In a nut shell Zen Humanism is the resolution of our psychological and emotional conditioning that prevents us from seeing the world as it really is. It is the examining of the way we have been conditioned by our culture, our parents, our religions and various political worldviews to the exclusion of all other possibilities. It puts the needs of ( Read more... )

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I once remarked to a spiritual mentor that I desired to be a better Buddhist. He responded by saying, “Why not desire to be a true human being?”

Sometimes I am asked, “How long have you been a Buddhist?” I will often reply, “Oh, I am not a Buddhist. However, I do practice a form of Buddhist meditation.”

I try taking to heart the venerable Thich Nhat Hanh’s advice to “be a Buddha not a Buddhist.” Frankly, I am not very comfortable affixing labels to myself. I am always that person at ( Read more... )

a•the•ist [ey-thee-ist] N a person who denies or disbelieves the existence of a supreme being or beings.
Origin:
1565-75; < Greek áthe ( os ) godless + -ist ( Read more... )

After a lively debate with my girlfriend over Bhutan and their proposed anti-conversion law I feel the need to do a little backpedaling. Maestro some calliope music if you please. I feel that, perhaps, my initial culturally centered opinion was a tad harsher than I intended.

First of all drawing comparisons between the constitutions of Bhutan and ( Read more... )

Bhutan’s proposed anti-conversion law makes me feel fortunate to live in a country with a constitutional separation of church and state. My sincerest apologies to Texas conservative, David Bradley, who rejects this very fundamental of American civic tenets - this separation exists, and for good reason as the government of Bhutan is so aptly ( Read more... )

Can an atheist have an inner life? That begs the question what is an inner life? More to the point what did the question asker who sent me off on this tangent mean by “inner life?” Talking about an inner life is a lot like trying to determine whether or not there is such a thing as “atheist spirituality.” There isn’t. The question was framed in ( Read more... )

Years ago before I came to the teachings of Pema Chodron I read a book called A Glimpse into Nothingness.  I don't remember a lot about this book but one thing in particular has stuck with me all these years. I have found myself thinking about it a lot lately.

The writer told of the master of  a temple who routinely turned down the applications of ( Read more... )

By way of afterthought in regard to my previous essay I wanted to restate something I have written often. God did not create life so that it would whither and die. God did not create life so that it would degrade into misery and squalor. God created life so that it would grow and prosper abundantly to its fullest potential. When considerring ( Read more... )