Today is the feast of Saint Herve, patron of the blind within the Catholic and Orthodox Christian traditions. A sixth century Breton bard who became a hermit, he was born blind. He was apparently a particularly eloquent preacher. The story goes that when a wolf killed his ox the saint’s rebuke so shamed the wolf that it asked to replace the ox, and did. Thoughts on this subject seem to tumble out of me… First, that phrase “There are none... Read more

I notice how today is Bloomsday, the annual celebration of James Joyce’s novel of a day wandering around Dublin. Faithful readers are even now treking around the city to gawk at appropriate spots recounted in Ulysses. Bless ’em all. Me, I’m in the midst of my own pilgrimage, focused on those awkward moments following one of the major markers of my leaving the ministry of the First Unitarian Society in Newton. The biggest will be on the 1st of August,... Read more

THERE AND BACK AGAIN Living Unitarian Universalism in Dangerous Times James Ishmael Ford 15 June 2008First Unitarian SocietyWest Newton, Massachusetts Text Come, come, whoever you are. Wonderer, worshipper, lover of leaving. It doesn’t matter. Ours is not a caravan of despair. Come, even if you have broken your vow a thousand times Come, yet again, come, come.Jalaladdin Rumi It’s hard to believe, but after eight years serving among you, this is my last Sunday in this amazing pulpit in this... Read more

I was reading a review of the book Merton & Buddhism: Wisdom, Emptiness & Everyday Mind edited by Bonnie Bowman Thurston. The reviewer cited a particular line that I’ve not been able to shake. “(W)hen the Dalai Lama was asked if he believed in God, he replied ‘It depends on what you mean by ‘God’: if you mean by ‘God’ What Thomas Merton means, then yes, I do.'” I’ve had cause to think about God a lot of late. Now,... Read more

Tim Russert (1950 – 2008)Tom Brokaw breaks the news Thank God for the First Amendment and thank God for Tim Russert. Read more

Zen teacher Dosho Port at his Wild Fox Zen blog recently briefly reflected on the various “stances” a Zen teacher might take. I really admire him and when he says something I find myself inclined to listen. In this reflection Dosho joked about setting up dichotomies and then provided a few that he’s been thinking about. He wrote, “Seems to me that there are many variables moving quietly that influence our stance. Here are a few specific for the Zen... Read more

Harriet Martineau, British novelist, lecturer, abolitionist and theological thinker was born on this day in 1802. Deaf from childhood, Marineau became one of the singular figures of her generation. Her earliest writings were concerned with Unitarian theological subjects. (Her brother James occupies a place in English Unitarianism similar to William Ellery Channing’s in America.) She expanded her interests into social and political realms achieving fame with her Illustrations of Political Economy. Her acerbic comments on the American nation including Society... Read more

I’m not quite sure what’s up. But last Saturday I had to conduct a memorial service for a member. I’m doing another this evening. Friday I visit with a family about another memorial service to take place in a week. Puts a damper on when I want to complain about the rush and craziness of getting our house ready and putting it up for sale. Life is precious. And it is precarious. During our Zen retreats there is a short... Read more

Searching for the Dharma You’ve traveled up ten thousand steps in search of the Dharma. So many long days in the archives, copying, copying. The gravity of the Tang and the profundity of the Sung make heavy baggage. Here! I’ve picked you a bunch of wildflowers. Their meaning is the same but they’re much easier to carry.~ Xu Yun ~ from Empty Cloud: The Autobiography of the Chinese Zen Master,Trans. Charles Luck, ed. by Richard Hunn (thank you Myozen!) Read more

I’m not positive I want to encourage such behavior. But this is just the first or second time I’ve been tagged and it still feels such an honor, I’m up for trying – just this once… Masasa tagged me with the task: 1. write the title to your own memoir using six words. 2. post it on your blog. 3. link to the person that tagged you. 4 tag five more blogs. So, my title: There and Back Again: A... Read more