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2020-06-28T10:43:17-07:00

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.

THE LANGUAGE OF WONDER A Zen priest reflects on religious naturalism

Last updated on: June 28, 2020 at 10:43 am By James Ford

THE LANGUAGE OF WONDER A Zen priest reflects on religious naturalism James Ishmael Ford Let’s talk about natural religion. First that word religion. It is a slippery term, no doubt. In the Nineteenth century when various European scholars began the project of religious studies, they saw religion as that part of a culture devoted to God or gods, and the attendant ritual life. By the middle of the Twentieth century it became obvious that term... Read more

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2020-06-21T12:55:20-07:00

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.

A MEDITATION ON FATHERS & FATHERING IN HARD TIMES

Last updated on: June 21, 2020 at 12:55 pm By James Ford

A MEDITATION ON FATHERS & FATHERING IN HARD TIMES Featuring a little Carl Jung, some James Hillman, and a dash of Zen James Ishmael Ford “When one has not had a good father, one must create one.” “When one has not had a good father, one must create one.” Friedrich Nietzsche Last year in a meditation on Father’s Day, I noted those jokes about children so often giving neckties on this day and how that implies something about the... Read more

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2020-06-15T17:11:46-07:00

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’s Precepts in Five Minutes

Last updated on: June 15, 2020 at 5:11 pm By James Ford

Zen’s Precepts in Five Minutes James Ishmael Ford When most people think of Zen, if they do, they probably think of some kind of expansive consciousness. Based on what I see on social media, expansive into vagueness. That “moment of Zen” is usually a non sequitur of one sort or another. Others envision a libertarian spirituality where the moment is all about feeling good. With ten minutes of study one realizes Zen is actually an... Read more

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2020-06-14T10:16:52-07:00

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 at the End of the World

Last updated on: June 14, 2020 at 10:16 am By James Ford

ZEN AT THE END OF THE WORLD James Ishmael Ford First it was toilet paper. Toilet paper. Who would have thought? For something less than three months Americans were asked to self-quarantine. When we had to go out, we were asked to wear masks, stand at least six feet away from others if at all possible, and to wash our hands with all the energy of Lady Macbeth. As it turned out for... Read more

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2020-06-13T11:00:53-07:00

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 & Solving the Climate Crisis?

Last updated on: June 13, 2020 at 11:00 am By James Ford

Zen & Solving the Climate Crisis? Tom Bowman June 13, 2020 Empty Moon Zen Now, you might wonder why climate comes to mind at a time when so many other crises consume our attention: the pandemic, the economic meltdown, and all that surrounds the horrific murder of George Floyd. About fifteen years ago, I was working with climate scientists on a project. It was my second time. And, in the course of a meeting, one day, one... Read more

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2020-06-08T16:20:41-07:00

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.

ZEN & SOCIAL JUSTICE: Ten Rules of Thumb for Times of Crisis, Danger, & Possibility

Last updated on: June 8, 2020 at 4:20 pm By James Ford

ZEN & SOCIAL JUSTICE Ten Rules of Thumb for Times of Crisis, Danger, & Possibility James Ishmael Ford For a while here in the West there was a saying that the Chinese character for crisis was a combination of the strokes for danger and possibility. Turns out that’s not true. Now, it may not be true for the Chinese word, Crisis. But it is true that in times of crisis there is danger, can be... Read more

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2020-06-07T12:35:47-07:00

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.

WHERE TWO OR THREE ARE GATHERED: A Zen Priest Reflects on the Nature of Sacred Spaces

Last updated on: June 7, 2020 at 12:35 pm By James Ford

WHERE TWO OR THREE ARE GATHERED A Zen Priest Reflects on the Nature of Sacred Spaces James Ishmael Ford Come, come, whoever you are. Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving. It doesn’t matter. Ours is not a caravan of despair. Come, even if you have broken your vows a thousand times. Come, yet again, come. Come. Attributed to Jelaluddin Rumi In this moment. At this time. We’re caught in a confluence of evils. This moment we... Read more

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2020-06-03T12:35:56-07:00

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.

A HOPEFUL DOUBT: A Zen priest considers Faith and Engagement

Last updated on: June 3, 2020 at 12:35 pm By James Ford

I was recently contacted by a podcaster who wanted to gather a few faith leaders’ thoughts on current events and how faith fits into the matter, or doesn’t. I thought it does. And said sure. The text that follows is mostly what I said for the podcast. However, I then recorded a somewhat more expanded version a tad more specifically grounded in Zen. I offer both… A HOPEFUL DOUBT James Ishmael Ford I’m among those who’ve found it necessary to... Read more

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2020-05-31T10:16:28-07:00

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.

RACISM, MURDER, & ZEN: Or, When is Silence Enough?

Last updated on: May 31, 2020 at 10:16 am By James Ford

RACISM, MURDER, & ZEN Or, When is Silence Enough? James Ishmael Ford. Zen is a spiritual perspective and a practice. Its primary focus is a constellation of disciplines that invite silence. And, so, what about right now? Now, in a moment like this? Now, in the wake of what on the face of it, on that video most of America has seen of a police officer murdering George Floyd for allegedly writing a bad check for twenty dollars. And... Read more

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2020-05-29T12:13:16-07:00

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.

A Zen Priest Offers a Couple of Pointers on the Spiritual Way After Religion

Last updated on: May 29, 2020 at 12:13 pm By James Ford

A Zen Priest Offers a Couple of Pointers on the Spiritual Way After Religion James Ishmael Ford We look around us and we see the world’s religions in turmoil. Too much certainty, too much violence, too much of the things that make little sense in a world where tribalisms of various sorts seem at the heart of much of this planet’s ills. And yet many still feel some calling. It’s the deep urge at the heart... Read more

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