I guess I don't understand the conflict between zen practice and Christianity at all. I'm certainly no expert but I took a seminar and did some home practice for awhile. I still occasionally spend time quieting my mind, especially during yoga. At the seminar there was never any mention of Buddha or Buddha nature, very limited mention of enlightenment (for good reason, IMHO because it would only get in the way if you *try* to reach enlightment) and focused on understanding and controlling my own mind. I liken it to the practice of control over my body.
To answer the original question, I personally would be happy to practice zen as an addition to MA practice.
Kami
zen anyone?
Moderator: Available
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Bill Glasheen
- Posts: 17299
- Joined: Thu Mar 11, 1999 6:01 am
- Location: Richmond, VA --- Louisville, KY
These things get very confusing for some Christians who take strict interpretations of their doctrine. For example, I had all kinds of trouble with a few Christians here and there just over the practice of bowing into and out of a karate practice. Clapping and bowing to the pictures just couldn't be done. What-ever... This is why I don't hang the pictures in my karate dojo. It keeps the peace.
I'm with you, Kami, but there's no convincing some. People need to live by their personal beliefs. It's best we attempt to explain, and then otherwise try to be tolerant.
2Green did a nice job getting to the original topic and avoiding the Christian landmines with Zen,Pt. II.
- Bill
I'm with you, Kami, but there's no convincing some. People need to live by their personal beliefs. It's best we attempt to explain, and then otherwise try to be tolerant.
2Green did a nice job getting to the original topic and avoiding the Christian landmines with Zen,Pt. II.
- Bill
[People need to live by their personal beliefs.]
i agree with this statement. however it also implies that two opposing views are both valid. thus in the dojo context, one party must make a conssesion. "when in Rome" ! sadly in this day in age it is not politicly correct to just ****** it up and deal with it. people are now expecting the world to change and compensate just for them! i should not have to bend my own beliefs so that yours remain intact, when you are in my house.
not everything that is good for us is always pleasent. i would rather the student learn compassion and tolorence then take down pictures and change decorum.
(Zen teaches karma. Christians do not believe in karma.)
are Christians ghosts in an unreal dream world? how do you plan on getting to heaven with out karma?
if karma did not exsist the universe would cease to exist.
Karma .. the basic universal law of cause and effect.
all religions are dependent on cause and effect.
Catholics belive that following the word of god will gain you access to heaven....( cause -effect)
Aztec tribes belived a human sacrifice will please the gods and allow the sun to rise again and promise good crops...(cause- effect)
Hindus belive that wrong deeds will get you a one way trip to the underworld and reborn as a slug ( cause- effect)
western science belives if you jump off the empire state building you will splatter and give a nice red sheen to the pavement ( cause -effect)
with out cause and effect (karma) if you bump a glass off a table the glass would not break. it would not spill its contents. it would not fall,, in fact nothing would happen at all. your hand would pass right through it like a ghost. but then again your mind thinks, the muscles contract and move the limb. that again is cause and effect so with that as fact we must assume we are all just figments of our own imaginations!
Hoshin
~~~~~
[/quote]
i agree with this statement. however it also implies that two opposing views are both valid. thus in the dojo context, one party must make a conssesion. "when in Rome" ! sadly in this day in age it is not politicly correct to just ****** it up and deal with it. people are now expecting the world to change and compensate just for them! i should not have to bend my own beliefs so that yours remain intact, when you are in my house.
not everything that is good for us is always pleasent. i would rather the student learn compassion and tolorence then take down pictures and change decorum.
(Zen teaches karma. Christians do not believe in karma.)
are Christians ghosts in an unreal dream world? how do you plan on getting to heaven with out karma?
if karma did not exsist the universe would cease to exist.
Karma .. the basic universal law of cause and effect.
all religions are dependent on cause and effect.
Catholics belive that following the word of god will gain you access to heaven....( cause -effect)
Aztec tribes belived a human sacrifice will please the gods and allow the sun to rise again and promise good crops...(cause- effect)
Hindus belive that wrong deeds will get you a one way trip to the underworld and reborn as a slug ( cause- effect)
western science belives if you jump off the empire state building you will splatter and give a nice red sheen to the pavement ( cause -effect)
with out cause and effect (karma) if you bump a glass off a table the glass would not break. it would not spill its contents. it would not fall,, in fact nothing would happen at all. your hand would pass right through it like a ghost. but then again your mind thinks, the muscles contract and move the limb. that again is cause and effect so with that as fact we must assume we are all just figments of our own imaginations!
