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The Universal Christ

From "The Universal Christ" by Richard Rohr:-

[i]As G. K. Chesterton once wrote, "Your religion is not the church you belong to, but the cosmos you live inside of." Once we know that the entire physical world around us, all of creation, is both the hiding place and the revelation place for God, this world becomes home, safe, enchanted, offering grace to any who look deeply.[/i]

Such a way of seeing and being is not a falling away from what has always been believed by the "true Christian" but is in fact simply part of the Great Tradition of the Christian Faith from its earliest days.

This way of seeing, being and knowing represents the fertility of the earth itself and the wondrous, healing, natural power of creation of our phenomenal world. Such seeing is simply a function of the nature of reality, intimately connected with the dynamic support of the earth, space itself, and a multidimensional view of the movements of time. Time and space is a "vital, ephemeral agent of awareness and healing. All spaciality and temporality potentially hold liberative qualities."

Now over to those who wish to jeer, denigrate, call names or simply insist that there is only one truth (i.e. theirs)

Thank you
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I don't need a specific view of the world, religion, philosophy, to understand the world needs more compassion and kindness, now. Unsure why many have chosen, let's argue until death's end, as though death does offer life's grace, but I feel most are just looking to prove, have their intellectual ability seen.

A different perspective, though, my nephew, very intelligent, sensitive, with a chip on his shoulder, while able to score 90% in philosophy in University. I love, he probably has a man more intelligent than him as his partner. My nephew is giving his partner room to prove his thesis needed to complete his PhD, which will come with needing to take on all criticism (from peers more than able).

I imagine that a very scornful room, but if true in spirit of academia, purpose towards advancing ideas, I support. That kind of room, academia, where egos will be flaring, maybe rightfully, in positioning our world to where it needs to be.

Yet most of many of us, must see our lives matter as any other's life matters, instead of measuring the value. There is a reason for the term, common people. Where we find healing matters less, but how we weave that healing. I looked at the moon tonight, thought how beautiful all of those I love would be looking upon this moon, and I thought if anyone could be looking at this moon, they might find themselves thinking of those they love.
SW-User
@thewindupbirdchronicles Thank you. Yes, "views" are condemned as such in the Dharma. All views are seen as inimicable to the holy life, the path to unshakeable deliverance of mind, which is the heartwood of the Dharma.

Reality, truth, beauty, are ever present; there to be reflected if we simply let go of our "selves", forget our "selves". To be shared. A gift received, a gift given. Grace.

I don't really think that we can ever "understand" as such. A Pure Land myokonin (loosely translated = saint) the cobbler Saichi, wrote in his journal:-

[i]Not knowing why! Not knowing why! That is my support, not knowing why! That is the Namu-amida-butsu!
[/i]
Or the Christian mystic Meister Eckhart:-

[i]Love has no why[/i]

Eckhart also said that if the only prayer we ever said was "thank you" it would be enough.

Thanks again for the conversation. I'm once again drinking my coffee in McDonald's after ferrying the grandchildren to school. Back to collect them this afternoon, a three mile hike. Hope the rain stops! They are worth every step, bless them.
@SW-User Agreed, until we become so needing a certain kind of way, or path. I'm rather agnostic, only religious spiritual readings I have are from Buddhist (western word for it), Christian (upbringing, not that I paid attention), along with Rumi, and along with Hafiz. I only see those seeking a path, paving their way with words, like grains of sand, unfolding and turning into wisdom pieces that act like sand. Forever present, there to reteach you, the journey is longer than you can ever imagine, and to remember that sand has gone through all every granular piece to help you teach your heart before you.

Enjoy your coffee, ferrying your grandchilden to school, and the questions of life are answered by the embrace of those you love.
SW-User
@thewindupbirdchronicles As is often said, [i]the path is home[/i].
SW-User
@SW-User The "path as home" is simply another way of expressing the heart of all our Faith Traditions, east and west. The inter-being of the transitory with the eternal, of our finite selves with the eternal. In the Christian Faith, the Incarnation - not simply in "Jesus" but in all creation.

In "mystic" terms (via Meister Eckhart) within the great Tradition of the Christian Faith, “In giving us His love God has given us the Holy Spirit so that we can love Him with the love wherewith He loves Himself.” The Son Who, in us, loves the Father, in the Spirit, is translated thus by Suzuki into Zen terms: “one mirror reflecting another with no shadow between them.” Further, Suzuki quotes Evkhart's words with approval, comparing it with the [i]Prajna[/i] wisdom of Zen.

All common parlance throughout history for those who can relate to [i]experience[/i], seeing the unity of humankind. Rather than those who are, ultimately, driven by creed, feeling the need to defend such creed against a hostile world, feeling some strange need to be exclusive, "apart", themselves only of "the truth".