart
Destruction of "Gods" creation through pollution, mining, oil production, factory farming and abuse of animals for food.

It is groups like this, rhetoric like this, that push people away from religion. The members of Westboro Baptist Church need to look at themselves and what sort of world they are creating with their hatred.
I will pray for them, that they realise the damage they are doing to our world and to their innocent children. 

Namaste

 

Interfaith Symbols

I was so excited today, to receive my interfaith necklace in my mail box. I found this necklace while doing a search for interfaith symbols around a year ago. I think this necklace is such a great idea. I hope thousands more people will order one as a sign of tolerance, friendship and interfaith solidarity. I also hope it affords me an opportunity to discuss interfaith issues with those who ask, "Ooo, what does your necklace mean?"
The necklaces are produced by interfaithing.com. This website is a great interfaith resource with interesting articles and useful links. Check it out!

Namaste

Images of the Divine

We seem to be seeking a new image of the divine. For many people I talk to the old man with the white beard sitting on the cloud just doesn't make sense. Our modern logic and lifestyle, our desire for personal choice and our exposure to eastern religions such as Buddhism, have all impacted our ideas about "God" or "The Divine."
 
So, considering this philosophical climate, does it matter what name or face we put on the Divine? Well yes and no.
First the yes. The presence of the Divine is something that cannot be described in words. But that is all we have to describe it, we are human and crave distinction. We want to say, "It is like this but not like that."
So in this way I think putting a name or face on the Divine is important. It is a symbolic claiming of the Presence for ourselves; naming helps us to pray, to have trust in and to relate to God.
This is one reason for the pantheon of gods we find in Hinduism. Brahman, the supreme spirit is "the all," without shape, distinction, personality etc. Brahman is everything and nothing, impossible to describe and harder to understand. Thus we see the development of thousands of Gods with human and animal features, representing nature, weather, beauty, knowledge, justice. This creates a human face for the divine and a grand history/mythology we can relate to.

And now for the no. For the exact same reasons I have mentioned, I don't feel we need to decide on one definition of God. For me God is sometimes a mother and father, sometimes a benevolent energetic force.
Sometimes God looks like the Buddha, sometimes Jesus and often like the Virgin Mary. Sometimes the Divine Presence is a deep feeling in the pit of my chest that tells me I am not alone, or the selflessness and compassion of a friend.
Sometimes I see God in the intricate perfection of nature, in awe of the natural balance of all things.
Sometimes I imagine myself as a small boat on a rough sea and God is a steadying hand, a soft breeze that keeps me afloat.
And sometimes, just for fun, God is that all powerful old man figure on the cloud, watching me when I am sneaking an extra  large piece of chocolate cake!

The most powerful lesson I have learned from my interfaith journey is that nobody has the answer, but we all have truth. So I say trust your image of God, if it brings you joy. But if not, allow the possibility of a new image that does. Allow the Divine to be Divine.

Namaste

Salvation

Salvation is a difficult concept that can be interpreted in so many ways depending on your religious bent.
The word salvation literally means "to save". Other meanings attributed to this word are, to sooth, to heal, to protect from suffering and in a theological sense, deliverance from hell and redemption from sin. Most of us will be familiar with the traditional Christian notion idea of "being saved" - if you are good and believe in Jesus you won't go to hell.
More progressive Christians would say that the kingdom of heaven and hell are here on earth now and that salvation can be achieved in this life. The notion of salvation in the now rather than the afterlife means we must focus our attention and intention on being compassionate and of service to those around us.
What about other faith traditions?

When the Buddha achieved enlightenment he returned to the world and began teaching. His first teaching, which deals directly with suffering and salvation, was The Four Noble Truths. Today this teaching is considered the foundation of Buddhism.The Four Noble Truths are:

1. Life is suffering: we get sick, we age, we die, our material wealth is impermanent, we cannot control everything.
2. The cause or origin of this suffering is our attachment to these things, (health, life, wealth etc).
3. Liberation from suffering is possible (i.e. Salvation)
4. The way to end this suffering is to follow the Eightfold Noble Path.