Hoshin
~~~~~
[/quote]
I always thought that Jesus went out in the desert to meditate. And, by the way, the Cambridge Zen Center offers weekend meditation classes team-taught by a Zen monk and a Catholic monk.
Dr. Herbert Benson, author of The Relaxation Response, teaches meditation with no mention of religion.
Finally, in response to the original question, I would argue that one cannot be a martial "artist," or any other kind of artist, without meditating (though I think that many martial artists would be as surprised at their practice as Moliere's bourgeois gentleman, who is overjoyed when he finds out that he is speaking in prose).[/i]
Dr. Herbert Benson, author of The Relaxation Response, teaches meditation with no mention of religion.
Finally, in response to the original question, I would argue that one cannot be a martial "artist," or any other kind of artist, without meditating (though I think that many martial artists would be as surprised at their practice as Moliere's bourgeois gentleman, who is overjoyed when he finds out that he is speaking in prose).[/i]
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jorvik
Karateka made a valid point.He sees a conflict between his own beliefs and Zen or meditation. I personally don't see any contradiction in meditation and Christianity but that is me 
Zen is an obscure sect of Buddhism, and it is Buddhism of the Mayahana School, so he is quite entitled to be critical of Zen. He probably has a deep understanding of his own religion which is commendable, and I mean that sincerly, but I question whether many of the posters have as complete an understanding of Zen or Buddhism. Buddhism is really split between two schools Mayahana ( sp
) and Hinyana.Basically the split came about because the Mayahans believed that if there is one Buddha, then there is the capacity for there to be more than one 
and so you have the Mayahan schools developing and you can see them in places like Tibet and China and Japan.....the older stuff still exists in Thailand, Burma etc they practise meditation based on the breathe, which is how the Buddha was supposed to have achieved enlightenment....and though Zen does this also you also have koans etc and different schools mainly Rinzai and Soto......I remmember speaking to one guy who thought he was meditating, when in fact he was Daydreaming
To give an example of the misunderstandings that can develop. my MA instructor is a Born again Christian, I read a new age book about Christianity the point was made that the disciples when talking about Jesus asked was he Elijah?
.....the authors of this book inferred that this meant that they believed in re-incarnation
...When I mentioned this to my friend he told me that Elijah had been so pure that he had Gone straight to Heaven...he hadn't died ......so he couldn't be re-incarnated 
And back to Buddhism I find great Value in the Thai practise i.e. Vipassana etc,,,,but Zen is quite frankly bubble gum for the mind
Zen is an obscure sect of Buddhism, and it is Buddhism of the Mayahana School, so he is quite entitled to be critical of Zen. He probably has a deep understanding of his own religion which is commendable, and I mean that sincerly, but I question whether many of the posters have as complete an understanding of Zen or Buddhism. Buddhism is really split between two schools Mayahana ( sp
) and Hinyana.Basically the split came about because the Mayahans believed that if there is one Buddha, then there is the capacity for there to be more than one and so you have the Mayahan schools developing and you can see them in places like Tibet and China and Japan.....the older stuff still exists in Thailand, Burma etc they practise meditation based on the breathe, which is how the Buddha was supposed to have achieved enlightenment....and though Zen does this also you also have koans etc and different schools mainly Rinzai and Soto......I remmember speaking to one guy who thought he was meditating, when in fact he was Daydreaming To give an example of the misunderstandings that can develop. my MA instructor is a Born again Christian, I read a new age book about Christianity the point was made that the disciples when talking about Jesus asked was he Elijah?
.....the authors of this book inferred that this meant that they believed in re-incarnation
...When I mentioned this to my friend he told me that Elijah had been so pure that he had Gone straight to Heaven...he hadn't died ......so he couldn't be re-incarnated And back to Buddhism I find great Value in the Thai practise i.e. Vipassana etc,,,,but Zen is quite frankly bubble gum for the mind
Jorvic;
____________________________________________________________
( I question whether many of the posters have as complete an understanding of Zen or Buddhism.)
