Maximus of Thre

At first while I read through this I really liked the idea that we should all worship God in the way that helps us remember him. It gives each individual an individual relationship with God. A relationship all of their own. A relationship that unites them together. I also really like the metaphor that when a lover dies anything that allows them to be remembered is greatly valued and cherished. The Mahayana sect of Buddhism has a similar belief called Syncretism which says that people should be able to incorporate what ever practices they desire in their worship of God if it will help them reach Nirvana.

After thinking about this more and more I found that I have some moral problems with this belief. In some tribes human sacrifice is necessary in their practice of worshiping God...well I'm not really thrilled with the idea that its "ok" for humans to kill other humans to "remember God." I also don't think wars should be fought over "holy lands" because people believe that they need that land to worship God or remember him.

I realize that there will always be extremists in this world who take things to far. And that people will always try to justify horrific things by using God as there means. And that most practices are pretty harmless overall and I think people should have religious freedom to worship God the way they want. But there needs to be a line drawn somewhere because some practices are extreme.

Philo

I love this selection. I really like the idea that God is the root of all love, joy and happiness. When i look at two people who are truly in love, like my parents i see something that is indescribable. The love that they share can't be put in words but it can be seen by everyone. They are the kind of people you look at and everyone knows they belong together. Complete one another. To see that love, the most powerful force in the universe, and to realize that it is just a small fraction of the love God has is unfathomable. The creator of that kind of love and happiness is one that I am happy to spend my life loving and worshiping.

I find the idea that a wise man is a playful man full of laughter very intriguing. Most of the time when I think of a wise man I think of someone meditating, deep in thought, almost still. This idea that the "goal of wisdom is laughter and play-not the kind that one sees in little children who do not yet have the faculty of reason, but the kind that is developed in those who have grown mature through both time and understanding" is very different than what I have traditionally pictured. I like this new though because a wise man should realize that God has given us our sense of humor, joy, laughter, and happiness. A true wise man should be able to look at the world around him and rejoice in life itself. Life is a joyous experience and a day with out a smile is a wasted day.

Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali

I love this reading because it gives so much glory to God. It talks about how he created all things that we love and enjoy in this world, including our own lives. He gave us all abilitys or talents that we have. We are so quick to praise ourselfs when we accomplish something when it is he who gave us the ability to accomplish anything. It amazes me the love he has for each of us. unconditional love. I always think of a small child and how they love unconditionally. They make friends with anyone they meet and they hold no records of wrong. We all need to strive to be like little children. It also talks about the passion that we each hold. How much passion, love, and time do we put into our daily wants. How many hours do we watch tv, play a sport, or go out with friends? If each of us would just take a fraction of that passion and give thanks to God our world would not be such a bad place. Our country would not be so material based and we would all be a lot less selfish. I love the way he ends this passage. Even thought he is an incredible man with so much knowledge he apologizes if he is unclear in anyway. He says that it is "no easy task to discover the unclouded glory that lies behind the veil." He may not be able to define Gods love and comapssion 100% acurately but he did a pretty good job. And I am so impressed that he is humble enough to ask for forgiveness just in case he didn't get it all right.

Muhammad

I think that this excerpt really shows the jewish roots of islam. Especially when he refers to God creating the earth in 6 days and resting on the seventh. He also talks about God creating night and say when he says, "he makes the night to give way to the day." He also describes God in many of the same ways that the Hebrew bible does. He is called the first and last, knowledge of all things, ruler of heaven and earth.

I also think that certain parts of this seem to share an understanding with hinduism. For example, it says, "Do not despise the world, for the world too is God" or "whoever knows himself knows God." This seems to point to the idea that we all are conected or one. Also when it says, "when we surrender ourselves fully, there is nothing but God: not even a "there"; not even an "is"; not even a "God". This seems to point to the fact that once you reach the point that we are all one the term God becomes irrelevant. The word God is just a restraint that are limited minds create. A box that we wall our ideas in. Once we are free of that then we are God.

I was curious about the first paragraph though when it says, "We created man." I thought that Muhammad was a monotheist since Jews are...this seems to indicated that he is a polytheist.

Jesus Of Nazareth

"Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you." This is one of the most difficult teachings to follow, but its one of the morst important. Jesus himself lived the perfect example of this. When they are crucifying him he prays, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). I have wrote about his many times because its one of my favorite stories because its mind blowing. How could someone be so selfless to be praying for other people when they are killing you. Steven then does the same thing later on in the new testament. This is such an important lesson and it is an essential teaching in most religions including Buddhism and Hinduism (nonviolence).

