Interlog

Karen Armstrong

Karen Armstrong made an interesting speech accepting the TED. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader. The annual conference now brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes!). You can hear Karen Armstrong's speech on the TED page

Being Religious Inter-religiously

There is a very interesting article on Catholicism and Buddhism in Vietnam at Commonweal

12 August Talk at the UU, Hawaii

Follow the link for a synopsis of the talk I gave at the Unitarian Universalist meeting on Sunday.

Mary Midgley on Dawkins

Mary Midgley, author of a dozen books mostly on ethical philosophy read the item of 22 July on this weblog on Dawkins' thesis. She sent the following response.

On Dawkins, Delusions and All That

A friend asked me if I had read Richard Dawkins’ book, The God Delusion. I had not. He said he thought that I should, so I read it that evening and the next day presented this paper on it at our morning seminar.

A Plea for a Pluralist Metaphysic

Q: What do Amidists think about the Christian idea that "Nobody comes to the Father except by me"?
A: I don't think that we have to disagree about that. What we disagree about is monotheism and creationism.

For AA continued

Jack McCarthy sent me this message - thank you Jack. The poetry has been much appreciated.

Who Was Jesus

See: Question 33 of Question in the Sand

Pureland & Lord's Prayer

Similarities and differences between Pureland and Christianity brought out by a short reflection upon The Lord's Prayer.

Nuns of various faiths discuss harmony and peace in Hindu Holy City

During a time when there is much hatred, violence and opposition in the world, it is comforting to know

Three Trinities

The other day I was attempting to explain to a Christian visitor what Amida-shu Pureland Buddhism was all about. There are interesting correspondences. Is the trikaya doctrine the same as the Christian trinity?

Our Interfaith World

I'm currently reading Jim Wallis's "God's Politics: Why the American right gets it wrong and the left doesn't get it", after reading an article about how Gordon Brown has endorsed the UK edition of the book. Wallis is an evangelic christian and, flicking through the 384 pages, I was wondering what he would make of differing faith communities working together. I came across this passage: "Our world and the United States, in particular, are becoming increasingly pluralistic religiously. How do we navigate the new waters of religious diversity in America and beyond?

Oh, Hell!

"Professor Sato described in detail the meaning of the notion of hell in Shin Buddhism contrasting it with the Christian concept of hell. In Buddhism, hell is not a place outside of our own consciousness and is closely connected with our present experiences of suffering. Hell represents the depths of suffering experienced by the human mind. Without its basis in human experience the idea of hell would be without meaning. Professor Sato said on this subject that “Hell images are the means to help awaken us to the reality of our suffering”. Conversely the idea of heaven is bound up with experiences of happiness and pleasure." Beneath the Clouds

Revised Format

I have given Interlog a facelift. The new format is plainer, but I hope easier to read.

For AA

This piece was written in honour of the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. I originally listed it as anonymous but later discovered the author - Jack McCarthy

Buddhism: theistic or atheistic

There is some very interesting material by Rev. Gudo Nishijima on "God and the Universe" at Dogen Sangha Blog.

Creation?

A member of the Amida Order put forward a question: "One way to formulate the question is as a comparison of Amida with the Christian God. As I understand it the Christian God is a creator - thus the creation myth. I can regard this in two distinct ways. Historically, God created the world, long ago. Phenomenologically, God is continually creating the manifest world out of the unmanifest. From a Buddhist perspective, this could be regarded as experience arising out of the void, and Amida being identified with that void - measureless - until it actually manifests and is specific. We can then have access to the experience at different levels, in different dimensions, the everyday, the archetypal, and the ineffable - our relationship to the sublime. So my question is, can Amida be understood as a creator in this sense of the ground out of which experience arises?"

Simone Weil

This evening, at The Buddhist House, we had a seminar about Simone Weil (1909-1943), regarded by many as one of the foremost religious thinkers of the 20th century. We were particularly looking at how a person can be simultaneously a genius and a misfit, a much loved figure and an outcast, skilled and inept. Weil came from a secular Jewish backgroud in France and was exceptionally intelligent, yet over shadowed by her brother Andre who was even more intellectually gifted and became one of the great methematicians of the century. When Simone and Andre met they would converse in ancient Greek, just one of many languages she learnt. Simone early developed intense feelings about social oppression and

Grace

The last post spoke of "grace" and the following quote has provided a window into the nembutsu for me. I have been brought up in a christian culture, and these words resonate with me and, in turn, reflect Amida's grace.

