Acharya Pema Chödrön is principal teacher for Gampo Abbey, a Western Buddhist Monastery in the Shambhala Tradition, located in Nova Scotia, Canada, which was founded by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1984. She has written several books: “The Wisdom of No…
Géza Vermès was a prolific Hungarian Jewish “historical Jesus” scholar and translator of the Dead Sea Scrolls who died on May 8th (see this 1994 interview, Escape and Rescue—An Interview with Géza Vermès, and this eulogy by…
Stasa Morgan-Appel is a Quaker Witch: Quaker in the unprogrammed tradition, and Priestess and Witch in the eclectic feminist Roses, Too! Tradition. Stasa has been involved with ministry since 1986, has been a Priestess and Witch since 1991, and has been active in the Religious…
Growing up attending an Episcopalian church, I learned to know December as Advent, a season of waiting, for the coming of Jesus, the Light of the world. The candles, special carols, the church decked in red and white with fresh firs, the Christmas Eve service ending with the…
The solstice is a natural event in the minds of humans. Its significance is of human formation only. It is a reminder of the residual recognition by humans of our interest and dependence on natural cycles and the importance of the sun in particular in these conditions. The…
Jacksonville, FL (12/17/2011) … I love the enthusiasm of this family who, despite the hint of lower economic status suggested by their location next to a convenience store on a busy avenue, cheer us every year with the “reckless exuberance” of their Xmas…
Friends have a historical testimony against the celebration of special days, because “one day is no more holy than another, as all days are the gift of the most High” (see Friends (Quakers) and Christmas, by Bill Samuel 12/1/1998). However, the “return of the…
On what turned out to be the last day of my mother’s life, when Alzheimer’s Syndrome was ending her body’s ability to breathe independently, nursing staff called me early in the morning to say she was not keeping food down. As I said hello to her, Mom looked up…
Both Buddhism and Quakerism embrace paradox. The ways that each of these spiritual paths takes to get to higher and nobler living involves going deeper into the human experience. Thus, the first of “The Four Noble Truths” of Buddhism is, oddly enough, “Pain…
Universe as Revelation: An Ecomystical Theology for Friends, by Jo Farrow & Alex Wildwood (London, U.K.: Pronoun Press, 2013) … Can one give an anthropic twist to the Big Bang? It has been tried, most notably in 1988 by physicist Brian Swimme and theologian Thomas…