Last night Jan & I drove up to Boston to watch the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the Blind Boys of Alabama at the Boston Symphony Hall. (So much UU history took place there. Clarence Skinner’s Community Church worship packed that hall. And of course the consolidation ceremony between the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church in America took place in that hall…) A lovely and moving experience. Basically Preservation opened for the Blind Boys, although there were some... Read more

Among the listservs to which I belong is one for Zen teachers in the West. Right now there is a bit of a debate going on over the usage of monk (nun) or priest for those ordained within the Japanese inheritance. This is a bone of contention because “normative” ordained Buddhist leadership follows the vinaya tradition established by the Buddha himself. A heavy claim and a heavy load for those who believe there are other reliable models of leadership on... Read more

For me the dialog between Unitarian Universalism and (Zen) Buddhism is the place where I have found my life, meaning, and direction. That is why I return over and over again to these two themes here in this blog, and elsewhere… Today is the birthday of Joseph Campbell, and I consider him one of the reasons that dialog has been able to take place and be so fruitful. Here’s why… I suggest that Unitarian Universalism has two principal aspects, what... Read more

I found this at Marcus’ Journal, one of my favorite bloggers. Marcus tells us The Samadhi Treatise of the Treasure King was composed in China by Miaoxie in the fourteenth century. This particular version was translated by Marcus’ teacher, Chong Go Sunim. Apparently another version of this text has been floating around the Kwan Um School for ages, incorrectly attributed to Master Seung Sahn’s teacher’s teacher Master Kyong Ho. An important text worth reading by anyone hoping to walk an... Read more

They Say Seth Swift, the first minister of Nantucket’s Unitarian church has never left… I just so love New England UU congregations. You guys out in the mission fields have no idea how cool our churches are… Read more

Don’t you just love Youtube? Read more

I believe the short answer to the “question is nothing sacred?,” is yes. Here’s a slightly longer response. If you feel you’ve come in to this movie before, you’re right. This is one of my favorite drums to beat… The kick off is how I’ve been taken to task by a commenter on my happy use of the word God to stand for sunyata. In the past this position has tended to annoy theists, who see that while I’m happy... Read more

Oscar Romero died today… Read more

Clarence Russell Skinner was born today in 1881. One of the last wave of great Universalist divines, Skinner served most famously as professor of applied Christianity at Crane Theological School, where he also served as dean. Skinner was also founder and for many years “leader” of the Community Church of Boston. A socialist and pacifist Skinner suffered a certain amount of persecution for his politics. And he is considered a central influence in the development of contemporary Unitarian Universalist theology.... Read more

I’ve been thinking a lot of late about meaning and purpose. The problem for me in much of revealed religion is how a cosmic plan is laid out that puts everything into place. The reason that its a problem is that these plans don’t seem to map with the reality I witness every day…. After many, many years on the sacred way for me meaning and purpose wasn’t found in a story, although many stories pointed to that meaning and... Read more