"Do to others as you would have them do to you."
                                       Luke 6.31            Jesus
"Consider others as yourself."
                                       Dhammapada 10.1       Buddha

Jesus and Buddha wisdom teachers, sages, connected by the truth, brothers in the Spirit of compassion.

We Are All Responsible

There's a story about Mahatma Ghandi which is one of my favorites, because it emphasizes the connection between our helping others to be healed and our personal need to be free of the same pain and suffering too.  

     Once a woman brought her son to Ghandhi and asked, will you please heal my son of his love for sugar?  She left the boy with Ghandi and about two months later he brought her son back and said, here is your son he has been healed of his love for sugar.  She asked, what took you so long?  He answered, before I could heal him of his love for sugar, I first had to be healed of my love for sugar. Wholeness, completeness, balance are all different ways of expressing healing.  

So often we don't realize our connection to all the people and all forms of life on earth we are to share.  There is only one world and it requires what Bob Marley sang as, "one love" let's get together and make things right, in order to be whole.  Our deepest drive in life is towards fulfillment and balance, peace and happiness, and it is by living that out each day respecting all that lives is the only way we will fully realize community on earth.  I can see how entangled we get from my own entanglements, but I am overwhelmed by the pain I see in others who are sick and imbalanced.  As well, the difficulties arising in the world today between nations and countries that don't allow for enough flexibility in supposed religious ethics to provide healthier fuller lifestyles and conditions for all will be short lived because the people won't stand for it (for example recent events in Ireland, Gaza, Israel and Europe).  Unfortunately it isn't simply religious ethics that limits our flexibility, but our attachments to concepts and things that creates on a global scale the pain and suffering we see daily.  Our own bodies and minds are affected by all of the other pain and struggle of others even if they are thousands of miles away from us.  At the same time I see the potential for humans to cooperate and live together in peace, simply by ceasing to respond violently or negatively to our problems, for we are all in this together whether we like it or not.  As Martin Luther King would say, (paraphrase) not one can be free if we are all not free.  

      It's amazing to see the things that can happen and become when we stop clinging to perceptions and expectations as to how we think the world should respond and be.  There are more possibilities then we can imagine to respond creatively to our struggles.  We can stop fighting with others and within ourselves by learning and practice mindfulness as taught in Buddhism.    The students' Zen teacher told him, for many years every question the student asked the teacher's response was everything is mind.  Then one day he went to the teacher and told him he finally understood that "everything was mind", the teacher then said to him "everything is not mind." (Zen Spirit, Christian Spirit, by Robert E. Kennedy, S.J.).  

In relationship to our healing of the world and in it ourselves, we have to come to a deeper understanding of ourselves and change our mind by training ourselves in seeing more clearly our true nature and purpose for the journey.  We will discover wonders and fears. but eventually we will experience balance (wholeness) and unity with the universe and especially our neighbors.  In a lot of ways, for example, Jesus' teachings were radical because he simplified them for the common person and condensed Torah, the central teachings of Judaism, by connecting two teachings that weren't ever put together by earlier rabbis, to "love the Lord your God by loving your neighbors as yourselves." For the most part Judeo-Christian teachings have espoused these core and basic truths for thousands of years.  

Although I have loved forever the story about two of the best known Rabbis of the time Shammai and Hillel, when a seeker for truth told Rabbi Shammai that he would convert to Judaism if he could teach him the whole Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew scriptures) while standing on one foot.  The rabbi hit him on top of the head with the scroll he was holding and sent him away.  He then went to Rabbi Hillel and asked, if he could teach him the Torah while standing on one foot and he would convert to Judaism; Hillel stood on one foot and said, "what is hurtful to yourself do not do to others, the rest is commentary. Now go and learn it."

Let's Move Forward APCIA

Initially we need to find a space to gather in other then the computer where we can design a space that is welcoming to all.  Meeting together is critical to being in community.  The main offering of the community will be in simply practicing the rituals that are part of mainline traditions, but also will allow us to adjust for the present generation and be flexible enough be inviting to the youth who will follow and lead as the future becomes the "now".  From meeting together and becoming community we will have strong emphasis on mission (service to others) a place of welcome to those who hunger for a fresh approach to living out their spirituality honestly while embracing the reality of a global world with a variety of cultures.  Ben Franklin even said once, "variety is the spice of life".  We want a flavorful life with lots of windows in order to see clearly that peace and joy are possible here and now for all people.  I remember a joke told by Bishop Wes Frensdorff, since passed away, that "one Sunday a young man went to a Quaker service and after sitting in silence for a couple of hours  everybody stood up and began to leave.  He turned to the person next to him and asked, When does the service begin to which the woman next to him answered, right after the worship."

