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The Common Ground of all Religion A Reflection Delivered for Universal Brotherhood Day at the Vedanta Society of Providence 13 September 2009 James Ishmael Ford (This talk was delivered as part of a panel I shared with Swami Tyagananda, Minister of the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society of Boston and Father John Sullivan from the La Salette Shrine in North Attleboro, Massachusetts.) Now, context is important, and the context for my spirituality is found within two traditions, which for me have become... Read more

Well, just sit. Don’t do something, just sit. Then, just do something. Don’t sit, just do something. In my experience a rhythm of presence as motionlessness, then presence as motion. I’m out the door for an all day sit at our Medford, MA, Boundless Way sitting group… But I thought I’d leave you with this little video from a Zen center in Vancouver, Canada. I have some quibbles with the introduction here. But, it’s real and not a bad teaser,... Read more

Ani Choying Dolma is a Nepalese nun in the Tibetan tradition whose professional career as a singer supports some important work. Worth checking out… thank you, Josh, for the head’s up! Read more

I watched this video again recently. When it first played I had friends who saw it as evidence of the president’s dimness. Perhaps I felt something along those lines, as well. Fortunately for the sake of self-esteem if not accuracy, we tend to gloss over evidence of our own prejudices… Of course there was a lot of prejudice going on. Still is, in all sorts of directions. I recall a painful conversation with someone who cited this moment as proof... Read more

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Chiam Topol was born on this day in 1935. And, of course, to think of Topol is to think of the Fiddler… And Tradition. For good and ill, the human way… So often ill. Prejudice and constriction, the narrow way. The narrowest way. And yet, also, with such narrowness, always a possibility of going deepest deep. My take away at this point in my life is how the story in this play and film speaks many truths… Among them how... Read more

thank you, Mark, for the pointer… Read more

And even more to ask here in the States… Rhode Island next! Thank you, Michelle, for the pointer… Read more

THE BALLAD OF TOM JOAD A Reflection on That One Big Soul A Sermon by James Ishmael Ford 6 September 2009 First Unitarian Church Providence, Rhode Island Like all true stories, there are more than a couple of versions to how Woody Guthrie got around to writing the Ballad of Tom Joad. In fact Woody is responsible for a couple of those versions, himself. The gist of it appears to be that Woody, who was not famous for wide reading,... Read more