The Eightfold Noble Path is an excellent set of instructions that even the most vehement atheist can incorporate into their lives as it mentions nothing of God. The basics of this teaching are as follows:

1. Right view/vision/ understanding: You must look at the world as it truly is, with all it's suffering and pain. This clarity will help you move forward.
2. Right intention: After you see the world as it is you must form in your mind the intention to change, to renounce desire and attachment to the things that cause you suffering.
3. Right speech: Your speech must be kind and helpful, you must not partake idle chatter or gossip, lie, abuse others with words or use your words to be divisive.
4. Right action/conduct: You must work had to be morally upright in all actions. No stealing, no killing, no sexual misconduct and no stealing.
5. Right livelihood: You must earn a living in a way that is compassionate and does not harm others. You must not earn money from killing (people or animals), from slavery or prostitution, through creating toxins that destroy creation (pollution), from selling drugs, alcohol or any substance that harms others.
6. Right effort: To make an effort in your thoughts, words and deeds to be compassionate to others.
7. Right mindfulness: Keeping you mind focused on the path.
8. Right concentration: Meditation and contemplation.

So if you follow this path you will achieve "Nirvana" or liberation. I find it interesting that in Buddhism they talk of liberation or freedom from suffering rather than being saved. These words can mean very similar things however what is different here is that you do not need to believe in something outside yourself in order to be saved. It is up to the individual to save themselves. Further, Buddhism focuses on liberation in this life, not only in the afterlife.
The Buddha felt it was not important to waste time trying to work out whether or not the was a God when there was so much suffering to deal with in Samasara (the endless cycle of birth-suffering-death and rebirth). This makes a lot of sense; focus on today, on what matters now. Honestly, we cannot know 100% who or what God is, nor will this knowledge or speculation help us one iota in the here and now. It won't stop us from aging or becoming ill, it won't stop us from going broke or from death.
So in Buddhism the idea of salvation is one of liberation from the suffering that exists in this life and possibly in the next, without the necessity of God.

In Islam the message is much closer to that of mainstream traditional Christianity, if you want salvation you must believe in the one God Allah, avoid sin and follow the teachings of the Prophet. It's version of salvation is based solely on the afterlife. One must promise to fulfill the five pillars of Islam and to testify that "none has the right to be worshiped but Allah."
These five Pillars of Islam are:

1. To testify that none has the right to be worshiped but Allah and Muhammad is Allah's Apostle.
2. To offer the (compulsory congregational) prayers five times a day.
3. To pay Zakat (alms) to poor and the needy.
4. To perform Hajj. (i.e. Pilgrimage to Mecca)
5. To observe fast during the month of Ramadhan.

 These, like the eightfold path in Buddhism, are active things a person can do to ensure they remain on the good side of Allah. More importantly I think is that if you practice these principles it not only makes you a better person, it makes your community and your world a better place.
I find the second pillar, praying five times a day, particularly interesting. While at first it may seem too rigorous or even fanatical to fit into our busy lives. But isn't that why we want a spiritual practice, to maintain a connection with the divine. It is so important to stop throughout the day and focus on God, just to be where our hands are, instead miles away mentally. The physical, emotional and spiritual nature of bowing down in complete surrender to God five times a day is to me a very beautiful idea. In this act a follower of Islam must banish their ego, their desire and focus one pointedly on the divine.

So what does it mean to be saved? For me living without anxiety, being truly happy, feeling loved and loving others and spending time in the presence of the divine - whether that means in prayer, meditation or hiking in the woods - is the closest thing to salvation I will get to in this life. 

Namaste

.

Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah

Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah

Written by Richard Bach

Published by Delta

With a title like that how can you resist? I have been a fan of Richard Bach since I was a very small child. My father gave me a copy of Johnathon Livingstone Seagull to read and I never looked back. His ideas are presented in such a subtly simple way that even a child can understand them, yet they still challenge me as an adult.

In Illusions we are introduced to seeker and biplane flier Richard Bach. He has a simple life, earning a small living traveling the country offering $3 flights in his biplane. His life is going along rather unevetfully until he meets Donald Shimoda a strange and peaceful pilot with more than a few tricks up his sleeve.

