I stumbled on this in my archives. I have no memory of having written it, but it doesn’t look like I can blame anyone else. So, for your entertainment, and who knows, maybe even some small spark of illumination, a look at a passage from Genesis treated in the manner of a Zen koan. The Text Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God... Read more
In Eastern Orthodox circles today is the feast of James the Just. I usually mark it out as a particularly special day. In fact I notice that a couple of years ago I even shared a little reflection I called “my personal conspiracy theory about the origins of the Christian church.” Actually my understanding about James the Just, also called James the Brother of Jesus is in fact a pretty mainstream view within the academic community, or, at least it... Read more
The other evening Jan and I watched the 1951 film “Scrooge,” the one featuring Alastair Sim. It was released in the United States as “A Christmas Carol,” the title of the novella upon which the film is based. Even the hundredth time, I enjoyed it. Pulls out all the stops. Sentimental, schmaltzy, and drives right to the heart of a reason for Christmas that makes all the sense in the world. The author of the book was, of course, Charles... Read more
I recently saw a video clip that described how nineteenth century European immigrants brought Christmas to these shores. It was a reference to how the Puritans had outlawed the holiday, and that it was not observed from the late seventeenth and throughout the eighteenth century. The immigrants were very important. Essential. But, it required one more step to be absorbed by the culture at large. And, it was the Unitarians, who gave the whole thing the veneer of respectability which... Read more
Among the many interesting and sometimes weird things that has happened with the movement of Buddhism into our Western cultures is how Christmas is dealt with by immigrant and convert Buddhists. Of course like most religions Buddhists have a midwinter celebration, Bodhi day or Rohatsu, observed in the solar calendar on the 8th of December. But, the proximity with and the ubiquitous nature of Christmas invites all sorts of things. Same? Different? Well, that has something to do with the... Read more
I’ve just submitted the second draft of my current book, the Language of Dragons, to my publisher. Then my editor (curse you, sir) asked for a bibliography of the books I consulted in writing it. I’m moderately confident these are the larger majority of books I at least held in my hand while working on it. The book will be about Zen meditation with some focus on koans, and all of it contextualized within a larger reflection on Zen practice.... Read more
I see the ever lovely Anglican church celebrates today as a feast for the Apostle Thomas. Which, it turns out is the “original” date for this festival in the Western calendar, although in the middle of the twentieth century the Roman communion moved it to early in July. As a devotee of the spiritual discipline of not knowing, Thomas is my Christian saint. Thomas, for those of us less familiar with the scriptures, is the apostle who when confronted with... Read more
It was on this day in 1971 that the Group d’Intervention Medical et Chirugicale en Urgency and Secours Medical Francais merged to form Medicines Sans Frontiers. Doctors Without Borders has gone on to work tirelessly to aid people in the worst of circumstances, focusing on serving people in need during armed conflicts, as well as in areas plagued with endemic diseases. According to Wikipedia “In 2015, over 30,000 personnel — mostly local doctors, nurses and other medical professionals, logistical experts,... Read more
Yesterday Jan & I went to see Rogue One. Today I want to write about it, but find myself constrained by the fact that talking in any detail would be to spill spoilers all over the ground. One negative review I read cites this difficulty as an example of the franchise becoming oppressive wanting us to “play” when in fact it is actually the very empire that universe is supposed to be resisting. And, I guess, if you’re not a... Read more
At ten years old I was just told my blog Monkey Mind is now one of the older continuing Zen Buddhist blogs available. While a blog with the name “monkey mind,” should be about a number of things, and is, Zen and Buddhism remain central currents here and in my heart. Over these years I’ve enjoyed following a number of other Zen Buddhist oriented blogs. Of course everything ends, and so have many of those that have enriched my life. This list... Read more
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