Friday, June 29, 2007
Zen.
Something that appeared in my life and is changing it.
I'm not the first Christian to discover this, either. Although at the present my meditation is done either alone or with a Buddhist group, Christians like Thomas Merton and Willigis Jäger have much to say about Zen. I've found, through my practice, a spirituality that I never had before, one that sustains me through difficult times, and I begin to know myself a little better as I go.
One thing I found that, for whatever reason, was never quite clear before is this: I cannot worship in a noisy environment, including almost any service where there are crowds. I need quiet. Otherwise, the service becomes for me a nice social gathering, but no more. It seems to just be the way I'm bent. The first time I sat in meditation, having read about it in a book, was a revelation. The first evening that I sat with a group for meditation was another. The quiet energy that I experienced in the presence of a group of people, none of which were making a sound, was profound: I had found something hoped and longed for over a lifetime.
I was coming home, a prodigal gone for so long.
I belonged.
Something that appeared in my life and is changing it.
I'm not the first Christian to discover this, either. Although at the present my meditation is done either alone or with a Buddhist group, Christians like Thomas Merton and Willigis Jäger have much to say about Zen. I've found, through my practice, a spirituality that I never had before, one that sustains me through difficult times, and I begin to know myself a little better as I go.
One thing I found that, for whatever reason, was never quite clear before is this: I cannot worship in a noisy environment, including almost any service where there are crowds. I need quiet. Otherwise, the service becomes for me a nice social gathering, but no more. It seems to just be the way I'm bent. The first time I sat in meditation, having read about it in a book, was a revelation. The first evening that I sat with a group for meditation was another. The quiet energy that I experienced in the presence of a group of people, none of which were making a sound, was profound: I had found something hoped and longed for over a lifetime.
I was coming home, a prodigal gone for so long.
I belonged.
Here's just one more reason I lose sympathy for the current culture of Islam a little more every day. Where are the moderate Muslims who speak out in support of sanity?
Thursday, June 28, 2007
As life goes on, it seems time to write a few thoughts down after not doing so for a while. . .
Cormac McCarthy's The Road is one of the most heartrending books I've ever read and, I think, the darkest story I've ever read. Not in terms of evil, mind you, but in terms of outlook. The writing is beautiful, devastatingly effective. Thomas M. Disch's The Genocides is the only other book I've read that is possibly as dark in outlook, but the writing carries a more intellectual impact where The Road carried, for me, a visceral one. Excellent reading.
Phil Doran's The Reluctant Tuscan is a lighthearted tale about relocating to Italy in a fixer-upper. A lot of fun.
The Middle East continues in its insanity as does the US and European political scene. Honestly, I can't remember anytime in my life that I felt more events made less sense than currently. Maybe I'm just getting old.
Cormac McCarthy's The Road is one of the most heartrending books I've ever read and, I think, the darkest story I've ever read. Not in terms of evil, mind you, but in terms of outlook. The writing is beautiful, devastatingly effective. Thomas M. Disch's The Genocides is the only other book I've read that is possibly as dark in outlook, but the writing carries a more intellectual impact where The Road carried, for me, a visceral one. Excellent reading.
Phil Doran's The Reluctant Tuscan is a lighthearted tale about relocating to Italy in a fixer-upper. A lot of fun.
The Middle East continues in its insanity as does the US and European political scene. Honestly, I can't remember anytime in my life that I felt more events made less sense than currently. Maybe I'm just getting old.