Together they embark on a journey to stretch the boudaries of rreality and the human mind. Richard's "messiah training" is fraught with doubt yet full of laughter. 

Although this book was published in 1977 it is definitely far from it's expiration date.It's dreamy philosophy is so simple yet so challenging. If we were told by "a messiah" that all we need to be happy is to choose happiness, how would we respond?

A short book that you will want to read again and again. 

Noticing the Divine

Noticing the Divine - An Introduction to Interfaith Spiritual Guidance
By John Mabry
Published by Morehouse Publishing

John Mabry is a professor of comparative religions, an author and spiritual guide. He has written several books including Faith Styles: Ways People Believe and I believe in a God Who is Growing. Mabry presents this text as an introduction to the world of spiritual guidance from an interfaith perspective. He takes a fundamental principle from each major religion covered and shows the reader how this principle can be used as a counseling tool. Using this technique, we take a journey into each faith, from story telling in native spirituality to discernment in Zoroastrianism. 

The reader is not overwhelmed with historical information, nor are they overburdened with doctrine. We are given just enough information to understand where each "spriritual tool" comes from and how it is practical in a spiritual guidance setting. This is interspersed with anecdotes from real life counseling sessions, to illustrate how valuable a certain technique can be. 
Mabry emphasizes the need to use different techniques with different clients yet does not push any style or technique more than another. He truly gives a fair hearing to all faith traditions which makes this text invaluable to any spiritual practitioner. 

Jesus & Buddha

Jesus & Buddha – The Parallel Sayings

Edited by Marcus Borg

Introduced by Jack Kornfield

Published by Ulysses Press

This is a beautiful coffee table book and a great conversation starter. Editor Marcus Borg, Author of books such as The Heart of Christianity and Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, has taken much care in collecting and juxtaposing the sayings of these iconic religious figures. The book is organized into sections similar to the seminal Buddhist text The Dhammapada such as Compassion, Wisdom, and Salvation each with a short introduction by Borg.  

The Parallel Sayings is introduced by world renowned author and meditation guru Jack Kornfield. In his introduction Jack shares with us why a dialogue such as this is so important.

“What matters is not the scholarly or intellectual differences between Buddhism and Christianity, but that they both offer us direct teachings, instructions, practices, ways to conduct our lives and free our hearts,” says Kornfield. “If we could read, listen to, take to heart and enact even one verse of these teachings, it would have the power to illuminate our hearts, free us from confusion and transform our lives.”

Jesus and Buddha are spiritual brothers. Their message of compassion, humility and non-violence is common to all major religions. Like Jesus, the Buddha was a trouble maker, an outcast and rule breaker. He offered discipleship to the lowest caste members of Indian society, the Shudra (laborers) and Chandala (handlers of the dead). Like Jesus he ministered to women, people of other faiths, merchants and sinners. They both renounced material wealth and comfort to take up the nomadic life of the traveling prophet, walking the countryside sharing their message.

According to Borg, "They taught that what is inside a person matters, not his or her outward appearance, and they punctuated their beliefs with actions, revolutionizing the religions of their day." He goes on to say, "Both created religions that minimized class distinctions and eliminated animal sacrifice."

While I do not believe that either Jesus or the Buddha set out to "create" new religions, their teachings have inspired people for more than 2000 years.

This is a lovely book to have beside your bed, to read as a morning or night time meditation, as a jumping off point for journal writing or as I mentioned earlier, just a great conversation starter.

Namaste

Interfaith - a large pill to swallow

Today in a discussion regarding faith I was asked about my own journey to the present day. My rather truncated explanation sounded more like a site seeing tour from Catholicism to Wicca, to Hinduism, to the Hari Krishna's, to various types of Buddhism and back to Christianity with many stops along the way. At the conclusion of which I was asked, "Yes, but you like Christianity best, right?"
I didn't really know what to say.
I often (wrongly) assume that having an interfaith view of God and the spiritual life is a perfectly normal perspective. However, as I was reminded today, while looking into the hopeful face of this lovely woman, it is not a "normal" perspective and for many the very idea of Interfaith is too large a pill to swallow.