Faith

In response to the post "Wounded Faith", I would like to refer to the work of Marcus Borg, who writes of how faith can be described in four different ways, the first of which, faith as belief, has become dominant in the Modern Period and has significantly distorted the meaning of faith and the Christian life. The other three, he argues, are all relational understandings of faith with rich meanings for the present time.

What's Real?

Part I - What is Ego?
There seems to be a bit of confusion about who is Enlightened and who is not, about ego and no ego, about dualism and nondualism. Let us look into some facts. First of all, no human can function with any facility without ego. What is ego? Identification with the flesh, the time/space world, the human mind and all that. I hear so much talk in yoga circles that really is a lot of nonsense. The idea being that

Wounded Faith

The Budha taught a lot about the pitfalls of attachment to opinions. Attachment often is a function of fear. When we are asserting a view the energy in that assertion may come not so much from our commitment to the view itself as from what we fear will be let in if the view is abandoned. There are many people in Christian countries, for instance, who have turned away from their ancestral religion for a wide range of reasons. One of these reasons is

"zen" cinema

Friends,

I recently watched the 1954 movie "Floating Weeds" by Japanese director  Yasujiro Ozu (a remake of one by the same title he had done about 20 years before).  It was so good that I watched it again, this time with the commentary (by Roger Ebert) turned on.  And in the commentary I struck with

Rebirth?

What are your thoughts -- anyone reading this -- on the topic of rebirth, or, as we'd say in Christianity, "life after life"? - This question was posted by Steve in an earlier post, but it is worth an entry on its own.

Pureland, "Buddhism Itself", Christianity & Western Buddhism

There are three new items in Question and Answer form at
Questions in the Sand

Reflections on a hurricane ...

Some theological reflections on the hurricane disaster along the Gulf Coast of the United States …

As I keep delving into the history and teachings of Shin Buddhism, I keep coming up with what  -- to me at least -- are astonishingly similar perspectives....

Buddhism and Christianity: Is there compatibility?

Jersey City, NJ, (USA) -- Zen master Robert E. Kennedy heads Morning Star Zendo, a Buddhist zen center in Jersey City, N.J. As the organization's roshi - or "teacher" - Kennedy leads

The Christian Trinity and Interbeing

A few thoughts on the Christian doctrine of “The Trinity” and the Buddhist understanding of “Interbeing” as another opening between the two traditions where spiritual energy might flow rather freely …

Primal Vow & Covenant Theology

In my very early explorations into Pureland belief and practice, I have come across another “parallel” with my own Christian tradition. This time it happens to be particularly close to my own tradition, Reformed (Presbyterian), and it has me intrigued. IF I am reading correctly, then there is a fascinating parallel between “Primal Vow” and “covenant theology”.....

YeshuAmida

Friends, I will explain the strange title to this offering at the very end. However, let me begin with some beginner’s observations on Pure Land … Over this past weekend I attended the “21^st International Buddhist Festival” held near where I live in the Chicago area.  It was called “International” because presumably every

Myths & Stories

I was having an email discussion with someone who had a more literal interpretation of one of the Buddhist sutras than I did. I was arguing that the story could be seen as a myth but that this did not lessen the “truth” that it spoke of. I was supporting my position with a passage from the introduction to David Loy’s book (co-written with Linda Goodhew) “the dharma Of Dragons And Daemons”. I thought it would be suitable to post here to explore

Introduction

Hi, I am Ray and I am a member of Amida Sheffield, here in the UK. I have been interested in Buddhism over the past four years after having grown up in the Anglican christian tradition. I work as a nurse in mental health and i first got interested in buddhism after exploring the clinical applications of mindfulness, especially through the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn. More recently, I have found that the pureland approach to buddhism to be my chosen spiritual path. More surprisingly, I have found pureland has opened my eyes to a range of christian theologians and authors. I have no great learning in either buddhism or christianity, but I would like to make the occasion contribution to this blog, sharing some of my thoughts and readings that I think are relevant to a Christian-Buddhist dialogue. Thank you.

