Dear Father Francis, I pray that this letter finds you in good health. I also pray for your forgiveness in addressing you as “Father Francis.” You have come as someone who seeks to pastor to the people, and to bring you close is to be able to speak to you. As your namesake once walked unafraid into the realm of the Sultan, you have become a powerful symbol of hope and reconciliation. I do not wish to compare myself to... Read more
Answer by Deily member Rev. Dr. David Zuniga Metta is generally translated from the Pali as “lovingkindness” or “goodwill.” Variations of this reflection are sacred in Buddhism, and popular in interfaith settings, and I use variations of the Metta Sutta as a prayer of sorts when I’m in interfaith settings. This reflection is derived from the Karaniya Metta Sutta in the Pali Canon and contains this lovely passage: “As a mother would risk her life to protect her child, her only... Read more
“When I meet a gay person, I have to distinguish between their being gay and being part of a lobby. If they accept the Lord and have goodwill, who am I to judge them? They shouldn’t be marginalized. The tendency [to homosexuality] is not the problem…they’re our brothers.” Read the full comment and add your response on Deily. Read more
Aristotle was the first to identify the soul as the source of life and being in anything. Thomas Aquinas wrote that an animal does have a soul, as it is a being. The animal soul, as defined both Aristotle and Aquinas recognized that the soul is not located in any specific part of the body but is a part of the total being. As the Catholic belief is that humans are instilled by God with an immortal soul, Aquinas could... Read more
Answer by Deily member, Enakshi Ganguly The Gross body is the one all can see, while the Subtle body is a unique and intimate experience for each person. The Gross body allows us to feel, see, touch, hear, smell, taste, but the Subtle body tells us what those sensations mean. Our Ego plays a heavy role in the Subtle body, or suksha sharir, where we process and identify with sensations differently from others. For example, you may smell dhoop, or... Read more
Answer by Deily member, Yaakov ben Chaim Tzvi: The Talmud discusses spiritual issues disguised as “legal” issues in order to convey hidden messages to the reader. This is one reason why it’s impossible to study the Talmud without a teacher [Rabbi] as a typical person would miss the hidden meaning. For example; the Talmud devotes pages upon pages of “legalistic ramblings” about a homeowner who misplaced a pearl he was watching for someone else. The unlearned reader would believe that... Read more
Answer by Ben Neal: Dependent origination is a fundamental teaching of Buddhism, also known as “mutual arising.” It means that nothing exists in and of itself, complete and distinct. But everything comes into being in relation to everything else. The senses and the sense objects, mind and thought, pain and pleasure, light and dark, are all inseparably joined together. Read the full answer and add your comment on Deily. Read more
Question by Doug Joy: Where in the Bible does it say that sex should be restricted to marriage? Answer by Pastor Tom Goodman: “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure,” we read in Hebrews 13:4, “for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.” As the Ashley Madison scandal shows, it’s easy to find agreement that adultery is wrong because it breaks vows made in a wedding ceremony. But what about sexual activity between consenting... Read more
Answer by Enakshi Ganguly: Ganesha is usually depicted colored red; he is pot bellied, has one tusk broken, and has four arms that may hold a pasam, a goad, and a pot of rice, or sweetmeats. The sweet meats are held in a type of bowl known as laddus. His appetite for these sweets is legendary and offerings of them are often left at his shrine. A pasam or noose is a triple twine weapon. Each of the three twines represent: 1. Arrogance and... Read more
Question by Larry Beahm: What evidence do we have, both scientifically and spiritually, that animals have souls? Recent papers declare that the soul is found in the physical effects of some micro-something-or-other in the human brain. If animals have souls, where does that stop? Insects? Bacteria? Answer by Zen Buddhist Dr. David Zuniga Ph.D: Dear Larry, Thank you for this intriguing question. I’m a longtime vegetarian and have had pets all my life, and Buddhism has a special ethical care toward... Read more
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