Raiders of the Lost Spark

A few weeks ago, I posted a video of a priest telling that hell was just an invention of the church. Now, to flip the coin…

“Why did we lose the connection with our ancient spiritual heritage?”

In 1688, William of Orange and Mary – the daughter of King James (of the King James Bible fame) – became rulers of England. They passed a Toleration Act that, if sworn to 39 doctrines(1), would allow people to worship without fear.

Worship without fear? From the days since that ancient spiritual heritage thrived, worship has always had an undercurrent of fear. From the Roman world to Post Reformation, the fear was physical pain – torture, bloodshed, and eventual death. Present day, the fear is mental and emotional. In many ways, this is even more damaging in the long-run.

(1) – Also known as the Thirty-Nine Articles

This is worth multiple postings…

A journey of cultural integration…

This past Thursday, I delivered a speech entitled “Eat, Pray, Love… Gratitude“. Inspired by the book Eat, Pray, Love, I was made aware of the parallels between the book and my own growth/development and chosen path in life.

Eat: Raw and living foods. Even though I am detoxing and relatively miserable at times, I know it’s a temporary state and I’m willing to push through it. The fact is: I am more concerned these days with what comes out of my mouth, rather than satisfying addictions going into it. I miss eating certain things, but I am enjoying and relishing the process and learning experiences that come with having to deal with one’s feelings head on… I can no longer eat them!

Pray: My growing involvement with church/activities. I am finding my new community to be loving, inspiring, and supportive. I’m happy to be a part of it. I am attending weekly service, as well as a Bible Study and Encounter Group. This is becoming an important part of my spiritual journey.

Love: My relationship. Am I really considering committing myself to someone with 2 young children? Am I willing to put aside most of the “me” to become a “we”. The answer is yes. I love him deeply and want to spend my life with him. I don’t think I’ve ever been able to say this – calmly, rationally, and without a drink or 5 2. Everything I am and will be, I want to share with him.

I eat. I pray. I love… 1 Cor 13:13b “But the greatest of these is love.”

The Altered State of Silence

Kierkegaard, likely the greatest Protestant Christian mind of all time, said:
“If I could prescribe only one remedy for all the ills of the modern world, I would prescribe silence.“

I never used to enjoy silence. I always needed dialogue. This constant need often manifested in detrimental ways. Constant external dialogue left me in a state when I was also in a constant state of internal chatter. Quietly reflecting was akin to obsessing as I couldn’t stop the noise; I was unable to enter a state of contemplation without fixating. I attribute part of my current near-bliss state to embracing silence as a daily requirement. Yoga, meditation, contemplation. Despite the doctrine and dogma, this is one of the reasons I enjoy going to various church services. They provide the environment for me to enter this place of quiet reflection. With this practice comes an increase of patience, tolerance, understanding, and joy. Kierkegaard was certainly wise.

I am finally going to explore the Kalpa Bhadra Buddhist Centre in Guelph:

“Heart Jewel” with Lamrim meditation

The Heart Jewel sadhana together with meditation on the Lamrim ( Stages of the path to enlightenment ) is the daily practice of all Kadampa Buddhists. Engaging in this practice we receive the blessings of all enlightened beings. Through the power of these blessings we make progress in our practice of Lamrim. Heart Jewel practice is especially powerful to increase and protect our wisdom and with wisdom we can always solve our daily problems.