Ernest Hunt was born in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, England, on the 16th of August, in 1878. It’s said he encountered Buddhism in Asia as a merchant marine. It is said that he was preparing for ordination as an Anglican priest when he decided his heart led him to formally convert to Buddhism. One version I heard had him making the decision on the eve of his scheduled ordination. That seems unlikely, but I do like the sense of conflict and... Read more
Yesterday felt a perfect way to conclude the old year. A small band of us from the Empty Moon Zen sangha and the Zen meditation group of the Long Beach Buddhist Church gathered at the church at four in the afternoon for two hours of Zen meditation. We then moved over to the Hondo, the sanctuary, where we were joined by members of the church for a traditional Japanese Zen service reciting the Heart Sutra and the Daishin Dharani... Read more
Here we are. It’s the eve of the eve of a new year. And, for me the time I like to annually note it was on this day, the 30th of December in 1916, that Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin was murdered. There’s a small connection for me. And that’s part of why I notice the date. To retell. Many years ago I was working at the venerable and now lost Wahrenbrock’s Book House in downtown San Diego. And with a... Read more
ON BECOMING SPIRITUAL ADULTS A Hanukkah Meditation James Ishmael Ford 29 December 2019 (A Sermon based Upon Several Earlier Efforts) Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church Canoga Park, California Text A candle is a small thing. But one candle can light another. And see how its own light increases, as a candle gives its flame to the other. You are such a light. Moshe Davis & Victor Ratner Once upon a time a friend who is psychic told me how I’d... Read more
Over the past couple of weeks I put a lot of psychic energy into exploring whether I could do an ango, a three-month training period at a Soto monastery in Japan. By way of background. At the dawn of my Zen life I lived in Jiyu Kennet’s monastic communities for two years and change, first at the temple in San Francisco, then the monastery in Oakland, and when the property was acquired the monastery at Mount Shasta. During... Read more
Letters to a Dead Friend About Zen: A Review James Ishmael Ford A while back I was asked if I wanted a review copy of Brad Warner’s new book. I was intrigued with the title and responded that while I was slammed for time, if they were willing to wait, I would read it. And, as is my policy, I would only write a review if I could honestly endorse the book. It took a while to get to... Read more
Speaking of nature mystics, and saints and paragons of the nature way, I find myself thinking of John Muir. The always lovely Episcopal Church commemorates the life and work of the Scottish-American naturalist on the 22nd of April. Actually he was born the day before, the 21st of April in 1838. And I noted all of this in April. However, birthdays are not the normative anniversary for commemoration in Christian liturgical calendars. But, as he died on the 24th... Read more
Ram Das has died. I find myself thinking of this as a major marker for my own life. And, with that, and much larger, a marker on the passing of a phase of American and Western spirituality. In many ways I think of Ram Das as the avatar of the Age of Aquarius. Richard Alpert was born in Newton, Massachusetts, on the 6th of April, 1931. He entered Tufts University in 1948 (which I note is the year I was... Read more
Magnificat “My soul doth magnify the Lord” said Mary, under circumstances which make it something of a startling utterance. Not “I accept the will of the Lord.” Not “I bow before the Lord.” Not even “I give thanks to the Lord.” No, Mary, this young woman, presumably unfamiliar with angels or divine voices of any kind, let alone those pronouncing that salvation would grow inside her ordinary flesh—this woman who may be innocent, but hardly seems naïve— says something remarkable.... Read more
Today, the 21st of December, the ever lovely Anglican communion celebrates a feast in honor of Jesus’ companion, the Apostle Thomas. I love Thomas for three reasons. The first is that he is the doubter. The words are put in Thomas’ mouth in the (nearly completely a-historical visionary) gospel according to John. There he says he will not believe in a risen Christ without putting his own fingers into the wound. Now, this is just to lead us to... Read more
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