Simplicity

One of my critiques of Buddhism has always been the undying simplicity of its suggestions. My western facilities don't want to believe that simple mindfulness really is the answer to my fretting. My busy schedule doesn't trust that simply taking a day off (really off) offers me rest. My soul has always believed that life is simply more complicated than that.

I've begun to read Original Self by Thomas Moore, author of Care of the Soul. He spoke of Thoreau's move to Walden Pond saying, "his interior life became more complicated as his life simplified."

I think that's what I've meant in my critique. It's not that simplicity or mindfulness or rest deny life's complexity; simplicity, mindfulness and rest reveal life's complexity. And when I simplify, when I am mindful, when I rest, I understand better.

Quote from Reynolds Price

"Nonetheless, I'm prepared to ask if one of the most damaging weaknesses of modern Christianity and of some of Judaism doesn't arise as a direct result of our passionate need to believe both in our individual freedom and our innate worth -- our deep rooted conviction that we deserve and have amply earned the particular close attention of God. That resulting weakness is most visible in the insistence by centuries of clergy and generations of hungry souls that God, the Maker and Keeper of billions of galaxies of stars and planets seething in the violence, is literally our personal father as well -- and a father, we're told, who is even more attentive and caring than the best of earthly fathers." ~ from Letter to a Man on Fire

I'm struck by the word "deserve" but the most intriguing part is the role of clergy as we seem to insist on belief in a construct of God that may not answer the pending questions of the human soul. For me personally, I would prefer a thoughtful, honest conversation about the questions of life than the assumed, albeit articulate, orthodox answer.

For me, God is in the questions not the answers. As long as we have all the answers, there is no mystery. And where is God but in mystery. Tertullian said, "Credo quia absurdum est," or "I believe because it is absurd."

The Gospel According to Sugarland

I'm back to posting about the book called "When Things Fall Apart" by Pema Chodron, attempting to reflect as a "Buddhist Christian."

The last chapter was on the universality of impermanence, suffering and egolessness. She argues that they are a gift if we accept them as part of life. When I encounter the idea that we nothing is permanent (impermanent), that life hurts (suffering) or that I am not in control (egolessness), I often feel as if the world is so vast. I wonder what my place is in such a great, big, out of control, moving, ever-changing place.

So much of the Christian tradition is about surrender. Call it letting go or call it trusting. If there be a God, and if that God as the Christian tradition suggests pursues us for relationship, then the world is a. changes, b. doesn't go my way, and c. is not in my control.

So as I meditated this morning, two songs came to mind from the country duo Sugarland that seem to speak to this: Keep You and It Happens. Enjoy.

Summer with the Boss

I took a few days off from my computer to attend the Big Tent Event (an event of the PCUSA) where I found my summer reading project: The Gospel According to Bruce Springsteen. As a way of decompressing from my workshop I finished one of those facebook exercises. This one instructed me to answer the questions using song titles from one artist. I chose... the Boss. So I will begin my summer with the Boss with these two things: the book and the list. Here's the list if you're interested:


Are you male or female: Jersey Girl

Describe yourself: Livin' in the future

How do you feel about yourself: The Rising

Describe where you currently live: Secret Garden

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Tunnel of Love

Your best friend is: outlaw pete

Your favorite color is: pink cadillac

You know that: I'm on fire

What's the weather like: better days

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called? hungry heart

What is life to you: dancing in the dark

What is the best advice you have to give: No surrender

If you could change your name, what would it be: Frankie

Your favorite food is:. magic

Lovingkindness

The Jewish tradition has a word that is rich in meaning - Hesed. My translation goes something like this: Love, devotion, truth and faithfulness laid out on a table of lovingkindness.

Jews and Christians believe that God models this Hesed for us. We are to mimic God.

Buddhists have a word, "Maitri" that translates to "lovingkindness" or "unconditional friendship."

One of the critiques of Buddhism is that it appears to be self-serving meaning that the practice focuses a lot on self and not the other. Those with this critique would say that Christianity is meant to be other-centered.

I would remind us all that Jesus consolidates the entire law into two: love God and love your neighbor - as yourself. We forget that last distinction. We love as we love ourselves.

As I was reading today, Chodron's concern is that we would embrace ourselves, our thinking and our being with this unconditional friendship. I wonder how our loving of God (however we understand God) and our love of the other would change if we extended lovingkindness to ourselves more readily.

Reflections on being a Buddhist Christian

I began reading When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron. Publishers weekly calls it the "Tibetan Buddhist equivalent to Harold Kushner's When Bad Things Happen to Good People."

I began reading it to expand my thinking on suffering. As a Christian theologican, I have lots of Christian doctrine and biblical understanding to offer suffering. But in my own life, I'm finding the need for different words to understand the concept of "dying to self." For the next month, I'll offer quotes and thoughts that stick out from this book.

To begin, I was struck, stopped in my tracks when we used the phrase "nailed to the present moment." My favorite theology of the cross (and there are many, although most Christians only learn one called "substitutionary atonement") is "kenosis," or the act of emptying oneself in death. This doctrine comes from Philippians 2 in the Christian scriptures. "Jesus did not grasp equality with God but instead submitted himself to death."

On page 12-13 she says, "Each day, we're given many opportunities to poen up or shut down. The most precious opportunities presents itself when we come to the place where we think we can't handle whatever is happening. It's too much. It's gone too far. We feel bad about ourselves. There's no way we can manipulate the situation to make ourselves come out looking good. No matter how hard we try, it just won't work. Basically, life has just nailed us."

Buddhism teaches us that each moment holds for us an invitation to let go of self, ego, expectations, desire, even hope. Christianity teaches us that Jesus accepted this invitation on the cross and we are told to live as Jesus did.

Here are the answers:

If you're reading this first... go to yesterday's post for the questions to the "Religious Literacy" quiz.

1. The gospels are: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John (1 point each)

2. A Hindu sacred text can include the Vedas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, Upanishads, Puranas, Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Yoga Sutras, Laws of Manu, Kama Sutra (1 point)

3. Islam's Holy Scripture is called: the Quran (1 point)

4. Jesus was born in Bethlehem (1 point)

5. President Bush was referring to: The Good Samaritan (1 point)

6. The first five books of the Hebrew Bible/ Christian Old Testament are: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy (1 point each)

7. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" (Matthew 7:12) or a similar sentiment from Rabbi Hillel or Confucius. ("Love your neighbor as yourself" is not the Golden Rule.) (1 point)

8. No, this is not in the Bible. In fact, it is contradicted in Proverbs 28:26: "He who trusts in himself is a fool." The words are Ben Franklin's. (2 points)

9. Yes, in the Beatitudes of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3) (2 points)

10. The Protestant, Catholic and Jewish versions of the Ten Commandments differ. Give yourself credit for any ten of the following 12 commandments, each of which appears in at least one of those three versions:.

1. I the Lord am your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage.
2. You shall have no other gods before me.
3. You shall not make yourself a graven image.
4. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
5. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
6. Honor your father and mother.
7. You shall not kill/murder.
8. You shall not commit adultery.
9. You shall not steal.
10. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
11. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.
12. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.
(4 points)

11. Four Noble Truths are: Life is suffering. Suffering has an origin. Suffering can be overcome (nirvana). The way to overcoming suffering is the Noble Eightfold Plan.

12. The 7 Catholic sacraments are: Baptism, Eucharist/Mass/Holy Communion, Reconciliation/Confession/Penance, Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders, Anointing of the Sick/Last Rites,

13. The two religion clauses in the first amendment are: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." (1 point each)