Someone has been praying for me. I can feel it. It's not something I can totally explain.....but recently (as in the past couple of days) I've had this amazing feeling of peace, of tranquility... despite everything that's going on right now. I at first thought that it was the Dao, that I had found my Dao again...but that's not it, there's something more. I really can't explain it...all I can say is that I KNOW someone has been praying for me. I don't know HOW I know this; I just ...

There's been a lot of talk recently about sin. It seems to be the general consensus in certain circles that homosexuality is a ticket straight to hell....on a par with homicide, almost. This got me thinking about the varying sins and their 'weightiness', so to speak. Is there such a thing as a 'scale - o - sin', where someone can measure what sin is worse than another? Isn't all sin bad, period? I mean, where in the Bible does it say that homosexuality is worse than coveting your nei...

Check these out: "I went to a daily mass shortly after the 9-11 attacks. We needed comfort and to comfort each other. What we got was a homily saying we got what we deserved because we tolerate abortion. What is 3000 compared to millions of aborted?" "At the end of a series of curing people of 'demon cancers' and purging 'satanic viruses,' [a faith healer] tells everyone that Jesus has told him that people should contribute $1000. ...I could see thousands of people reaching for their wal...

I've been asked on more than one occasion recently how Buddhism 'works'....what it's basic 'rules' (for want of a better word) are and how it's similar to Christianity. I thought that the best place to start would be to explain the 5 basic precepts. These are the things I agreed to do when I made the decision to practice Buddhism. To refrain from killing and harming living beings. To refrain from stealing and taking that which is not yours. To refrain from causing harm through ...

Something happened yesterday that showed me how far I've come on this spiritual path I've been walking. We live on base, and in military housing there are some strict rules about leaving children unattended. I had left Davey (who's almost 10) alone whilst I took his sister to the BX (the department store on base). Base regs say that I can do that, as long as I'm not gone for more than an hour and the child left alone has immediate access to adult assistance (he did, I had my cell phone o...

The Buddha compared faith to and blind giant who meets up with a very sharp-eyed cripple, called wisdom. The blind giant, called faith, says to the sharp-eyed cripple, "I am very strong, but I can't see; you are very weak, but you have sharp eyes. Come and ride on my shoulders. Together we will go far." The Buddha never supported blind faith, but a balance between heart and mind, between wisdom and faith. The two together will go far. The saying that blind faith can move mountains omit...

Do you believe that the bible is a complete document?  Do you think that the gospels and other books rejected by the Council of Nicea have any value? What's your opinion about the Nag Hamadi and Dead Sea Scrolls?  I would like to know how much creedence you give to these texts and the message held within.  Do you think that they're also divinely inspired? I'm asking because I'm genuinely interested.  If I was going to 'bash' I'd do so blatantly.....  

According to the dictionary, I'm a heathen.  I don't believe in the monotheistic God of Christianity or Judaism or Islam. However, my 'heathenhood' does not mean that I am devoid of morality or compassion.  I don't worship Satan, I don't sacrifice lambs on altars, and your children will not be magically corrupted just by being in my presence. I'm a practicing Buddhist.  I try to adhere to the four noble truths  Link and the eightfold path Link . Those precepts ar...

I'm thinking about going on a retreat. A buddhist retreat.  There are quite a few within a 8 hour drive from where I'm at.  Some are weekends, some are months long.  Some you have to pay for, some you don't...the ones that don't require cash ask that you pay 'in kind', that you bring some food items from their list of approved foods, or that you donate things like cushions or bed linens etc.  You're also required to do some manual work around the monastery....it's pret...

I read this in Oprah's magazine and immediately thought to ask my fellow bloggers their thoughts..... QUESTIONS OF FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY 1) Which of your beliefs are unshakable? 2) When and how has your faith been sorely tested?  What beliefs and practices sustained you though those times? 3) Ultimately, faith is an individual decision.  We discover for ourselves what works for us, whatwe believe in, how we relate to the divine.  Write a simple prayer that expres...

'......the nature of the essential urge toward enlightenment is enlightenment itself.  The very fact that we are intrigued with the spiritual quest stems from the source of the light, so to speak.  Consequently, enlightenment is not an end; it is truer to say that it is the beginning' David A Cooper, Silence, Simplicity and Solitude.

People often ask me how to practice, what to do. After many long-winded explanations on my part, I came across this quote which I think does a much better job.... 'Have confidence in your own spiritual potentiality, your ability to find your own unique way.  Learn from others certainly, and use what you find useful, but also learn to trust your own inner wisdom.  Have courage.  Be awake and aware.  Remember too, that Buddhism is not about being a Buddhist, that is, obtaini...

I'm reading Donald Neale Walsh's 'Friendship with God'.  I'm embarking on my own friendship with Him.  It's hard.  I have in my head the dogma of my youth....the rules and rituals of the Anglican church, the stuff I was taught in confirmation class about angry and vengeful gods...the things I saw and heard in Baptist churches about fire and brimstone, about homosexuality and adultery, about the sins of the fathers being visited on the sons.... I'm having difficulty...

Before I get into this, let me lay down some ground rules...I know that child abuse is not limited to religious circles.  This article is in no way meant as an attack on organized religion...this is just an account of a nasty case we had in my community a couple of years ago.  I was reminded of this case as a result of a conversation I had over on Cornbread's 'Gay what???' thread. As always, I welcome responses and comments, but be warned that I will not tolerate attitudes such as...