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RIchard Rohr on youtube..
FullCircle
Explorer
"The Change That Changes Everything"
good video on how Jesus was pointing to no-self also... I mean I hate to even use a buddhist sounding word here since we all quickly attach personal perceptions to 'no self' but anyway thought this may be interesting especially to the Christians on here.. what do you think?
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Comments
"we focused on the outer authority and it has kept people at a childish level" love it.
https://www.cacradicalgrace.org/richard-rohr
My mother always taught me that if you couldn't find anything nice to say to or about someone, might be best just to keep yer yapper shut.
Can't a guy just state his opinion? What a ruttin' contradiction your post is - saying Episcopalians are an "enlightened bunch" and then telling me to shut up.
Good exegesis, but nothing new...
Quit bickering, it doesn't become you. Opinions are fine. When they border on direct personal remarks, the line is being crossed.....
The truth is that both in the 'canonical' and deutero-canonical gospels (particularly in the sayings Gospel; of Thomas), letting go of 'self' is an integral part of the initial steps towards Christ's liberation message. Fortunately, there are many Catholic teachers (monastics and secular clergy mainly but few in the hierarchy) who remind us of this.
Nirvana, are you no longer a Buddhist? Episcopalian, now?
That said, in contrast to things Eastern, Western traditions seem to be based more on a hoax than on radical liberation and enlightenment of spirit. In other words, I believe that the Eastern traditions better approximate authentic spirituality and truth. But that is not to say that Western faiths have no value. Where they err is when they propagate the hoax of mythology that is rooted not in spirituality but in superstition and suchlike.
Living in South Carolina, where so-called "Evangelicals" are trying to hijack the very name of one of the churches I most love (the Anglican and the Russian Orthodox), perhaps I'm a bit over sensitive to people finding fault with my rather liberal denomination. Like seekers of the Eastern traditions, we Anglicans use EXPERIENCE along with reason, scripture, and tradition to form the four-legged stool which is the foundation for our belief and practice. Sola Scriptura is just not the Anglican way.
Excellent to hear your voice again, dear Pilgrim!
Christianity, Eastern or Western, is a WESTERN phenomenon. That due to two main currents: its Graeco-Roman heritage superimposed on a Hebraic one. Eastern, I think, is generally considered to be of EAST-ASIAN origins, you know: China, India, and so on...
Hopefully this isn't too off-topic. Since the topic is about someone who bridges Christianity and Buddhism, here's my utter FAVE Orthodox video, about a tradition in Romania, where hermit monks spend their life meditating in caves. Really reminds me of Tibetan Buddhism in a way, and the one interviewed talks about non-violence.
There is a salient difference between Eastern Christianity and Western Christianity. The Orthodox are capable of an extreme mysticism, but also can be much more socially conservative than their Catholic counterparts in the West.
The Orthodox escaped the abyss of Reformed Dogmatics until late in the 20th century when our missionaries went over laden with gold, greenback, and beer, as it were. Imagine how horrified the Fundamentalist would be at encountering the Orthodox belief in Theosis. (See THEOSIS In Wikipedia.)
But, for me, the most salient differences between the Christians East and West don't add up really to much in contrast to the huge difference between the spirituality of, say, India, and the West. The West is FIXATED on Right v Wrong, Good v Bad, and some Final Judgment or Score or Super Sum, or something. In contrast, the East sees likes and dislikes as being the problem, and does not seek so much to judge as to understand and accept. In other words, Westerners see some Fault or Sin as the great separator between the human being and its divine encounter, whereas the Easterner sees Attachment (Just Attachment, pure and simple) as the thing separating him or her from the divine communion.
The Eastern way is just so much healthier and happier and nonjudgmental. Of course, The Lord Jesus saw things in the Eastern Light, but generations of his followers have tended to emphasize different things until, in some quarters, the message of Jesus seems to have been entirely put aside for some other "more worthwhile" agenda.
Well, I ramble. Best to quit for now. It's been a long hard day of toil at the nursing home.
To my mind, the Eastern mentality is broader, wider, more generous, and more kind in seeing the state of attachment as humanity's chief spiritual curse. The Western, mind, on the other hand, tends to see darkest sin lurking almost everywhere. Indeed, for the classic Western religionist one of the gravest sins is the sin of Heresy: simply not being in accord with the CORRECT dogma. Sure, there are squabbles in the East, too, over certain things, but I don't believe that they have been the source of murders of millions of people or things along those lines. The West is just too anal about its beliefs, because it is afraid to let go and just let things be what they are.
I believe that there are a lot of people out there who are self-sacrificing and kind and really too nice to be able sincerely to see themselves as SINNERS. However, they may have other problems, such as spending too much money on their hobbies or collections. If these things get out of their control and keep them from a higher calling, I think that the Eastern concept of Attachment is a more realistic paradigm for them than is that of sin. Westerners are turning away from the trappings of their traditions; they may still utter the words of their liturgies, and the words may be comforting, but they are based in large part on a tradition of hoaxers.
http://www.religionnews.com/2013/01/24/s-c-episcopal-diocese-claims-a-victory-in-secession-struggle/