Zen and Spiritual Practice
Zen is not concerned with prescription or speculation. Buddhism is mostly concerned with practice, not belief.
Zen and Interdependence
Dogen Zenji encourages us to remove the barrier between self and other.
Zen and the Self
Buddhism does not believe in a permanent, unchanging self. Of course, each of us has forms, feelings, perceptions, thoughts, and awareness.
An Introduction to Zen
Buddhism embraces a different worldview than most Western religions. Zen is experiential, not intellectual.
Faith & Justice Book Group podcast (06/18/2024)
Recently, I was a guest on three related podcasts hosted by my friend, Brian Allain.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Natural Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way that we live and work. Increasingly, AI presents challenging questions about the nature of humanity and about the nature of the Universe itself.
Visions: Hallucinations or Transcendent Experiences?
Are visions hallucinations or transcendent experiences? Biologist J.B.S. Haldane said, “The Universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose.”
Do We Honor Ultimate Reality in Other Traditions?
Do we honor Ultimate Reality in other traditions?
What Beliefs Are Fundamental To Christianity?
There are more than 45,000 forms of Christianity worldwide, and they disagree on the fundamentals. What beliefs are fundamental to Christianity?
Creation: Mythology, Religion, And Science
Creation myths can illustrate the intersection of mythology, religion, and science. Do we interpret ancient religious texts as history or mythology?
The Journey is the Destination
The journey is the destination. Zen is more of a philosophy than a religion. It is more experiential than intellectual.
Ultimate Reality Permeates Everyday Reality
Ultimate Reality is not far removed from everyday reality. In fact, Ultimate Reality permeates everyday reality.
Ultimate Reality: Consciousness, Energy, and Love
Today, fewer people imagine Ultimate Reality in purely personal terms or in purely supernatural terms. Increasingly, Ultimate Reality is imagined in impersonal, natural terms, such as consciousness, energy or love.
Ultimate Reality: Brahman, God, the Universe and the Void
Ultimate Reality has many names: Brahman in Hinduism, God in Christianity, the Universe in humanism and the Void in Buddhism.
What Do We Know about Ultimate Reality?
We know one thing about Ultimate Reality, namely that everyone is related, and everything is connected.
Harmonic Atheist podcast (4/9/2024)
Last week, I was a guest on the Harmonic Atheist podcast, hosted by my friend, Tim Mills.
Why Do We Believe What We Believe?
Sometimes, we believe things because they are comfortable, not because they are sensible.
Is Free Will an Illusion?
Surely, it seems like we have free will, but is free will an illusion?
Leaving Church, Maintaining Spiritual Practices
Many people are leaving church over questions of belief or doctrine. How are people who are leaving church maintaining spiritual practices?
Pragmatic Buddhist Book Discussion Group
On April 7, the Pragmatic Buddhist Book Discussion Group will be discussing "The Way" on a Meetup zoom call.