BELIEF AND UNBELIEF
.
An absurdly large question for a post isn't it?
But I was in a group last week discussing Fr Alexnder
Schmemann , who was one of my teachers at seminary,
in a zoom session. Afterwards looking into online his
work for Radio Liberty I found this which interested me
and will be our (1, our first) in a loose group of thoughts
as they come to me and to share with you...
!."The world is not divided into believers and unbelievers
, but into believers who are constantly tested by unbelief,
and unbelievers who are constantly tested by faith. "
Alexander Schmemann Radio Liberty
2."scepticism is the
need of faith and faith of scepticism...this path will
bring us to a gate in the wall."
From Terror of the light a play by Charles Williams
3.A gate in the wall which is not immediately apparent
then. it would seem that faith and scepticism become
a question whose living with and seeing as a single
reality as Williams thought can provide a perhaps
trans-rathional answer , a Koan. Remember a standard
book of Koans is the Mumonkan, literally -wall with
no gate.
4 Zhao-Zhou (Japanese Joshu) was asked "Does a dog
have the Buddha Nature" He shouted "Mu" which could
be "No!" or in effect, oops this is spiraling a little out
of control but will try to bring it in so stay with me,
'Nothng' in the sense of 'Sunyata' = the Reality beyond all
concepts... or it coiuld even be "Woof!" It is said that he
held that all beings have this depth but that it must be
realized by each.
5.we cited the other day Alan Paton's character Pastor
Kumalo (played by James Earl Jones for one) thinking
""why was it given to one man to have such
an awareness of God, while another might
...pray day and night without
ceasing" and receive no answer? "
so there is that, perhaps also the need to complete
each other's perception.
6.Then we have that the question of what are we?
are we grounded in the eternal or without such reality...
this Fr Schmemann points up and Charles Williams that
there is a way forward which is not merely rational.
7. And a parallel problematic is known to Eastern
thought in for example the Zen Koans.
8.Each of us ... well just as one way to go forward,
at some point-- Trust...
representing this perhaps as a provisional place to
end for here and now -- the singing of "into thy hands
I commend my spirit" In manus tuas Pater... from
Taize.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xff4PlGlBLk
...
the stained glass images in video are from Taize
.
An absurdly large question for a post isn't it?
But I was in a group last week discussing Fr Alexnder
Schmemann , who was one of my teachers at seminary,
in a zoom session. Afterwards looking into online his
work for Radio Liberty I found this which interested me
and will be our (1, our first) in a loose group of thoughts
as they come to me and to share with you...
!."The world is not divided into believers and unbelievers
, but into believers who are constantly tested by unbelief,
and unbelievers who are constantly tested by faith. "
Alexander Schmemann Radio Liberty
2."scepticism is the
need of faith and faith of scepticism...this path will
bring us to a gate in the wall."
From Terror of the light a play by Charles Williams
3.A gate in the wall which is not immediately apparent
then. it would seem that faith and scepticism become
a question whose living with and seeing as a single
reality as Williams thought can provide a perhaps
trans-rathional answer , a Koan. Remember a standard
book of Koans is the Mumonkan, literally -wall with
no gate.
4 Zhao-Zhou (Japanese Joshu) was asked "Does a dog
have the Buddha Nature" He shouted "Mu" which could
be "No!" or in effect, oops this is spiraling a little out
of control but will try to bring it in so stay with me,
'Nothng' in the sense of 'Sunyata' = the Reality beyond all
concepts... or it coiuld even be "Woof!" It is said that he
held that all beings have this depth but that it must be
realized by each.
5.we cited the other day Alan Paton's character Pastor
Kumalo (played by James Earl Jones for one) thinking
""why was it given to one man to have such
an awareness of God, while another might
...pray day and night without
ceasing" and receive no answer? "
so there is that, perhaps also the need to complete
each other's perception.
6.Then we have that the question of what are we?
are we grounded in the eternal or without such reality...
this Fr Schmemann points up and Charles Williams that
there is a way forward which is not merely rational.
7. And a parallel problematic is known to Eastern
thought in for example the Zen Koans.
8.Each of us ... well just as one way to go forward,
at some point-- Trust...
representing this perhaps as a provisional place to
end for here and now -- the singing of "into thy hands
I commend my spirit" In manus tuas Pater... from
Taize.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xff4PlGlBLk
...
the stained glass images in video are from Taize
.