If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “thank you,” that would suffice. Meister Eckhart Read more

I’ve just learned that Tony Hillerman, one of my favorite authors died today. And with him some old friends, Jim Chee & Joe Leaphorn. I’ll miss ’em all… Acclaimed author Tony Hillerman dies at 83 By AMANDA LEE MYERS, Associated Press Writer Amanda Lee Myers, Associated Press Writer Mon Oct 27, 7:03 am ET PHOENIX – Tony Hillerman, author of the acclaimed Navajo Tribal Police mystery novels and creator of two of the unlikeliest of literary heroes — Navajo police... Read more

Tradition gives this as the day that Constantine had his famous vision of a heavenly cross and the divine words “In this sign, Conquer.” The following battle led directly to the consolidation of the Empire under his singular control.  It would also play a significant role in the evolution of the dominant form of Christian faith. As we roll headlong toward our national election not a bad time to pause, if briefly, and think about the connections between church and... Read more

WRITTEN ON OUR HEARTS A Religious Liberal in Quest of a Natural Moral Law A Sermon 26 October 2008 James Ishmael Ford First Unitarian Church of Providence Text They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, to which their own conscience also bears witness; and their conflicting thoughts will accuse or perhaps excuse them. Paul’s Letter to the Romans 2:15 Today I want to reflect on natural law. A dangerous proposition, of course, particularly if you’ve... Read more

(Warning: Recurring theme…) Today is the feast of St Crispin. Of course better known than the saint is that battle in Agincourt in 1415 where the English met and defeated a superior French force. I find my mind going to that rousing speech put into Henry V’s mouth by William Shakespeare… Great speech. Does get the testosterone flowing… Of course this war was simply about which king gets to oppress the French people. Unless you think God gave thrones to... Read more

I vividly recall how in my youth when there were vastly fewer books on Buddhism in the English language than there are today how I stumbled upon a remarkable little volume that shifted the depth of my Buddhist investigations. I was sitting with a Soto Zen sangha and the conventions of the Zen communities in that time and place were to discourage study in favor of practice. I’m sympathetic to the deeper reasons for this approach, but actually feel one... Read more

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thank you Worst Horse! Read more

Love means to learn to look at yourself The way one looks at distant thingsFor you are only one thing among many. And whoever sees that way heals his heart, Without knowing it, from various ills A bird and a tree say to him: Friend. Then he wants to use himself and things So that they stand in the glow of ripeness. It doesn’t matter whether he knows what he serves: Who serves best doesn’t always understand. Czeslaw Milosz thank... Read more

My old friend the Dharma bum Uncle Weasel recently wrote a note to me where he addressed the subject of authority and authoritarianism. On one side, I fully agree with your sentiments, but on the other, I think you underrepresent the degree to which we depend on authority for our thinking. This is something I am currently trying to explore in a general treatment of belief, very slowly being written. Science is supposed to be based on observation and experiment,... Read more