_______________________________________________________________
since i asked the original question and posted my thoughts, i assume this pertains to me as well as others. which is a very good question.
i became interested in zen buddism in 1984 by 1991 i had found a Zen school. the linage is from Daihonzen Chozen-ji. founded by Omori Sogen. its head quarters are in Hawaii. it is a Rinzai line. my teachers school was called Setsudo zendo after three years i became the president of the not -for profit school/zendo. i began teaching in 1994.
that being said i feel my oppinion stands. Zen is not the same as buddhism.
the defining quality of a religion is salvation. a religion aims for salvation from this world or some other perception. Zen does not aim for salvation.. buddhism does, cha-an buddhism does. Zen does not. yes it may be the child of buddhism not unlike rock& roll and the blues. but Zen and buddism are as different as african tribe music and modern heavy metal.
topics of reincarnation, enlightenment, and the like are avidly avoided by Zen teachers. while we will not deny their exsistance, they are not the aim of Zen and therfore of no consiquence.
in the nut shell,, the aim of Zen is to experience and understand the true reality of this world.
therefore it is very happy to share space with any religious thoughts or doctrine of what happens in the next world.
Hoshin
~~~~~~
____________________________________________________________
( I question whether many of the posters have as complete an understanding of Zen or Buddhism.)
_______________________________________________________________
since i asked the original question and posted my thoughts, i assume this pertains to me as well as others. which is a very good question.
i became interested in zen buddism in 1984 by 1991 i had found a Zen school. the linage is from Daihonzen Chozen-ji. founded by Omori Sogen. its head quarters are in Hawaii. it is a Rinzai line. my teachers school was called Setsudo zendo after three years i became the president of the not -for profit school/zendo. i began teaching in 1994.
that being said i feel my oppinion stands. Zen is not the same as buddhism.
the defining quality of a religion is salvation. a religion aims for salvation from this world or some other perception. Zen does not aim for salvation.. buddhism does, cha-an buddhism does. Zen does not. yes it may be the child of buddhism not unlike rock& roll and the blues. but Zen and buddism are as different as african tribe music and modern heavy metal.
topics of reincarnation, enlightenment, and the like are avidly avoided by Zen teachers. while we will not deny their exsistance, they are not the aim of Zen and therfore of no consiquence.
in the nut shell,, the aim of Zen is to experience and understand the true reality of this world.
therefore it is very happy to share space with any religious thoughts or doctrine of what happens in the next world.
Hoshin
~~~~~~
Zen anyone?
Okay, the question was as follows;
I am a 'born-again' christian. I, like Karateka, would not consider zen (or, for me, anything that would put my spirit, soul, or mind outside of my body in any way). Instead, when I am doing, for instance, kotekitae (sp?), I pray....often for that individual I am working with. I am a huge believer in the power of prayer.
And yep, two individuals in the Bible did not die....Enoch and Elijah. Elijah was carried up, in what appeared to Elisha, his student, a chariot of fire. Many people believe that he may be one of the guys that comes back (the two witnesses mentioned in Revelations; Moses is the other one....both men appeared with Christ at his transfiguration) and who will not be able to be harmed while doing God's work. Anyway, I'm getting off track.
As a christian, you are not to be ashamed of the gospel and your beliefs. It is sometimes difficult to follow the typical karate protocal of a dojo. If you bow and act like nothing is the matter when you feel it is, then are you are compromising yourself. You have to be true to your belief, no matter the cost.
Eg. Daniel's buddies could have bowed down to Nebuchadnezzar's statue and said, yeah we will pretend to worship it and do as told even though we don't believe it, in reality. They didn't bow down but lived what they believed and faced the consequences.
As a christian, you follow the rules unless you feel you are compromising your beliefs or disobeying God's instruction. Therefore, there are certain aspects of karate one must examine and make a choice on. Zen meditation is one of them.
Thanks for allowing me to digress, guys.
Regards,
Vicki
Touchy subject, no?i am looking to find out how many martial artists out there are also interested in meditation or zen. are you active in this persuit? would you be interested in a program if it was intergrated into your martial art in your dojo?
I am a 'born-again' christian. I, like Karateka, would not consider zen (or, for me, anything that would put my spirit, soul, or mind outside of my body in any way). Instead, when I am doing, for instance, kotekitae (sp?), I pray....often for that individual I am working with. I am a huge believer in the power of prayer.
And yep, two individuals in the Bible did not die....Enoch and Elijah. Elijah was carried up, in what appeared to Elisha, his student, a chariot of fire. Many people believe that he may be one of the guys that comes back (the two witnesses mentioned in Revelations; Moses is the other one....both men appeared with Christ at his transfiguration) and who will not be able to be harmed while doing God's work. Anyway, I'm getting off track.
