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Subscribe to this list via RSS Blog posts tagged in buddhism
Why I Am Not a Christian (or, Adventures in Bible-Based Reading)

Encouraged by my devout sister-in-law, I’ve just finished Surprised at Oxford, a memoir by Carolyn Weber. Attending Oxford University on scholarship in the 1990s, Ms Weber experienced a year of emotional upheaval, leading not only to finding love but to a heartfelt religious conversion. She found her answers in Evangelical Christianity and the promise of eternal life, which, in her telling, gave ultimate meaning to everything.

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Posted by on in Paths Blogs
Tragedy, Magic and Grammar

The calls for magical intervention kept coming, interspersed with medical updates that were presented as progress, despite all evidence to the contrary. There’d been a tragic accident, and a young person was on life support, unresponsive. Emotional emails flew back and forth, many filled with hope and confidence in the power of magic and affirmation.

I participated at first. But when we were asked to use a spell formula affirming the miracle of a complete recovery, I stepped away. I worried that we were asking too much, that this person's nearest and dearest were going to be either devastated or exhausted by their hope against hope. Energy was being expended at a rate that would inevitably demand a crash. Perhaps even a soul was being held to earth when it was time for it to fly free.

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Posted by on in Paths Blogs
Taking Refuge in Reality

Five of us, variously exhausted or uplifted, sat distributed on couches in the interview room. Our meditation teacher was checking in with us in the midst of a week-long silent retreat. One by one we responded. As usual, there were the usual happy yogis who had reached new heights of concentration, complete with interesting spiritual effects. The rest of us were detailing our rather more mundane struggles with the practice: distractions, obsessive thoughts, doubts. I had just finished adding my troubles to the pile when the teacher sent me a level look and said: “This is how it is right now.”

 

This is how it is right now. The whole of the Dharma in seven words.

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Pagan News Beagle: Faithful Friday, October 20 2017

Facing death, inmates create art to reflect their spiritual outlook. A Jew talks about what the formation of his identity. And an explanation of some of the principles behind so-called Chinese "alchemy" (which is, in fact, quite different from Western alchemy). It's Faithful Friday, our segment on faiths and religious communities from around the world. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!

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Pagan News Beagle: Faithful Friday, August 18 2017

What would Jesus think of modern Christians? A look at the role "surrender" plays in Hinduism. And talking about Buddhism with the writer behind Dear White People. It's Faithful Friday, our segment on news about faiths and religious communities around the world! All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!

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Pagan News Beagle: Faithful Friday, March 24 2017

A look at ancient traditions surviving into modern China. Lessons from the Bodhisattva path of Mahayana Buddhism. And Jainism's philosophy on death and dying. It's Faithful Friday, our segment on news about faiths and religious communities from around the world. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!

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Pagan News Beagle: Faithful Friday, February 17 2017

Is there wisdom in anger? A Hindu magazine honors its "Hindu of the Year." And the plight of Muslim immigrants in the United States is considered. It's Faithful Friday, our news segment about faiths and religious communities around the world. All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!

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