Tag Archives: Mind
Practicing Awareness
Christianity and Buddhism Practicing Awareness Thursday, November 11, 2021 Father Richard offers his understanding of how Christian contemplation and Buddhist meditation share a common goal. Both seek to de-center the thinking mind to allow a deeper experience of truth, love, and compassion to emerge: The word Buddha means “I am awake.” Jesus told us in… Continue Reading Practicing Awareness
Hell, No! Weekly Summary
Hell, No! Saturday, September 18, 2021 Week Thirty-Seven Summary and Practice Sunday, September 12—Friday, September 17, 2021 Sunday Your image of God creates you. This is why it is important that we see God as loving and benevolent and why good theology still matters. Monday Heaven is not about belonging to the right group or… Continue Reading Hell, No! Weekly Summary
A Superior Lens
Doorways to Christian Contemplation A Superior Lens Friday, July 16, 2021 Today the unnecessary suffering on this earth is great for people who could have “known better” and should have been taught better by their religions. In the West, religion became preoccupied with telling people what to know more than how to know, telling people… Continue Reading A Superior Lens
Confirmation Bias
Learning How to See Confirmation Bias Tuesday, March 2, 2021 One of the phrases that has stayed with me from studying Latin in the seminary is “Quidquid recipitur ad modum recipientis recipitur.” This statement is not only kind of fun to say, but it has been critical to my understanding of how we process information.… Continue Reading Confirmation Bias
Type Seven: The Need to Avoid Pain
Enneagram Part Three: Head Center Type Seven: The Need to Avoid Pain Friday, March 13, 2020 Holy Idea: Holy Wisdom, Holy Work, Holy Plan Virtue: Sobriety Passion: Gluttony [1] Sevens have been called the “Peter Pans” of the world, yet many Sevens, including our own Director of the Center for Action and Contemplation, are completely… Continue Reading Type Seven: The Need to Avoid Pain
Type Six: The Need for Security
Enneagram Part Three: Head Center Type Six: The Need for Security Thursday, March 12, 2020 Holy Idea: Holy Strength, Holy Faith Virtue: Courage Passion: Fear [1] People who are predominantly type Six have tremendous gifts: they are cooperative, team players, reliable, and loyal. In relationships, one can count on their fidelity. Their friendships are marked… Continue Reading Type Six: The Need for Security
Type Five: The Need to Perceive
Enneagram Part Three: Head Center Type Five: The Need to Perceive Wednesday, March 11, 2020 Holy Idea: Holy Omniscience, Holy Transparency Virtue: Detachment Passion: Avarice [1] Fives are discoverers of new ideas, researchers and inventors; they are objective, questioning, and interested in exploring things in detail. They can be provocative, surprising, unorthodox, and profound. Fives… Continue Reading Type Five: The Need to Perceive
The Head Center
Enneagram Part Three: Head Center The Head Center Tuesday, March 10, 2020 My friend and Enneagram teacher Russ Hudson describes the Head Center, the final Intelligence Center of the Enneagram, in his own unique and “heady” way: Some of the Eastern religions, particularly Buddhism, did a very thorough investigation of the nature of the Head… Continue Reading The Head Center
Mind, Body, Heart: Weekly Summary
Mind, Body, Heart Sunday, February 16–Friday, February 22, 2020 Wisdom is not the result of mental effort. It cannot be gained through intellectual study. Even life experiences do not make us wise if we don’t process them humbly and consciously. (Sunday) Wisdom is a way of knowing that goes beyond one’s mind, one’s rational understanding, and embraces the… Continue Reading Mind, Body, Heart: Weekly Summary
Wisdom Is Loving
Mind, Body, Heart Wisdom Is Loving Friday, February 21, 2020 The first principle of great spiritual teachers is rather constant: only Love can be entrusted with Wisdom or Big Truth. All other attitudes will murder, mangle, and manipulate truth for their own ego purposes. Humans must first find the unified field of love and then start their thinking and perceiving from that… Continue Reading Wisdom Is Loving