As a christian, you are not to be ashamed of the gospel and your beliefs. It is sometimes difficult to follow the typical karate protocal of a dojo. If you bow and act like nothing is the matter when you feel it is, then are you are compromising yourself. You have to be true to your belief, no matter the cost.
Eg. Daniel's buddies could have bowed down to Nebuchadnezzar's statue and said, yeah we will pretend to worship it and do as told even though we don't believe it, in reality. They didn't bow down but lived what they believed and faced the consequences.
As a christian, you follow the rules unless you feel you are compromising your beliefs or disobeying God's instruction. Therefore, there are certain aspects of karate one must examine and make a choice on. Zen meditation is one of them.
Thanks for allowing me to digress, guys.
Regards,
Vicki
"Cry in the dojo, laugh in the battlefield"
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Ted Dinwiddie
- Posts: 537
- Joined: Thu Sep 16, 1999 6:01 am
- Location: Charlottesville,VA,USA
I still say zen is an an approach to and method of practice. This approach and method may apply to virtually any activity. One may certainly approach and practice the teachings of Jesus in this manner. The Sermon On The Mount sure could be a great collection of koans.
ted
"There's only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." - P.J. O'Rourke
"There's only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." - P.J. O'Rourke
Chef;
i am trying to see things from your view but you will have to excuse me if i fail to understand thru logic.
so i will pose this question to help me have a better understanding (and maybe others will be helped as well)
if you went to visit a dojo and the instructor said they do 10 minutes of Zen meditaion before class. can you describe/ define for me what Zen is to you and other christians. what do you invision it is? and what is wrong with it in accordance to your faith?
Hoshin
~~~~~
i am trying to see things from your view but you will have to excuse me if i fail to understand thru logic.
so i will pose this question to help me have a better understanding (and maybe others will be helped as well)
if you went to visit a dojo and the instructor said they do 10 minutes of Zen meditaion before class. can you describe/ define for me what Zen is to you and other christians. what do you invision it is? and what is wrong with it in accordance to your faith?
Hoshin
~~~~~
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HALFORD E. JONES
- Posts: 133
- Joined: Sun Mar 14, 2004 7:08 pm
- Contact:
Dhyana,Ch'an,Zen: a subject fraught with peril!
First of all, most people who say anything about Zen know little of its history,unless they are scholars and have specialized in this,while others are 'doctrinaires" who seek certain Dogmas,theories,ideas,etc. about Zen.Many attempt to practice such on their own or through reading books or listening to tapes or watching videos or attending seminars and workshops and camps,etc. A very rare few have actually entered bonafide monastaries in Asia,etc. As a member of the "Beat Generation" I can say that most Americans, save those on college campuses, only heard about Zen from reading Kerouac,Borroughs ,Ginsberg,etc. (spellings?) and now instead of Zen we have great interest in Tibetan Buddhism these days. The main difficulty with any adoption of a religious life, that is, entering a monastery, brotherhood, priesthood, ashram,etc. is that you have to accept right from the start what they tell you,do what they tell you, and so forth without knowing where you will end up or what the results will be. You have to sacrifice everything in order to embark on the Way of the Monk. The Way of the Yogi is similar as is the Way of the Fakir. Many of us prefer the way of the ordinary person, the householder,and this starts from where we are now. But ordinary life has to be understood and this is most difficult. The Way of the Warrior, which is also considered another path has much to commend it also. You will see that embracing one or more of these 'paths' is sometimes, if not always,dependent on your type, rarely on your character, quite a bit on your personality, and hardly on your essence,unless you are lucky. Most people are content to simply 'Believe' without actually knowing but knowledge is important and the ways of knowing are many and difficult. What one has to do is to examine the source of one's ideas and few do this. They merely accept what language, culture, society,government, parents,etc. tell them or impose on them. Well, enough of this for now.Have to clear my mind!!!!! Hence, what I have written here is not what I actually intended!!!!
Hence, what I have written here is not what I actually intended!!!!-
HALFORD E. JONES
- Posts: 133
- Joined: Sun Mar 14, 2004 7:08 pm
- Contact:
Zen and Existentialism and Christianity.