To me it will never be a matter of which religion I like best. The fact that I choose to be a part of a Christian faith community does not mean a choice to stop learning or growing. The knowledge and peace I have gained through my own spiritual journey is the greatest reward I could ask for.
I have experienced the beauty of so many forms of liturgy and ritual, been overwhelmed with joy by singing hymns and chanting mantras in a variety of languages. Often while reading scripture of various faiths I must stop for a long period and just sit, to consider how I feel about what is written. Often I am confused, angered, challenged by what I read which forces me to consider my own cultural and religious ideals and prejudices.The more we learn about other faiths the more we understand others, thus breaking down the barriers of culture, sexuality, class, language or even simply geography. When we can open our hearts and minds enough to learn about the faith of another we inevitably learn more about our own.

For me it was by reading about the monastic life of Buddhist monks that brought me back to Christianity. I was explaining to a collegue what I was reading and he said, "Well if you are interested in monasticism you must read Thomas Merton."
So I did and what I encountered was not at all the Catholicism that I was raised with. I couldn't believe it. Here was a man talking about meditation, contemplation, austerity, compassion. So I read more and more. It was then I discovered the incredible book, Living Buddha Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh. My eyes were opened to the immeasurable similarities between the teachings of the Buddha and of Jesus and I wanted to know more. A new world was opening up in front of me, maybe I didn't need a label, maybe I could love the words of Christ and the saints as much as that of the Buddha or any Hindu sage. The more I learned, the closer to God I felt and the happier I became.

I know now I am only just scratching the surface, my journey is only just beginning. I also know that Interfaith spirituality is not for everyone. We all need boundaries, ways of identifying ourselves that allow us to feel comfortable and accepted.
My hope is that through Interfaith dialogue we will find a common voice to reach out, not only to those who suffer persecution but also to those who persecute. That we will one day see the divine in all people and maybe take a small step towards peace.

Namaste

The helpless tongue

Often when we try to express the very biggest of ideas we realize how finite language really is. The discussion spirals in on itself and eventually words render us helpless. When trying to answer these big questions; What is evil and where does it come from? What is God? What is faith? The list goes on. The conversation inevitably breaks down or we agree that in fact we cannot accurately express these things with words alone.

It is not surprising that for thousands of years monastics of all faith traditions have fled to the endless silence of the dessert, the cave, the cloister to ponder these massive questions. When we have what Japanese Buddhists call "Shinjin" true entrusting or clarity of the heart-mind we begin to experience, rather than think about God. 
It is in silence we come closer to the divine.

The tradition of silent contemplation in Christianity is an ancient one. In Jesus' most well known teaching, the Sermon on the Mount, he instructs us how to pray.

"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him," Matthew 6: 6-8.

 This is particularly interesting today, when evangelic churches all over the world are filled to the rafters with people that could only be described as engaging in delusional histrionics! 

Like Jesus sitting through the trials of the self - or "the evil one" if you are so inclined - we must sit with ourselves quietly and contemplate before acting. This instruction is common also to the Buddha, to Guru Nanak founder of the Sikh faith and to the prophet Muhammad. All retreated to a cave, a forest, a tree or the dessert to sit and contemplate god, suffering, the nature of reality before emerging enlightened and ready to teach. Most importantly, they did not stay immersed in meditation but chose to return to their communities to share what they had learned. Yes, Contemplation can be an end in itself, however, if we really want to make change in this world we must share what we have learned about the divine. Not through loud, obnoxious evangelizing but through compassionate action, nourished by silence. 

Namaste

  

Welcome to Interfaith People

Thank you for joining me online to read share and discuss interfaith spirituality. I created this blog as a place to share ideas, build community and log aspects of my own spiritual journey. In the coming weeks I will include book reviews on current and older publications dealing with interfaith dialogue or specific organized religions. My current interest is on the Buddhist Christian dialogue and the work of authors like Karen Armstrong and Thich Nhat Hanh towards a more open, inclusive and compassionate world. Bye for now.

Namaste.