Translating Inter-religious Dialogue into Action

Representatives from the major faith communities will gather in Geneva, Switzerland for a “Critical Moment Conference” that will address the difficulties facing interreligious relations in the globalized world.

According to the World Council of Churches, the conference will take a “hard look” at the challenges of violence and prejudice which undermine dialogue between faith communities.

the priest in "Lower Depths" ...

Friends, Before I even start this piece, let me thank everyone who replied to my post(s) earlier.  Unfortunately I can't always reply due to my work, which makes my presence here rather erratic. I'd like to offer just one more comment on "Lower Depths" by filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, which is based on Maxim Gorky's 18th century play of the same name and is "reviewed" below.

Letter from the Vatican on Buddhists and Christians Together in Solidarity

This was written by Archbishop Michael L. Fitzgerald, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. Just thought I would post it here.

TERRIFIC movie!

Friends,

Forgive me for yelling in the title :-) ... but I just finished watching a terrific older movie that I suspect many of you here would

On belief in "God"

Recently I had the good fortune to travel and visit with my mother.  My mother is a wonderful woman of good Methodist stock who has finally made peace, it seems, with

Just Saying Hi ...

Friends,

Dharmavidya has been kind enough – and, we trust, not foolish enough J ! – to invite me to contribute occasional pieces here.  I can’t get around to writing anything particularly thoughtful this week, but will at least use this occasion to introduce myself …

I’m a Christian (Presbyterian) minister living in the United States … married (34 years to Jan), 3 grown boys (Jacob, Ben, Noah) and now one granddaughter (Grace, born to Jacob and his wife 2 years ago).  My wife is a hospice nurse.  A practicing Christian, she’d probably convert to Roman Catholicism if

Reconciling Anger Towards Pope Benedict

If Buddhism is attractive, it's only because it suggests that by belonging to it you can touch the infinite, and you can have joy without concrete religious obligations. It's spiritually self-indulgent eroticism.''

At a simple glance, this statement reflects an arrogant, disrespectful and self-centered individual. One that is blind by ones own mental afflictions. Hard to imagine that this is words of the highest nobility and intelligence that the Catholic Church has to offer. Of course, as many of you may know those words were spoken by none other than Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benidict XVI.

Salvation

It is wonderful the way the item Is life fair has generated such a uantity of intelligent discussion. One thread that has emerged there that seems worth promoting to a main posting is the question: What is meant by salvation? Buddhism and Christianity both offer

Buddhist-Christian Dialogues at Naropa University

Greetings.  I'd like to introduce myself as a new contributor to this multi-blog.  My name is Danny Fisher, and I'm a graduate student working towards a Master of Divinity degree at Naropa University in Boulder, CO, USA.  At present, I'm wrapping up my second year (of three) at Naropa, preparing to begin a Clinical Pastoral Education unit this summer at a local hospital.  I also maintain a weblog of my own.

Is Life Fair?

A theme that has come out in the discussion on the item Compassion for the American Christian Right has been the question: "Is Life Fair?". This seems worth lifting to the status of a full post. In Christianity, there is

Ever Alone?

Tharakesh draws attention to Tillich's essay The Eternal Now, which is actually about aloneness and solitude which Tillich sees as both man's (and woman's) creative wellspring and his curse. We are alone in

Compassion For The American Christian Right

By Amadeus

I would like to first introduce my self as a new contributor to this blog. My name is Amadeus and I am a political researcher/consultant and grad student from Oregon. I have been involved in politics for over five years and enjoy it most of the time. I currently operate Dharma::Vision, a place where

Life Issues

On March 31, 2005 Ms. Terri Shiavo died in a hospital in central Florida with her husband in attendance. Her death marked the end of a protracted and very public legal battle between her husband and her parents. It was a legal battle that moved through the entire US legal system and involved both the government of the state of Florida, the governor, as well as the federal government and President Bush. Ms. Terri Shiavo had been in a coma for the past 15 years. It seemed to be the general medical opinion that

Ecstatic Contemplation

I have been having some correspondence with Jhanananda. He has put together a very interesting and useful archive of articles on Ecstatic Buddhism, much of it based either on

Start

This is the beginning of a weblog on Buddhist-Christian Christian-Buddhist themes.