Photo by Olivander

Writers write.  Or at least that’s what I’ve been told.  Here are a couple articles I wrote this week for other online publications.

The Art of Originality on DivineCaroline

Book Review: Hand Wash Cold on BlogCritics

Feel free to comment, like, retweet & share to your heart’s content.  Much Love!

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I always laugh when I read this passage in Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love about how:

“Sincere spiritual investigation is, and has always been, an endeavor of methodical discipline.  Looking for Truth is not some kind of spazzy free-for-all, not even during this, the great age of the spazzy free-for-all”.

I laugh because that’s exactly how my own spiritual investigation began – without purpose or direction.  And yet, I’ve found that a natural structure has set in along the way.

Cafeteria Religion – Take What You Want & Leave The Rest?

I find it hard to describe what it is that I Believe.  Because I believe so many things.  And the more that I study different religions, the more it seems that they are all pointing to One Truth.  They might have different names for the things they believe, but at their core, most religions are more similar than they are different.

But it’s not just organized religions, but ways of thinking and looking at the world.  Atheism has as much in common with Christianity as Buddhism or even philosophies like The Law of Attraction.

You’d probably be surprised to learn that I start most mornings by watching a 30-minute Webcast from Joyce Meyer Ministries.  Shocked when you find out that I take copious notes, and pause the video to write down quoted Bible verses.

In the afternoons, I usually listen to a guided meditation by Ani Pema Chödrön while laying in the hammock in the front yard.

I then end my evenings by listening to one of many audiobooks by Esther and Jerry Hicks – on the teachings of Abraham and The Law of Attraction (hat tip to Mr. S).

Just One

Like U2′s famous hit ONE, I think that all religions and philosophies are essentially trying to impart the same message.  So let’s take a look at one idea through the lens of Christianity, Buddhism & The Law of Attraction.

Your Thoughts

Joyce has a favorite adage: “If you’re gonna have stinkin’ thinkin’, you’re gonna have a stinkin’ life”. She says that according to God, we don’t have to just think whatever comes into our minds.  That we can fill our minds – on purpose – with something good.

Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the entire renewal of your mind…

Proverbs 23:7
As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.

Think Differently.  Think on Purpose.

1 Corinthians 3:18
Let no person deceive himself.  If anyone among you supposes that he is wise in his age, let him become a fool [let him discard his worldly discernment and recognize himself as dull, stupid, and foolish, without true learning and scholarship], that he may become [really] wise.

So according to Christianity the thoughts we have about ourselves, others, and the world are extremely powerful.  What we think can influence the course of our lives – literally “creating” the world around us.  Furthermore, thinking that we know everything and have all the answers makes us foolish.

Compare that with ideas like Maitri and Beginner’s Mind in Buddhism.  Or the idea that “Thoughts Become Things” and “It is done unto you as you believe” in the Teachings of Abraham.

Maitri is the Sanskrit word for Loving-kindness towards ourselves and others.  In Maitri you practice having loving and positive thoughts towards yourself, towards people you love, towards people you hate, and finally towards the world.

The Buddha said:

We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.

Doesn’t sound too far off from Romans 12:2 to me?

And like 1 Corinthians 3:18, Buddhism encourages people to practice Beginner’s Mind in all things.  As this parable of “Overflowing Tea” illustrates:

A young student sets out on a journey seeking wisdom. He makes his way through an unfamiliar land, on a voyage that is long and hazardous, to seek out a revered teacher. When he finally reaches his destination, his teacher invites him in for tea.

The eager student wants to sit at the masters feet, and absorb all that he can. However, the master has other plans. He asks the young student to pour him a cup of tea…and to not stop until he tells him to.

The student begins pouring the tea. The tea fills the cup, touches the rim, and begins pouring over the cup and onto the saucer. The student exclaims:

“Master, can’t you see…it can hold no more.”

The teacher replies:

“And so it is with you my son, you mind is too full. It can hold no more. Only when it is empty will you be ready to learn all that I have to teach.”

In a similar vein, The Law of Attraction states “that which is like unto itself, is drawn”.  That anything we give thought to, we are attracting into our lives.  Kinda like Dr. Ray Stantz attracting the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man in Ghostbusters.

But in order to receive our “thoughts” we must also practice a form of Beginner’s Mind which in LOA is labeled “allowing”.  We must prepare our minds and our lives to “allow” that which we’ve “created” to manifest.

Big Ideas

My friend Brian Johnson runs a site called Philosopher’s Notes where he explores Big Ideas from a diverse selection of powerful books.  After reading hundreds upon hundreds of books on Religion, Self-help. Relationships, Creativity, and Business he spends more of his time drawing parallels between the great thinkers of our time then exploring their differences.  It seems that Great Ideas – the Big Ideas of Life are Universal Truths.  We might call them by different names.  We might argue their subtle differences, and take offense when someone doesn’t agree that “Our Way” of seeing the Truth is the “Only Way” of seeing the Truth.

My friend and acclaimed author Victor Villasenor says that knowing only one language limits our ability to fully understand the world.  English, he says, is a fine language for linear thought but not for expressions of the heart.  In English, we might say: “I think I Love You” but never would one say that in Spanish.  It would be an insult to say that you’re still thinking about whether you love a person.  Instead you would say: “I feel so much Love in my heart for you”. Just as it’s important to learn multiple languages so that we can better understand ideas from different cultures, it’s important to explore different religions and philosophies so that we can better understand the world – and our place in it.

Wisdom Is All Around Us

“When the student is ready – the teacher will appear”.

At each crossroad in my life, a wise teacher has come to help me re-discover a truth I already knew.  If you were to meet most of my past teachers, you’d find them ordinary.  You would think, there is nothing special about him/her.  You’d ask, what’s all the fuss about?

Maybe the question you should be asking is: “How can I improve my stinkin’ thinkin’ and remain open to learning everything from every experience that comes my way?”

No matter what lens you see the world through.  Universal Truths are Universal.  But you can only see them if you’re willing to look.

We See What We Look For.

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I’m in the midst of a marathon reading binge.  They say that great writers are great readers, and so being a proud underachiever I’m tackling the low-hanging fruit.

My days of late consist mostly of 3 things: Reading, Writing & Running.  I have very little to complain about.

I read blogs, books, magazines, newspapers and just about anything else that falls under my nose.  So when I stumbled on a post on Karen Maezen Miller’s popular blog Cheerio Road about having Just One Life – I knew that was God’s way of reminding me that I needed to finish her book Hand Wash Cold. But I think God decided that I needed a slightly tougher nudge – so he sent Karen to leave this comment on my blog:

“Books you can finish, life you keep starting.”

Isn’t it amazing how 8 simple words can have such a remarkable impact?  Read them again…Books you can finish, life you keep starting.  Books you can finish, life you keep starting.

Sometimes it takes a Devastating Act of God to remind us of a universal truth, other times, it just takes 8 Simple Words.

P.S.  I finished the book.

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