A completely silent meeting today

Today our meeting was completely silent; that happens more commonly than not. But I had a very hard time keeping my mind from bouncing all over the place.

Means and ends

The lesson I learned this weekend was from Bayrd Rustin: your means shapes your end. That is why you need to be very mindful about what means you use, and why nonviolence is not just a tactic.

Hay Quaker

I've been following a wonderful Quaker blog
at Hay Quaker.

Personalism and Berdyaev

Berdyaev was a favorite of a college friend, but I had never read anything by him. I like a great deal of what he says and have some quotes to put on "commonplace book" blog. He is a "personalist" like many Catholic intellectuals later. Personalism is, I think, a great gift of these thinkers, people like Dorothy Day.

The Living Way

I have found a lot to like in Shinto spirituality. My latest find is a book of readings from the founder of the Korozumikyo sect. The stories of the founder themselves haven't spoken to me yet, but his litany, Daily Rules for the Whole Family, really speaks to my condition. Korozumi believed in devotion to Amaterasu, the Sun Kami, and had a universal, not Japan-centric, view of Shinto.

Quoting from the forward: "Though he [Korozumi] lived at a time when strict feudal code of behaviour separating the classes of society was in force... he always treated people equally. For him, each had within them a shard of the inner presence of Amaterasu, and so each had a right to equal treatment."

Daily Rules for the Whole Family

1. Born in the Land of the Gods, you shall not fail to cultivate faith.

2. You shall neither get angry nor worry.

3. You shall not give way to conceit nor look down upon others.

4. You shall not slacken in the work of your house except in illness.

6. While pledged to the Way of Sincerity, you shall not lack sincerity in your own heart.

7. You must never stray from the spirit of gratitiude.

The rules must never be forgotten.

Standing before you
others hold up mirrors
as their own hearts
And there within you can see
your own heart being reflected.

Catholic Worker house

I was very moved by a visit to a Catholic Worker house here, and I hope I can follow it up with more involvement as a volunteer.

Thomas Merton

I don't think I will ever get through an entire Merton book, so I am happy that Shambala has published a little pocket book of Merton excerpts. Why have books generally gotten so big you can't put them in your pocket?? In Japan the books are still very small, and the paper and production values are terrific. Anyway this little book divides up into themes, and I am reading the section on the Real Self vs. the False Self.