 There are a number of things that will set APCIA apart from churches and temples and other sanghas (Buddhism word for community), we will be like a "fruit salad" sharing and embracing a variety of mainline spiritual traditions while using things such as the music of the youth of today while still utilizing songs from our traditions.  Some of our visions are having live music often!  Live music on Sundays whereas sitting Zazen is in silence and the  Lighting of the Sabbath Candles along with Kiddush, songs, and bright spirit.  One Sunday a month the service will be led by a different member of the community for morning prayers where the music will be simpler than other Sundays. So many varieties of classes and workshops will be offered as the community grows with new ideas and inspirations.  

A well known theologian (Dominic Crossan) once said, "Jesus really only taught two things, free healing and food for everyone" Jesus referred to this as the Kingdom of G-d and in fact that's what Jesus taught that the kingdom of G-d is here and now and that was his goal to bring into fullness.  He didn't teach that the goal of the Christian life was heaven, Jesus like Buddha who lived 500 years before, taught that the goal was compassion and joy here and now.  We hope to engage mindfulness in order make this more of a reality now.  Our vocabulary will enlarge as we learn from other cultural traditions and help us to flesh out our own and broaden our understanding of religions in general.

Chuang Tzu, author of The Tao Te Ching (the scriptures referred to be Taoists) once said, "The purpose of a rabbit snare is to catch rabbits.  When the rabbits are caught the snare is forgotten.  The purpose of a fish trap is to catch fish, when the fish are caught the trap is forgotten.  The purpose of words are to convey ideas, when the ideas are grasped the words are forgotten.  Where is the man who has forgotten words, he is the one I want to talk to."  In our case we want to learn to serve to act compassionately to others while simplifying our requirements of membership and enhance the fun and conversations through learning a wider variety about the world of spirituality we live in today. 

Inspiring the Inspired!

"It's such a beautiful concept and idea
To come together with connection
A place to express oneself where stupid questiosn are non existent
You can say what you feel in the open
With an open mind integrating new ideas
Always thinking always changing
Constantly and forever growing
Expanding knowledge from all people have to share
Combining it to be the strongest community
Connection through one another mind body and spirit
We share, all close, together
We listen, we speak, we love
To show compassion and faith in each other. To be a part of the greater good
Peace... Peacefully expressing ideals of passion and thought
Peace... Peacefully engaging in argument and conversation with others
No violence and pain no hunger starvation no despair or hatred
Just peace love open to all possibilities
Press your hands together to pray in another day pray to whomever you feel pray to yourself if you wish just pray to meditate to connect to ponder over the marvelous possibilities the world holds... The grand scheme oh how it seems every minute a previous stone gone in a glance and no body knows how that minute affects our future or our past but maybe somehow the minute was meant to last.
Open up to possibility opportunity
Dive head first in and come out not better great or the best but different and grown for you were open and
Now think and ponder and wonder. Which is what today we lack Knowing a great thing sometimes but knowing cuts possibilities and dreams so stop the know and guess
Take a shot in the dark and when time is right see the light. In the end it's all worth it and you have loving individuals you call friend."

Noble Truths

When we look at the Buddhas' (Siddhartha Gautauma) writings known as The Sutras we discover his first noble truth that he taught.  There were many people seeking wisdom and enlightenment in his time and that is crucial to understanding his context fully, but for our purposes I will simply write briefly concerning two of the Four Noble Truths.  The first one is "that life is suffering", that is to say we struggle and suffer in this life regardless of status quo, race, creed, rich or poor we will experience struggle and suffering in our lives.  His second Noble Truth is that we "struggle because of desire" that tendency to cling and become attached to that which we desire.

This brings me to saying a word concerning APCIA (A Peace Community in Action), we will lean towards health and healing consciousness.  That is  we will learn and practice exercises and teachings concerning the reality we live in.  Every day I see or talk to those who are in poor health and are full of fear and anxiety concerning their life now and in the future.  None of us miss out on these experiences, but rarely do we find relief from our pain physical, mental and emotional.  Just as Carl Jung spoke about human beings' main drive is towards wholeness and in the words of Jesus who  came to bring "life' including "salvation" (more of a St. Paul use of language), but none the less these both are about wholeness and healing which involves living a life of peace, hope, compassion (love) and community.  A life devoid of clinging to things or concepts and maintaining a "beginners mind" (Suzuki) new mind without over thinking, and a Seung Sahn has written "only don't know mind".

