Spiritual Formation

Spiritual formation is commonly seen as an important part of the Christian life though there appears to not be much agreement on what is included or what to call the practice. I have always been interested in practices that involve study and an awareness of the transcendent. I think of my interest in mysticism and even the original confirmation class in junior high.

The obsession with persecution and martyrdom in Christianity has always bothered me also. Recently I read about that this was an early dispute among Christians and it appears the pro-martyrdom faction won out and is the only recorded opinion.

Many are also waiting for the reward in the afterlife which can give an odd perspective on this life. There are all kinds of common questions about babies and folks who lived before Jesus.  So we end up with a jumble of concepts that supposedly agree on one thing that Jesus died for our sins. I was released and relieved when Bishop Spong said, "Jesus did not die for my sins!"

The Path: Christian or Buddhist?

As I think about being a Christian who is going through a very positive experience as I listen to dharma talks and other Buddhist resources, I mentally list those items that got me to this point. Lately I have been thinking about the Catholic priest from Hawaii who taught meditation at a Matthew Fox retreat we attended in Montana. I was fascinated by his lectures, enjoyed the meditation, but I could not grasp and verbalize his basic teachings. Over the years, I have searched the "secret" in my journal and in some tapes I made of his talks. Now I think of it as a seed that has continued to grow inside me. I googled and found The Beginnings of a Christian-Zen Bibliography. On it I noticed two books that I read and have been involved in this search.

• de Mello, Anthony. (1978) Sadhana: A Way to God. St. Louis, MO: The Institute of Jesuit Sources.
• Merton, Thomas. (1968) Zen and the Birds of Appetite.

While this is not one of the Merton books that stands out in my mind, I remember reading "Sadhana" very carefully several times. de Mello is also mentioned in my blog post about Chuck Smith and his son, who added while editing one of his dad's books:

"a quote from a priest, Anthony de Mello, whose Jesuit affiliation alarmed evangelicals. And on Page 103, Smith Jr. inserted the suggestion that breathing exercises might put one in a spiritually receptive state.

This seemed, in the eyes of some, dangerously close to endorsing a Buddhist practice."

Gosh, they knew what they were talking about. Look what has happened to me!

Seriously these types of resources may help me remain within the Christian community while following the path (as mentioned in the teachings of both Buddhists and Christians). I don't think I have made this clear of a connection before though I have thought about how Thomas Merton visited Asia and found so much in common with monks from other faith traditions.

Sin Cursed World

"Another sad, tragic consequence of life in a sin-cursed world is that children have to undergo pain, heartache, and a host of burdens that children should not have to bear."

I could not help contrasting this sentence from a fundamentalist bible study guide with the Buddhist Four Noble Truths. This study guide takes everything quite literally so the authors struggle to explain each verse that might be an illustration rather than a literal description. The study guide goes on after this quote to suppose that things will be better in heaven.

Although this is an extreme example, the general tone has me thinking about how despite being very involved in church activities and Christian studies, I have never felt comfortable with the basic view of the world in Christianity. I have written here about some of the Christian authors that attract me. I have the feeling that they are outliers; that Christians find their writings inspiring but that don't fit very neatly into the main message of Christianity as many see it. My favorite authors don't deal much with some of the basic themes like heaven and hell. In some ways, it seems the Christian authors I like have truly glimpsed spiritual truths and share them in their writing but they are not central to the teachings.

This relates to what I have been thinking lately. If I have to explain how the world works to someone struggling with some difficulties, I would much rather use a Buddhist explanation than Christian. But I am not interesting in converting people nor challenging the support their Christian faith gives them. So I don't say much to my friends and family about the excitement I feel in listening to Dharma talks. I do think about some of the thoughts I can share: ideas that they might assume are coming from a Christian perspective but actually comes from Buddhist. These nuances are just not that important to most Christians unless it comes out into the open.

Henri Nouwen: "one of the world's great spiritual writers."

June 05, 2013

A Christian pastor friend posted another quote by Henri Nouwen:

Adversity is no stranger to any of us, though some of us may have encountered it more often than others. We cannot avoid troubles, both the kind that moves in to stay and the kind that just shows up unannounced at our door. One of the most practical uses of faith is to put it to work when things are a struggle. God is a steady partner in times of need. With humor, patience and hope: God works at our side to get us through even the hardest challenges. We may not be able to predict when adversity will appear, but we can always count on God to be there to help.

I have read several of his books. Looking back, I find them inspirational but the next part of his advice just does not resonate with me. I can't read this quote now without recognizing the first of the four noble truths. The first two sentences admit that "adversity, troubles, and struggles" are a part of every life. Buddhist thought just seems so practical at this point. I am not trying to ridicule Henri Nouwen, nor dispute that many find him to be, "one of the world's great spiritual writers."

Throughout my life, I have been inspired by writings like this but nothing seems to happen when "faith is to put it to work when things are a struggle." I have not had any really difficult struggles in my life. I went to a psychologist in the midst of a mid-life depression. After I read him some of my autobiography, he said, "You are really hard on yourself." At the time, I thought the sessions hadn't done anything helpful for me. It was only later that those words came back to me and I realized that he had helped me turn the corner to recovery.

Since I have been reading and listening to dharma talks, I am reminded of how helpful his words were.  Now I think a wise Christian would give me the same advice but it is sort of "built in" to Buddhist teachings. I also know there are lots of Christian pastors who would not have that understanding of the cause of my suffering. They would have lots of God words and there is a chance that would hit upon something as helpful. There is also a chance that I would feel worse as I try to understand what "God is trying to tell me."