Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Zazen: Looking in helps one see out.
I sometimes think about the relationship between my Christian roots and my current Buddhist practice.
For me, Buddhist thinking informs my Christian beliefs from upbringing, and if I'm completely honest, what I've learned so far about the Buddhist way of thinking is the closer of the two to my own. They do come together in a deep place in my mind and heart, and although I'm not sure I could defend it rationally to a hardliner of either faith, it makes sense to me.
I note that in recent years, I had begun to reject the Christian anthropomorphized image of God as something I just couldn't swallow. I felt that an overly literal interpretation of the faith lead to a place of fear, hatred and exclusivity that I wanted no part of. Additionally, having a view that claimed a connection with the creator of the universe while at the same time claiming a sort of understanding of such a being eventually felt irreconcilably inconsistent. In my mind, for any sort of entity of that magnitude, I simply can only claim a belief that there is such an entity, nothing more. Thus, having already begun to think about my maker in a more mystical, abstract, and less deterministic way, embracing Buddhist teaching was very natural.
Ultimately, at this point in life, I need a spirituality that helps me, not one that creates division and disharmony.
I sometimes think about the relationship between my Christian roots and my current Buddhist practice.
For me, Buddhist thinking informs my Christian beliefs from upbringing, and if I'm completely honest, what I've learned so far about the Buddhist way of thinking is the closer of the two to my own. They do come together in a deep place in my mind and heart, and although I'm not sure I could defend it rationally to a hardliner of either faith, it makes sense to me.
I note that in recent years, I had begun to reject the Christian anthropomorphized image of God as something I just couldn't swallow. I felt that an overly literal interpretation of the faith lead to a place of fear, hatred and exclusivity that I wanted no part of. Additionally, having a view that claimed a connection with the creator of the universe while at the same time claiming a sort of understanding of such a being eventually felt irreconcilably inconsistent. In my mind, for any sort of entity of that magnitude, I simply can only claim a belief that there is such an entity, nothing more. Thus, having already begun to think about my maker in a more mystical, abstract, and less deterministic way, embracing Buddhist teaching was very natural.
Ultimately, at this point in life, I need a spirituality that helps me, not one that creates division and disharmony.
# posted by goldpython @ 9:54 AM 