As we get together and meet one another we will be able to explore these teaching in more depth and focus on specific conversations concerning the wisdom from these different spiritual traditions and the change of languages among the youth of this generation.  We can't wait long to train and teach the younger (and older more conservative of those who welcome change and growth in their spiritual journey) population of our community the simple facts from a positive perspective concerning the ancient and traditional with a big twist towards the advances in the technologies available to us today.  We (those of us who aren't computer literate) who tend to be older can use the help and energy our youth have to share.  In short the community will be a group of leaders, not one or two leaders where people gather around a certain individual in the center of the circle, but we are all part of the circle open to that Spirit which is holy and life giving.  

"I knew someday that you would fly away
for love's the greatest healer to be found.
So leave me.  . . if you need . . .
I will still remember. . . 
Angel flying too close to the ground.
               - Willie Nelson, "Angel Fling Too Clos to the Ground"

: It is good to meet the wise, even better to
live with them.  But avoid the company of
the immature if you want joy."
                                      Dhammapada  206

One Day

Matisyahu - One Day

Sometimes I lay
under the moon
and thank God I'm breathing
then I pray
don't take me soon
cause I am here for a reason
sometimes in my tears I drown
but I never let it get me down
so when negativity surrounds
I know some day it'll all turn around
because
all my life I've been waiting for
I've been praying for
for the people to say
that we don't wanna fight no more
there'll be no more wars
and our children will play
one day
it's not about
win or lose cause
we all lose
when they feed on the souls of the innocent
blood drenched pavement
keep on moving though the waters stay raging
in this maze you can lose your way (your way)
it might drive you crazy but don't let it faze you no way (no way)
sometimes in my tears I drown
but I never let it get me down
so when negativity surrounds
I know some day it'll all turn around
because
all my life I've been waiting for
I've been praying for
for the people to say
that we don't wanna fight no more
there'll be no more wars
and our children will play
one day
one day this all will change
treat people the same
stop with the violence
down with the hate
one day we'll all be free
and proud to be
under the same sun
singing songs of freedom like
one day
all my life I've been waiting for
I've been praying for
for the people to say
that we don't wanna fight no more
there'll be no more wars
and our children will play
one day
ooooooohhhhhhhhh...

Freedom

Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose, and you ain't got nothing, and you ain't got nothin if you ain't free.  -Janice Joplin

APCIA Logo

APCIA's logo which speaks loudly as to who we are.  There is the "cross", the Taoist ball known as Yin and Yang, the Buddhist Praying hands, the Jewish star of David and backing all of the major symbols  is the marijuana leaf representing the desperate need in this world to listen to the ongoing change of people's outlooks on living life to the full.  These symbols are meant to speak towards the variety and diversity of beliefs in the world today and in some ways are ancient, but in all ways we as a community will embrace.  There are no other groups in the United States that I know of that welcome and advocate the use of marijuana medicinally as part of the picture of people of faith.  That doesn't mean that there will be smoking at services and classes, but those who are licensed will be encouraged to gather together on certain occasions to share and express their experiences in attending faith communities as well as special "potlucks" from time to time.

The logo speaks to our interconnection in this world to all human beings and itself resembles a living plant.  We will be open to learning about alternative health  approaches to what ails us such as Eastern medicine and Traditional Chinese medicine.  Another aspect of the logo is the representation of diverse cultures living peacefully together as one.  The logo itself speaks of peace and compassion the need we have in this world and this life now to learn we may believe differently then another, but freedom points us towards accepting others and understanding the wide variety that make up the world today. 

Like Bob Marley would sing:

  

"One love, one heart,

Let's get together and feel all right One love, one heart

Let's get together and feel all right

Hear the children crying (One love)

Hear the children crying (One heart)

Sayin', "Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right."

Sayin', "Let's get together and feel all right."

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa

"Let them all pass all their dirty remarks (One love)

There is one question I'd really love to ask (One heart)

Is there a place for the hopeless sinner

Who has hurt all mankind just to save his own?