A number of Jesuits have studied Zen and related things and written some books. I believe one is ZEN AND CHRISTIANITY. I'll have to check out my library as it's been years since I did any reading in Zen and Existentialism and the like for many reasons. Zen, I should remind everyone, is not karate but many try to instill Zen methods,ideas, practices,etc. into karate and other martial arts,that is, in the Japanese Arts. Then there is the use of Zen for Bushido which in WWII allowed some many excesses. Anyway, I'll be adding my two cents worth on this topic some time in the future and I just want to say that some of the discussion here is most interesting but I don't have time or inclination to address each variation of such by each person who participates exactly nor at this time. Have to dash. Thanks for your time.
Halford;
you sound very educated on this topic. i would love to hear more of what you have to say.
____________________________________________________________________
[Zen, I should remind everyone, is not karate but many try to instill Zen methods,ideas, practices,etc. into karate and other martial arts]
______________________________________________________________________
this was where i was originaly going with this thread. i wanted to know how many karateka where interested in this.
on okinawa i know Shoshin Nagaminie was an authentic Zen teacher reciving Inkan and belonging to the same orginizatiion as myself (Chozen-ji).
i know there is a kyokushin organization called Seido headed out of NY that seems to be authentic soto.
i also know that lots of modern kempo schools such as fred villari, nick cerio, masters that do some "moments of quiet" though one would be hard pressed to call it zen.
anyways in my oppinion out of the 50+ official okinawan kata, uechi-ryu and ryu-ei ryu (sp?) sanchin kata is the most compatable to zen practice. i have been told sanchin has Daoist roots but it sure does fit Zen well.
Hoshin
~~~~~
ps. Halford,, "zen in the art of archery" by Eugen Herrigel has always been my favorite book on zen
you sound very educated on this topic. i would love to hear more of what you have to say.
____________________________________________________________________
[Zen, I should remind everyone, is not karate but many try to instill Zen methods,ideas, practices,etc. into karate and other martial arts]
______________________________________________________________________
this was where i was originaly going with this thread. i wanted to know how many karateka where interested in this.
on okinawa i know Shoshin Nagaminie was an authentic Zen teacher reciving Inkan and belonging to the same orginizatiion as myself (Chozen-ji).
i know there is a kyokushin organization called Seido headed out of NY that seems to be authentic soto.
i also know that lots of modern kempo schools such as fred villari, nick cerio, masters that do some "moments of quiet" though one would be hard pressed to call it zen.
anyways in my oppinion out of the 50+ official okinawan kata, uechi-ryu and ryu-ei ryu (sp?) sanchin kata is the most compatable to zen practice. i have been told sanchin has Daoist roots but it sure does fit Zen well.
Hoshin
~~~~~
ps. Halford,, "zen in the art of archery" by Eugen Herrigel has always been my favorite book on zen
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jorvik
Karma
I know a colleague who's 10 year old died of Cancer, he was a nice child who did nobody any harm. In my work I come across low lifes who do no good..some of them do very well indeed out of a life of crime, lies and deceit....they don't die of cancer.
Cause and effect ....I think not. Karma must imply re- incarnation, because without re-incarnation the whole concept becomes just a whole load of nonsense. Christians do not believe in re-incarnation...so they do not believe in Karma. They believe in God's forgiveness.....but again that does not equate to a confession to a Catholic priest...only God has the power to forgive.
There is a term Metanioea, which is often translated as "repentance"...but actually means a Zen like awakening.
I do find it offensive to go into a Dojo and be expected to bow, clap my hands or courtsey....I don't do it in the Gym or when I train with Boxers. I guess what I am saying is that if you look into your own traditions you can find all you want, I don't believe meditation is un-Christian...but to do it you may have to take on boared a whole lot of stuff that is.
As an example if you want to do Karate why do you have to wear white pyjamas and a silly coloured belt...boxers don't and their MA is a lot more honest than most
.....maybe if it was taught as a relaxation exercise, Zen would be more relevant and meaningful to Christians......by the way I still classify myself as a "Seeker" I study many religions
I know a colleague who's 10 year old died of Cancer, he was a nice child who did nobody any harm. In my work I come across low lifes who do no good..some of them do very well indeed out of a life of crime, lies and deceit....they don't die of cancer.
