Today has been a fascinating exploration into the similarities between Buddhism and Christianity. Today was also an exploration into the mystic side of Christianity through the writings of Thomas Merton. I'll start the blog with my thoughts on his book, "Dialogues with the Silence," which is full of his journal entries, prayers and drawings.
His drawings are very zen in their simplicity...this simplicity and emptiness from zen is a focus for Merton on the experiencing of God. He mentions that the moment we put an image of God in our mind we are committing idolatry, since God is there in the silence and the darkness. Some of his best thoughts though are outside of the book I read...which did have beautiful, simplistic drawings and prayers that gave a glimpse into the man...but some of his powerful quotes are in other writings.
For example, "The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not twist them to our image. Otherwise we only love a reflection of ourselves we find in them."
and "The more you try to avoid suffering, you suffer, because smaller and more insignificant things begin to torture you. in proportion to your fear of being hurt. The one who does the most to avoid suffering, in the end, the one who suffers the most."
Even before he began studying Eastern thought he was already living that within the Christian tradition. The second quote especially is all about letting go of attachments and confronting our fears. Suffice to say, these themes of living virtuously, and releasing attachments are very strong in his writings and reflections.
The themes that I found in the book would continue over to the service at Saint Joseph's Catholic Church visit I did today. The service was about how much a person should desire the "Kingdom of Heaven" also called "The Kingdom of God." In the parables that Jesus talked about at the service, Jesus mentioned two stories in which the person sells everything they have to have the treasure of the Kingdom of Heaven. The service was then about, "What would you give up to create the Kingdom?" Since part of the Kingdom is working with the community to create that world of virtue and life in the now.
This mentality reminded me a bit of the Buddha and the fact that in seeking to end suffering, missionaries also came out of his religion to create the community of seeking to end suffering where each individual can live the Eight Fold Path of living with virtue and letting go attachments. Christianity and Jesus is also similar in this way in regards to the Kingdom of Heaven and being an apostle.
I still have much to learn from both traditions and many other philosophies and other faith traditions as well. I guess in a way, this blog shall be a continued documentation of the journey in what I live and discover.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Church of Christ - Issaquah, WA - July 17th, 2011
After being away from faith communities for some time, it was great to see visit a faith again that captures what I believe are some of the best parts of religion, specifically Christianity. What are the things I found to be the themes of today's service: community, change and virtue (accountability to living virtuously as well).
The Church of Christ in Issaquah is a small Church near the Issaquah Elementary School. The congregation is largely made up of families. I was treated with kindness and ran into two people who went to my high school, one of whom preached the sermon today. On a side note, these were the fourth and fifth persons I'd met from my high school that day. The congregation was close and this is where my first point comes in of community. During the announcements there was talk of the Home Meetings that happen every Sunday. All members of the congregation meet up at the designated houses to talk about the Bible and God. This reminded me of Mormon Home Teaching (where Elders (guys around eighteen or older) who come over and preach the church lesson of the day. This is also done by the parents for the children in the Mormon Church.
The second thing that I see in religion at it's best in what it can is change. The change I'm referring to is personal change. In the sermon a personal was story told of going from selfishness to selflessness when God was accepted into their life. This was powerful as the person had been a major partier before hand and had found virtue through living for God.
This in turn brings us to the sermon. The sermon was about Joseph. You know the prophet in the Bible with the twelve brothers who had an amazing technicolor dream coat (musical reference here). Well the story was about how Joseph stood on the path of rightesouness even after he'd been given the world (made leader of a house of noblemen (Potiphar) and he resisted the noblemen's wife and ran when she tried to seduce him when they were alone. She then claimed he tried to rape her and Joseph was throne into prison. The sermon focused on Joseph living with virtue when temptation was there and how the Devil and sin are like a lion who creep up on us and catch us off guard if we do not run from it and resist it. He used what Jesus said in that "If you sin with your eyes, poke them out. If you sin with your hand, chop it off. ect." It was a good sermon on life with virtue and how God can help with that.
I've noticed with personal relationship to something seen as higher (Whatever interpretation of God, Guru, Buddha, ect.) That it can be an excellent tool transformation, growth and accountability. Whether any are actually as they are described...I do not know, and honestly would like too.
As I write once more my exploration and journey continues as I explore the faiths and faith communities of this astonishing world.
The Church of Christ in Issaquah is a small Church near the Issaquah Elementary School. The congregation is largely made up of families. I was treated with kindness and ran into two people who went to my high school, one of whom preached the sermon today. On a side note, these were the fourth and fifth persons I'd met from my high school that day. The congregation was close and this is where my first point comes in of community. During the announcements there was talk of the Home Meetings that happen every Sunday. All members of the congregation meet up at the designated houses to talk about the Bible and God. This reminded me of Mormon Home Teaching (where Elders (guys around eighteen or older) who come over and preach the church lesson of the day. This is also done by the parents for the children in the Mormon Church.
The second thing that I see in religion at it's best in what it can is change. The change I'm referring to is personal change. In the sermon a personal was story told of going from selfishness to selflessness when God was accepted into their life. This was powerful as the person had been a major partier before hand and had found virtue through living for God.
This in turn brings us to the sermon. The sermon was about Joseph. You know the prophet in the Bible with the twelve brothers who had an amazing technicolor dream coat (musical reference here). Well the story was about how Joseph stood on the path of rightesouness even after he'd been given the world (made leader of a house of noblemen (Potiphar) and he resisted the noblemen's wife and ran when she tried to seduce him when they were alone. She then claimed he tried to rape her and Joseph was throne into prison. The sermon focused on Joseph living with virtue when temptation was there and how the Devil and sin are like a lion who creep up on us and catch us off guard if we do not run from it and resist it. He used what Jesus said in that "If you sin with your eyes, poke them out. If you sin with your hand, chop it off. ect." It was a good sermon on life with virtue and how God can help with that.
I've noticed with personal relationship to something seen as higher (Whatever interpretation of God, Guru, Buddha, ect.) That it can be an excellent tool transformation, growth and accountability. Whether any are actually as they are described...I do not know, and honestly would like too.
As I write once more my exploration and journey continues as I explore the faiths and faith communities of this astonishing world.
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