Believe me"

"One love, one heart

Let's get together and feel all right

As it was in the beginning (One love) "

Wisdom Paths

Wisdom paths are within each spiritual tradition as well illustrated by Matthew Fox's book, "One River Many Wells.  If we are to move into community more and more in society we will find it necessary to not judge others and see that there is wisdom in each tradition.  Alcoholics Anonymous even is mentioned to be a "well", their definition of G-d as "the G-d of your understanding" shows well to a community of no judgement.  As we see more and more deeply that we are connected to all living beings and how we treat them we treat ourselves and loved ones we might wake up and live by compassion not fear and hate.   No wonder Lau Tzu (the Taoist monk responsible for writing the Tao Te Ching road out of town backwards on a water buffalo, he saw no hope for society to become community.   APCIA chooses to live, learn and teach how to live in community.   Each person who is a part the Peace Community is welcome and invited to participate in all activities offered at the community gatherings for after all the goal or direction is to be community.

Buddha taught the first noble truth to be that "life is suffering/struggle", secondly that this is brought about by "desire" or "clinging" The way away from this type of living according to Buddha is by learning "mindfulness" the more we live mindfully the more we alleviate our own suffering and the world we live in.  This type of transformation brings us into peace and freedom and in this way happiness is available to all, all.

"He who stands on tiptoe is not steady.
He who strides cannot maintain the pace.
He who makes a show is not enlightened.
He who is self-righteous is not respected.
He who boasts achieves nothing.
He who brags will not endure.
According to followers of the Tao,
        "These are extra food and unnecessary luggage."
They do not bring happiness.
Therefore followers of the Tao avoid them.

Practice, practice, practice.

Sitting mindfully alleviates negative karma.

APCIA

It's not about religion. It's about spiritualities. Community is a beautiful thing. Everyone is accepted and no judgement is passed. All are encouraged to embrace a variety of cultures and practices whether through learning and educating and/or engaging and experiencing. "Imagine all the people living life in peace" Beatles

Wisdom and Intellegence

Wisdom isn't the same as intelligence. It speaks to a deeper understanding of humanity.   "Whether the rock hits the jar or the jar hits the rock, it's bad news for the jar."                                         Quote from my Franciscan Professor in class on the                                          "Wisdom Books of the Bible". 

One River of Wisdom

Wisdom is the path for A Peace Community In Action, wisdom will be our emphasis in learning about other cultures and their beliefs.  For a simple example in  other words, there is and author who once was a Roman Catholic priest and then after some differences with the Vatican left that denomination and became an Episcopalian priest.after some time he wrote a book titled "One River Many Wells" about the single flow (river) of wisdom with many cultures drawing (wells) from the one river.

This has the possibility to be extensive.

A community open to people of all faiths and traditions. A gathering of people interested in spiritual education and practice in relationship to the faith of their choice and practice, with a desire to be engaged in serving the whole community.

A Peace Community in Action is variety of people from many different spiritual traditions including integration of subgroups gathered together in recent years.  In other words our direction will be to live in peace and to help others to find peace in their own lives.  We will by sharing our traditions with one another while learning to honor others' traditions and not judge in our hearts and minds. It's about learning to be a true community with all those who want to know about and experience teachings and rituals from these spiritual traditions around the world.  Like Thich Nhat Hanh (a well known Buddhist monk and author) has written and described community as a "fruit salad" and not a "melting pot".

It is written in the Talmud (one of the Jewish Holy books) that the Messiah will return when one of two things happens, 1) we are at a point of destruction on the earth, or 2) we have entered into community.  Our direction of choice as APCIA (A Peace Community in Action) will be towards building community.  Unfortunately fear has had its run these days and people use it to do violence to others and unknowingly at the same time they bring violence into their own lives and those around them.  

As we practice and learn to live mindfully we will learn that we are all interconnected in this world to one another and being people of peace can transform us into whole human beings.  Carl Jung, one of my favorite psychologists, has written extensively on the subject of wholeness equating it with healing and salvation.

Bob Marley wrote and sang in Redemption Song, "emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our mind, have no fear of atomic energy cause none of them can stop the time".  For me his music has been healing and valuable in learning about freedom and redemption for all people. His depth of understanding social justice and love were evident in all of his music and life.  We all hunger for freedom and peace at the root of our being, but only by living in community with compassion will we ever experience this on a larger scale.  It's not up to the politicians or the religious groups, it's up to each of us as individuals too.  

