Tag Archives: Enlightenment
Oneness
Growing in Christ: Week 2 Oneness Friday, March 29, 2019 The eye with which I see God is the same eye with which God sees me: my eye and God’s eye are one eye, one seeing, one knowing, and one love. —Meister Eckhart [1] Today we continue reflecting on what David Benner calls “spirit-centered awakening.”… Continue Reading Oneness
The Four Noble Truths
Taoism and Buddhism The Four Noble Truths Tuesday, August 21, 2018 After his enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, the Buddha sat for some days in his inner liberation, which he called a state of nirvana. As Thich Nhat Hanh explains, “Nirvana means extinction—first of all, the extinction of all concepts and notions. Our concepts about… Continue Reading The Four Noble Truths
The Buddha
Taoism and Buddhism The Buddha Monday, August 20, 2018 My colleague and CAC core teacher James Finley, a student of Buddhism, briefly shares the story of the Buddha’s life to provide some context for Buddhist teachings. The Buddha was born in India about the year 560 BCE and given the name Siddhartha. His father, the… Continue Reading The Buddha
Ways of Praying and Knowing
Hinduism Ways of Praying and Knowing Tuesday, August 14, 2018 Hinduism emphasizes concrete practices (yogas) which allow practitioners to know things for themselves. I often wonder if conservative Christians are afraid of the word yoga because they are in fact afraid of concrete orthopraxy! They prefer to strongly believe things but have very few daily practices… Continue Reading Ways of Praying and Knowing
Be Whole-Hearted
The Beatitudes Be Whole-Hearted Thursday, April 20, 2017 Guest writer and CAC teacher Cynthia Bourgeault continues exploring Jesus’ eight blessings known as the Beatitudes. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” —Matthew 5:8 This may well be the most important of all the Beatitudes—from the perspective of wisdom it certainly is.… Continue Reading Be Whole-Hearted
Participatory Knowing
Trinity: Week 2 Participatory Knowing Sunday, September 18, 2016 All authentic knowledge of God is participatory. I must say this directly and clearly because it is a very different way of knowing reality—and it should be the unique, open-horizoned gift of people of faith. But Christians have almost entirely lost this way of knowing, ever… Continue Reading Participatory Knowing
The Contemplative Mind
Action and Contemplation: Week 1 The Contemplative Mind Sunday, May 8, 2016 (Feast of Lady Julian of Norwich) What is the relation of [contemplation] to action? Simply this. He who attempts to act and do things for others or for the world without deepening his own self-understanding, freedom, integrity, and capacity to love, will not… Continue Reading The Contemplative Mind
Love within Me
Love: Week 1 Love within Me Thursday, December 31, 2015 Great religion seeks utter awareness and full consciousness, so that we can, in fact, receive all. Everything belongs and everything can be received. We don’t have to deny, dismiss, defy, or ignore. What is, is okay. What is, is the great teacher. The purpose of… Continue Reading Love within Me
Beyond Words
Wisdom’s Way of Knowing Beyond Words Thursday, January 15, 2015 All words are metaphors approximating the hard-knock of reality itself. That doesn’t mean we throw words and ideas out. Quite the contrary! The best Jewish approach to scripture study was called midrash; they struggled with the text, unraveled it, looked at its various possible meanings,… Continue Reading Beyond Words
Mind, Heart, and Body
Wisdom’s Way of Knowing Mind, Heart, and Body Tuesday, January 13, 2015 Wisdom is not the result of mental effort; it is a way of being—a way of being whole and fully open to a knowing that is more than rational thought alone. Do not confuse this kind of knowing as lightweight, saccharine, or ephemeral.… Continue Reading Mind, Heart, and Body
