SEARCHING FOR WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT A Zen Meditation for the Fourth of July Edward Sanshin Oberholtzer Joseph Priestley Zen Community Empty Moon Zen Each Tuesday morning at 7:30 Eastern time, I give what the Greater Boston Zen Center has, in its wisdom, designated as an encouragement talk. A boost to get you up and going on your daily rounds. Looking about me, paying perhaps more attention than I should attention to current events, I... Read more

    THE FIFTH OF JULY What’s Wrong, and What Might be Right James Ishmael Ford What a time. What a time. Truthfully, too much all at once. Nine days ago, Donald Trump’s… Actually, in this regard Trump is Mitch McConnell’s cat’s paw. So, really, McConnell’s supreme court has declared Roe null and void. With that trigger laws have been triggered. And as of today, abortion is legal in only twenty states and the District of Columbia. Along the way... Read more

      Me, I’m the first television generation. Those just a couple of years older or born somewhere other than on the coasts are not. They are firmly radio generation. And, while I did listen some to radio, we had a television much earlier than people in our financial circumstances probably should have. As a consequence I fondly recall a lot of early television. This ranged from shows made for TV like Crusader Rabbit, Captan Kangaroo, the Roy Rogers... Read more

      Herman Hesse was born on this day, the 2nd of July, 1877. I actually had the privilege of reflecting at greater length about Hesse in a post two weeks ago. But for here, a small literary appreciation. How a writer can help a questing heart. In my adolescence I stumbled upon a copy of his novel Demien. It was an earth shaking document for me. I’d read a lot of Science Fiction but not a lot more... Read more

          As I reflect on the nature of Zen come West I am near endlessly fascinated at the variety of its forms. No doubt the majority of folk who talk about Zen on social media have simply read a book, usually by Alan Watts, but perhaps a bit more deeply, and are more than happy to expound on the power of the moment. Good on them. I hope they enjoy themselves. Zen is also a marketing... Read more

    I’m visiting with an old friend who is in nursing care, and actually has just entered a hospice program. As he has trouble speaking we’ve settled into a pattern of my reading the psalms to him. This has given me a project to have a bit better sense of his ancient prayer book of both the Jewish and Christian traditions. What follows are some notes I’ve gathered about the background of the psalms. It’s just an outline. But... Read more

        Today, the 26th of June, the American Episcopal Church celebrates the life of Isabel Florence Hapgood. For me she’s particularly interesting in that she opened some fascinating doors for spiritual exploration. Born in Boston in 1851 to an affluent family, she had many of the advantages of that time and place. While her gender prevented her from following her twin brother to Harvard, she received good private tutoring and attended the first rate program at Miss Porter’s... Read more

      For me, today, the 25th of June is something of a holy day. I’ve described this day before. It is, as I said, a holy day for me… On this day in 1900 the Daoist monk Wang Yuanlu, was at work salvaging for ancient religious artwork in one of the ruined Caves of the Thousand Buddhas near Dunhuang. But today was special. In one of the caves he noticed a long hidden door. He opened it. That... Read more

        Today, the 24th of June, is Midsummer Day, the ancient European celebration of the summer. The solstice rolls around close to it, this year it was the 21st. In the development of the Christian liturgical calendar this date becomes significant because it becomes the feast of John the Baptist. As the forerunner of Jesus, his feast is set exactly six months from that of Jesus. That would be today. It sparks that little quip from scholars... Read more

      As it happens it was on this day, the 22nd of June in 1633 that Vincenzo Maculani da Firenzuola representing the Holy Office of the Inquisition, declared: “We pronounce, judge, and declare, that you, the said Galileo… have rendered yourself vehemently suspected by this Holy Office of heresy, that is, of having believed and held the doctrine (which is false and contrary to the Holy and Divine Scriptures) that the sun is the center of the world,... Read more