Patheos Blog » Monkey Mind
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Patheos is the world's leading multi-faith site dedicated to hosting the conversation on faith. This blog is written by James Ford, who is a Zen Buddhist priest and author, which mostly addresses aspects of the Zen life.
Patheos Blog » Monkey Mind
4d ago
Ram Mohan Roy (also spelled Rammohan Roy) was born in Radhanagar, Bengal, on the 22nd of April, in 1772. A towering intellect, seeker of justice, and religious reformer, Roy deserves to be more widely known outside of India. He is generally credited as coining the term “Hinduism” as an overall term for the family of ..read more
Patheos Blog » Monkey Mind
4d ago
The 21st of April is an interesting day in the Christian calendar. During the Reformation the small town of Pińczów in southern Poland was a hotbed of radical thought. Lots of Calvinsits. But also some rather more daring Christian thinkers as well. The good folk held some twenty-two synods there over the years. On the ..read more
Patheos Blog » Monkey Mind
6d ago
What follows is a Dharma talk delivered by Sensei Edward Sanshin Oberholtzer at the regular Saturday morning gathering of the Empty Moon Zen sangha on the 20th of April, 2024. I’m sure that one of those gateway drugs that nudged me in the direction of Zen practice was a PBS series of Japanese films, introduced ..read more
Patheos Blog » Monkey Mind
1w ago
Swami Vivekananda was a close disciple of the Nineteenth century Hindu saint Ramakrishna. He became one of the founders of the Ramakrishna Order, which today is represented in the West by the Vedanta Society. The swami is justly considered a major spiritual figure on the world stage at the turn of the Nineteenth and Twentieth ..read more
Patheos Blog » Monkey Mind
1w ago
Two things have been burrowing into my heart of late. The first happened with a manuscript I’ve written for an introduction to Zen scheduled to be published next year. A number of my early readers commented on the Christian references in it. One noted straight out that it was “Christian Zen.” The confusion for me ..read more
Patheos Blog » Monkey Mind
1w ago
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was born in Mhow, a town on the road between Mumbai and Agra, on the 14th of April, in 1891. The 14th of April is celebrated in India, called Abedkar Jayanti (sometimes Bhim Jayanti) and Equality Day. Known to those who admired him as Babasheb, “Respected Father,” B. R. Ambedkar was ..read more
Patheos Blog » Monkey Mind
2w ago
My friend Richard Kollmar observed that I have an interest in the Inklings and asked if I’d ever read George MacDonald. I had to admit I had not. He encouraged me to give the old Scot a try. He influenced a lot of that band of ..read more
Patheos Blog » Monkey Mind
2w ago
The actual date when the person Gautama Siddhartha who became the Buddha was born is not known. In the major schools of Buddhism, using lunar calendars although by somewhat different calculations, come up each year with dates that float mostly in the area of April or May. The Japanese, however ..read more
Patheos Blog » Monkey Mind
2w ago
The master Nanyang Huizhong called to his attendant three times. And each time his attendant responded. The master said, “I was about to say I was ungrateful to you. But, you are ungrateful to me.” Gateless Gate, case 17 According to the Buddhist lunar calendar observed in most ..read more
Patheos Blog » Monkey Mind
3w ago
Very recently I attended a small gathering of UU clergy. It’s something I believe clergy do in most faith traditions. It provides mutual support among people who have similar experiences and challenges. Even moving well into retirement I find it a powerful thing to do. At this meeting one ..read more