Cause and effect
....I think not. Karma must imply re- incarnation, because without re-incarnation the whole concept becomes just a whole load of nonsense. Christians do not believe in re-incarnation...so they do not believe in Karma. They believe in God's forgiveness.....but again that does not equate to a confession to a Catholic priest...only God has the power to forgive.There is a term Metanioea, which is often translated as "repentance"...but actually means a Zen like awakening.
I do find it offensive to go into a Dojo and be expected to bow, clap my hands or courtsey....I don't do it in the Gym or when I train with Boxers. I guess what I am saying is that if you look into your own traditions you can find all you want, I don't believe meditation is un-Christian...but to do it you may have to take on boared a whole lot of stuff that is.
As an example if you want to do Karate why do you have to wear white pyjamas and a silly coloured belt...boxers don't and their MA is a lot more honest than most
.....maybe if it was taught as a relaxation exercise, Zen would be more relevant and meaningful to Christians......by the way I still classify myself as a "Seeker" I study many religions
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Mark Weitz
- Posts: 397
- Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2004 4:27 pm
- Location: Toronto, Canada
Interesting thread. I'm interested in Zen practice though I don't claim to be a Zen student nor am I associated in any way with a Buddhist organization.
There will always be debate about the nature of Zen practice because there are so many different ways to practice it. Also, as others have mentioned, one can be drawn into consideration of whether Zen, like other forms of Buddhism, is pantheistic or not, believes in a God(s) or not, and so on.
My experience is more practice based, divorced from the more ritualistic trappings one would find in a traditional Zendo. My Sensei, David Mott, has had considerable experience with Zen and Taoist meditation, though it may be inappropriate for me here to speak about his experience and how he views its importance in martial training - I'll leave that for him to speak about.
Since I started training with David 14 years ago, I was exposed to meditation. Our classes begin with 15 to 20 minutes of standing Chi Gung meditation, a Taoist form of meditation that initially focusses on one's breath from the tan-tien, then expands to include feeling the breath move through the entire body. This practice should eventually lead the student to awareness of the breath and one's connection to the ground and his/her whole body while it is moving dynamically (kata is a great vehicle for feeling this type of practice). This can then be extended to include the person your working with, though I admit that I struggle with this level of practice and am by no means an expert.
Zen principles of training include mindfulness, cultivating stillness (of mind), awareness of both body and mind, and grounding, or centering.. There are no Gods or Goddesses here and religious practice is irrelevant; regardless of your religious affiliation, the practice of mindfulness and stillness are constants that do not in any way contradict one's religious affiliation because they work with the quality of one's consciousness (e.g., developing non-clinging to mind forms), not one's beliefs or ideas about your self, others, or the world.
I am currently making my practice of both standing and sitting meditation more regular, as the benefits of meditation are fleeting if one meditates only when you feel like it.
Have to run but I look forward to more posts about this topic.
There will always be debate about the nature of Zen practice because there are so many different ways to practice it. Also, as others have mentioned, one can be drawn into consideration of whether Zen, like other forms of Buddhism, is pantheistic or not, believes in a God(s) or not, and so on.
My experience is more practice based, divorced from the more ritualistic trappings one would find in a traditional Zendo. My Sensei, David Mott, has had considerable experience with Zen and Taoist meditation, though it may be inappropriate for me here to speak about his experience and how he views its importance in martial training - I'll leave that for him to speak about.
Since I started training with David 14 years ago, I was exposed to meditation. Our classes begin with 15 to 20 minutes of standing Chi Gung meditation, a Taoist form of meditation that initially focusses on one's breath from the tan-tien, then expands to include feeling the breath move through the entire body. This practice should eventually lead the student to awareness of the breath and one's connection to the ground and his/her whole body while it is moving dynamically (kata is a great vehicle for feeling this type of practice). This can then be extended to include the person your working with, though I admit that I struggle with this level of practice and am by no means an expert.
Zen principles of training include mindfulness, cultivating stillness (of mind), awareness of both body and mind, and grounding, or centering.. There are no Gods or Goddesses here and religious practice is irrelevant; regardless of your religious affiliation, the practice of mindfulness and stillness are constants that do not in any way contradict one's religious affiliation because they work with the quality of one's consciousness (e.g., developing non-clinging to mind forms), not one's beliefs or ideas about your self, others, or the world.
I am currently making my practice of both standing and sitting meditation more regular, as the benefits of meditation are fleeting if one meditates only when you feel like it.
Have to run but I look forward to more posts about this topic.
