One of the most popular images of spirituality and enlightenment is that of the zen practitioner, sitting calmly in the lotus position. Deep breaths. Long silences. Peaceful surroundings. Zen meditation is useful. I’ve practiced it many times, and I’d recommend it to anybody. Recollecting the mind and body to this present moment is a valuable …
When I first became a Quaker, I thought that the point of my faith was to experience God’s presence. If I wasn’t experiencing regular encounters with the Holy Spirit, something was wrong. More recently, such experience – the sense of spiritual ecstasy and mystical states of consciousness – has become much less central to my faith. Instead, …
It used to bother me that so many of the stories Jesus told were about servants obeying their master. I didn’t like the unequal, hierarchical imagery. I didn’t want anyone bossing me around and treating me like a servant – not even God! Yet it’s no accident that Jesus told stories in the way he …
We have a plant in the office where I work. It’s one of those plants that is supposedly indestructible. Even the most negligent gardeners shouldn’t be able to kill this thing. Yet last week I noticed that the plant had begun to wilt dramatically. It looked like it might not survive. I went and checked the soil, …
All my life, I’ve been curious. My mother tells a story from my early childhood, when she had just put me to bed – a major feat, since I didn’t sleep through the night until I was six years old! She was sneaking out of the room, when suddenly I bolted straight up in bed and asked: “Why …
I used to think I could never learn another language. I studied Spanish in school, and it was always a struggle. I almost gave up. Then, in my second year of college, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Mexico, and everything changed. For seven months, I renounced English and spent all of my time listening, …
I’m a future-oriented person. At any given time, I’m probably using half my energy thinking, dreaming, preparing for what’s coming next. But this year for Lent, I’m trying to give up dreaming for a little while. As much as I’m able, for the next month or so I’ll avoid pondering any possible future, no matter how …