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be open to you. For everyone who asks, recieves." I love this idea that if you seek for Gods way you will find it. In proverbs it says seek for truth as if it were silver and gold. This idea does pose a difficult question though. Thousands and thousands of people, chiristans and other religions alike, say that "God" led them to the truth. Well how can opposing ideas all be the truth? I mean how can one person say this is the truth because God "showed them it" and someone else say no that is the truth and I know because God "showed" me. Well who is right? Can it be that God brings us all to different truths at different times, and no one has the entire truth.

Thomas Traherne

I love this section. I wish more sermons were on the subject of joy. Thomas says, "Till you can sing and rejoice and delight in God, as misers do in gold, and kings in scepters, you never enjoy the world." This is how I look at the world. You can find joy and delight in everything on this earth because our heavenly father made it. What a gift he has given us just to see each season in all its changes. I just don't understand how you can see the sierra college trees in fall, with all the beauty and intracate detail in each leaf and not rejoice. I could sit under those trees smiling for hours. No matter where you live or how bad your life may seem there is always something to be joyful about. always.

I love the way he ends this passage with how we enter the world with such innocence and joy. But as we grow we can become tainted but the goal is to become like children. Children are such a great example of pure joy. I am a teacher for autistic children, which is not an easy job. These kids have so many social and mental setbacks its devistating. But these kids can sit in a corn of a room doing absolutly nothing, and have a huge smile on their face completly content with the world. Honestly I have so much to learn from them. Everyday I am constantly running around trying to get things done, when they are content to just be. These kids can be an example for everyone of what true joy is. True joy is to just sit, look around, and be joyful for the gift of life.

Dogen

After reading all 5 of the reading selections (for bogs), the lectures, and Molloy its incredible how much of it I truely don't understand. But I have been thinking about it a lot this week.

I am currently celebrating the 10 days of Aih between Yom Teruah and Yom Kippor. Yom Kippor is a day of repentence and the days inbetween are days to examine yourself. Conincidentally this week we have been studying Buddhisim which has a huge emphasis on "the self."

During this time I have been thinking a lot about the idea of suffereing, and how we create it. According to Buddhists we have the choice of how to look at a situation. We frequently choose to look at it negatively and in return we suffer. For example, a women was put in prison in China and tortured and when she was released she thanked the men who held her in prison. She thanked them because she said they gave her an opertunity to practice compassion. I also think of Steven (Acts 7) who prays, "forgive them they know not what they do" in regards to the peole stoneing him. Or even Jason's example of standing in the grocery line and being pissed because its taking so long. We create our own suffering. I am guilty of this just like everyone else. I was thinking of my own parents and how they are such a good example for me on this subject. My parents are in jeopardy of loosing their dream house that they worked so hard for. As devistating as it is I was talking to my mom and she said, "we are so blessed, how many people get to live in their dream house for two years." I was shocked. I have decided this is something that I am going to strive for this year. (Yom Teruah is the new year for Jews)

Yom Teruah pictures the seven trupets blowing and Christs return bringing peace after the war. Therefore, I have also been thinking a lot about the idea of what most peole call "heaven." Most people think about this cloud covered place, or others view it as a compassionate perfect earth where socitey as a hole still exists but perfectly. The Buddhists view it as a state of mind, Nirvana. A perfect release or freedom from our limited mind and the suffering it creates. I tend to agree with the Buddhists on this one. I am a type A personality I am constantly worrying, creating my own suffering, and overthinking situations. Sometimes my inner dialogue becomes so loud its hard to have peace. But I get just a small glimpse of that peace when I practice yoga/meditation like it talks about in the Dogen. I look forward to the time when my mind will be completely released from its bondage and I can obtain that peace of mind effortlessly. That effortless state of mind is the "heaven" or "Nirvana" that I look forward to.

Huang-Po

This section on the mind was a little confusing for me but it becaome a little more clear when it said, "suppose a warrior forgot he was already wearing his pearl on his forehead, he sought for it comewhere else: he might search through the hole world without finding it. But if someone simply pointed it out to him, the warrior would immediatly realize that the pearl that been there all the time." I think this concept is refering to how we all go through life searching for our purpose, or our gift. Searching for the reason why we are here at all. Some people search their entire life and never realize that our purpose is within. We all come from the same source we are made from the earth and we return when we die. But we all are originally made from the same creator and we should look to him for our purpose and sense he is in us all we should look deep within ourselves.