The other day I was driving a young guy to the hardware store when out of nowhere in a "not thinking" mind according to Buddha: Is the same as "Only Don't Know Mind according to Korean Zen Master Seung Sahn So) he says to me, "what does everyone in the world want?"  Which he answered himself right away, "peace, right?" I agreed and he said," but religions stop it because most wars are fought because religions don't get along".   It reminded me of a time when I was working in Canada in 1975 while in prayer, the thought came to me "there is no room for competition or comparison in the Kingdom of G-d.  Also referred to as Nirvana, Heaven, etc.    

APCIA will offer classes in comparative religions/spiritual traditions, Zen meditation, Tai Chi Chuan, Chi Gung, Yoga, Old Testament (TaNaK), New Testament, Medical marijuana concerns (such as growing and the laws on the issue), as well as a variety of life courses for reminding and teaching the basics that our parents taught us and we learned in kindergarten.    

We will gather Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for sitting Zazen (meditation practice), open 6 days a week to sit Zazen independently.  Friday evenings we will have a lively Sabbath service with the lighting of candles, welcoming of the Sabbath prayers and Kiddush (Blessing of the Wine and bread according to Jewish tradition. Sundays we will offer a Bob Marley kind'a Christian communion service with prayers, enthused singing and live music.  Yes we are open to ideas on classes, workshops, music, talents, etc.  

All services are open to everybody especially to those who are burned out on religion in a box.  We are also planning  to embrace those who have been kept out or down in society, for example the Gay community and the 18-40 age group of people who no longer attend Church or go to Temple because it's boring and doesn't speak to us.  I personally have had my medical marijuana license for three years now and remember when I couldn't talk freely about it to fellow church members.  People want to have fun and need to play as much as they work according to C.G. Jung (psychologist), in order to be whole and happy.  

One of my books on Native American wisdom is titled, Touch the Earth, and one quote reads, "the West wasn't wild until the white man moved here" and another author P. Chardin wrote, "we are moving away from the earth to quickly", each of these quotes reminds us that the  earth is our mother and we owe her respect and honor and all who inhabit her.  We have been living much to rapidly in the technological world and have slowed down meeting face to face, heart to heart so we breed distrust and separation.   There is much to do and it will only be completed by living in community with the world recognizing that we are all connected to each other even though we have differences.  Rituals are important, but must be flexible if they are to be living and organic, which is life giving.  Even Mahatma Ghandi said, "you can't increase life by increasing its speed".  We must learn to slow down, recreate, and learn to live in the now.  The past is gone, and the future is not here, we must learn to breathe deeply and listen deeply in order to know ourselves and others and therefore bring peace and compassion to all. 

More to follow as we find a space to gather. 

Recreation: Redeeming and healing the world- the earth.

Meditative: Contemplative.

Health/Healing Conscious.

"TO LABEL IS TO LIBEL" -C. S. SONG

Written in spray paint on a piece of plywood in Amsterdam, a young philosopher unknown to me wrote, "How can I be for a system that is not for me?"  

Part of the struggle in this world is caused by a spirit of competition which many mistake for free enterprise.  Competition is simply desire which is attachment and according to Buddha attachment to things is the cause of all suffering.  When we learn to accept others as they are without judgement and recognize our interconnection to all of life we will help alleviate suffering and bring peace, that which we all hunger deeply for and is the key to being in community.

Two Buddhist monks were walking through the forest one day when they came upon a woman trying to get across the river.  The first monk went over and picked her up and took her across the river and set her down.  The second monk not far behind started telling the first monk that he had gone against the principles and touched a woman.  The second monk kept the complaining up all the way back to the monastery when the first monk turned to the second monk and said the problem for you is that I set the woman down at the river bank and you are still attached to her.

I was riding in my truck in route to the hardware store with a young chap in need of some tools when he asked me, "What is it that all people want?"   He quickly answered "world peace" right? Yes I quickly answered.  He then asked , Do you know why we don't have world peace?  Why?  Because of religion, all the wars are mainly because of religion, but they still say they want world peace.

Upside Down Sometimes Seems Right Side Up

"A Taoist farmer spoke to his Confucianist farmer friend and the Taoist said, my only horse ran away today.  The  Confucianist farmer said that's very bad.  The Taoist farmer said that can be good or bad.  For the next day, he came back leading a whole heard of wild horses with him.  The  Confucianist farmer said that's very good.  The Taoist farmer said that could be good or that can be bad.  Because the following day, my son tried to break in one of the wild horses and fell off and broke his leg.  The  Confucianist farmer said that's very bad.  The Taoist farmer said this could be good or it could be bad, because the following day the army came to in list his son, but he couldn't because he had broken his leg."