Recalling the Western Zen Master Charlotte Joko Beck Charlotte Joko Beck was born on this day, March 27th, in New Jersey, in 1917. Sadly, I can say little more about her early life. She attended Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and spent some years as a pianist and piano teacher. She married. They had four children. After separating from her husband Charlotte worked at various things, including as a teacher, a secretary, and an administrative assistant at... Read more
Marking the First Publication of the Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon was first published on this day, the 26th of March in 1830, in Palmyra, New York. The Book is one of various sacred texts to be first published here in North America in European languages. There are a number. Isis Unveiled: A Master-Key to the Mysteries of Ancient and Modern Science and Theology, the Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ, Science and Health with... Read more
HELL IN THE CHRISTIAN TRADITION Some Notes for a Larger Reflection on Universalism James Ishmael Ford After creating the Heavens and the Earth, God created a garden east of Eden and populated it with everything that is good to eat and is pleasant to see. The Divine also planted the tree of everlasting life as well as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God then created the man and the woman. And the Divine said to... Read more
Does Paul Quote Jesus? A Quick Look & a Fascinating Observation James Ishmael Ford Someone recently observed in my hearing that Paul never quotes Jesus in his collected and published letters. I was caught by that observation and decided to dig into it. I proceeded to unravel a couple of facts out of the mess of the Christian scriptures. First, the assertion isn’t precisely true. There’s a very interesting quote at 1 Timothy 5:18, where the writer cites “Scripture” but... Read more
Rosie the Riveter as an Icon of Human Possibility In 2017 the US Congress designated today, the 21st of March as National Rosie the Riveter Day. Of course it is now well more than three quarters of a century since the Second World War, even my cohort, the children of those who lived through that time, are beginning to die off. So we’re less and less talking memory, and more and more talking history. But of the... Read more
Recalling Gertrude Patron Saint of Cats Ah, the 17th of March. A day when most of the citizens of the good old US of A discover they’re Irish. Not a terrible thing. Not at all. But there’s an under appreciated saint due to having to share the date with super saint, Patrick. Someone to know. I first became aware of her because of, well, cats. And so, if you’re not familiar with her, and care... Read more
St Francis Xavier Meets a Zen Master James Ishmael Ford It was on this day, the 12th of March, in 1622 that the Roman church declared Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier saints. They were two of the seven men who took the founding vows creating the Jesuit order in 1534. Xavier spent some years attempting to evangelize India, and also spent time in Japan. I believe he is the first European to write a moderately accurate report of Zen... Read more
Zen Comes West: Recalling Zen Master Soen Nakagawa James Ishmael Ford It was on this day, the 11th of March, in 1984 that Rinzai Zen master Soen Nakagawa died at Ryutakuji monastery in Japan. It’s been a while since I’ve noted the day and this remarkable figure at the foundation of Zen come West. Felt appropriate to offer it again. In my study of Zen come West, Zen Master Who? I wrote about him. Through his regular visits, his Dharma... Read more
Remembering Harriet Tubman, the Woman Called Moses Araminta Ross was born a slave somewhere around 1820 in Maryland. One of vastly too many. Her life, as was the norm for the enslaved, was brutal. At one time when one of her owners threw a heavy weight at another slave while she tried to intervene, she was accidentally hit. She would suffer spells of dizziness and pain for the rest of her life. While it was illegal... Read more
A Zen Unitarian Take on the History of Christianity Zen teacher and Unitarian Universalist minister James Ishmael Ford provides a romp through the history of Christianity. He is the author of five books on aspects of the Zen tradition. His sixth book, an exploration of the arc of the spiritual life, is due from Shambhala Publications early in 2024. In 2022 James gave lectures exploring the history of the Christian church at the First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles. Here... Read more
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