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2019-04-15T21:15:23-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Knowing is not the way: A Small Reflection on a Zen koan

Last updated on: April 15, 2019 at 9:15 pm By James Ford

The Case Nanquan said, “Mind is not Buddha; knowing is not the way.” Gateless Gate, Case 34 On Facebook I find myself confronted with a lot of knowing. Especially when it comes to politics. People speak with absolute certainty. And it usually drips with various forms of hostility toward those with whom that person disagrees. These hostile reactions manifest in ways from condescension, to mild antipathy, to outright hostility. These “discussions” around politics quickly move... Read more

2019-04-14T07:29:51-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

John Steinbeck, the Grapes of Wrath, and a Song Calling to a New Day

Last updated on: April 14, 2019 at 7:29 am By James Ford

John Steinbeck’s novel the Grapes of Wrath was published eighty years ago, on this day, April 14th, 1939. It was wildly successful. He won the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book award for it. And later when Steinbeck received the Nobel Prize in literature Grapes was mentioned as principal among his writings. The following year John Ford’s masterwork film based on his novel put the story and its themes out to an even larger audience. Woody Guthrie then... Read more

2019-04-12T13:16:32-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Zen, Ethics, & the Spiritual Life: A Small Reflection on Being Intentional About What We Do

Last updated on: April 12, 2019 at 1:16 pm By James Ford

A couple of years ago I wrote a reflection on Zen’s precepts as koans. Okay, it’s a subject I return to with some regularity. And the subject has come to mind, or, maybe has come to heart again. We are talking about the mysterious matter of who and what we are. And, well, with that some thoughts, a few well rehearsed, some brand spanking new… As most who read my blog posts or read my book on... Read more

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Sixteen Bodhisattva Precepts

Soto Zen

Zen

2019-04-10T09:05:41-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Occam’s Razor, a Feast for William, and a Celebration of Critical Thinking

Last updated on: April 10, 2019 at 9:05 am By James Ford

“Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.” Marcus Aurelius “For there is but one essential justice which cements society, and one law which establishes this justice. This law is right reason, which is the true rule of all commandments and prohibitions. Whoever neglects this law, whether written or unwritten, is necessarily unjust and wicked.” Cicero “That... Read more

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2019-04-07T09:01:16-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Happy Birthday, Unitarian Saint, William Ellery Channing!

Last updated on: April 7, 2019 at 9:01 am By James Ford

First wrote a version of this this a couple of years ago. It’s a small celebration of one of the founders of the American Unitarian movement. Today, on the one hundred and forty-ninth anniversary of his birth, it seems worth reprinting, slightly polished from that earlier version. William Ellery Channing was born on this day, the 7th of April, 1780 in Newport, Rhode Island. He is one of the more important people in my own spiritual life. William... Read more

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William Ellery Channing

2019-12-23T08:10:41-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Thinking of Ram Das & the Realization that God Loves Pot Smoking Draft Dodgers

Last updated on: December 23, 2019 at 8:10 am By James Ford

It is true that I do not believe in a deity with some human like consciousness messing about in history. And, at the same time, throughout my life I’ve stumbled into such serendipitous events that calling those moments evidence of a good god is totally understandable. At least if you’re not holding too tightly on to what is being proved. It turns out I’m not alone in having these experiences. And with that a small anecdote from noted Buddhist scholar,... Read more

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Ram Das

Richard Alpert

2019-04-06T14:46:31-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Your Moment of Zen: Exploring the Meaning of a Word

Last updated on: April 6, 2019 at 2:46 pm By James Ford

Your Moment of Zen Exploring the Meaning of a Word James Myoun Ford A Talk Delivered at the Inaugural of the Anaheim Zen Sangha A member community of the Empty Moon Zen Network 6 April, 2019 As is my wont I was rummaging around the interwebs exploring how people use and, okay, sometimes abuse the word “Zen.” At a delightful webpage, “Pain in the English,” I ran across a query from someone using the handle “vindibul2” saying, “I recently had... Read more

2019-04-05T07:38:14-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

If You Want to See the Future, Look to Los Angeles

Last updated on: April 5, 2019 at 7:38 am By James Ford

I love, love LA. It is a world city. It is decadent, holy, dirty, visionary, mean, and glorious. Trying to find the beginning of a city is an impossible task. Los Angeles is a perfect example. Humans have been in the area for the last eleven thousand years. Give or take. The Chumash, for instance, were principally in the Santa Barbara area ranging down to modern day Ventura. But they well may have had an outpost or two... Read more

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Los Angeles

2019-04-03T11:49:40-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

How Are You Free? A Zen Meditation

Last updated on: April 3, 2019 at 11:49 am By James Ford

You find yourself in a stone crypt. There are no windows. The sole door is locked from the outside. How are you free? Miscellaneous Koans of the Harada Yasutani Curriculum I find myself thinking of Herschel Schacter. He was a leader of the Modern Orthodox movement who died in 2013. But we mostly recall him for an incident at the close of the second world war. It was the 11th of April, 1945. He was a Jewish... Read more

2019-04-01T09:44:14-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Ah, Yes, April Fool’s Day

Last updated on: April 1, 2019 at 9:44 am By James Ford

A time to recall the human adventure. And… Of course, there are the classics. And, a lesser known follow up. Read more

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