We at the Missouri Zen Center are frequently invited to talk about Buddhism and Zen at schools and other institutions. This Civil Religion site provides a forum to engage in interfaith dialogue and discussion. While we enjoy and seek out opportunities to have these discussions, we also note the paradox of the situation. An essential characteristic of Zen Buddhism is the recognition that, ultimately, human language is incapable of expressing the truth. Language is like a finger pointing to the moon of truth. By practicing zazen, or meditation, we seek to witness truth by going beyond language and other human creations.

Language is just one of the many things that humans create. We dwell in things – cities, civilizations, castles in the air – and then we hold onto things such as money, matter, and mind. Ultimately, we are shut in and bound by these things, becoming separated (selfish, sinful) and disintegrated…

Image courtesy of Time online

Most of us lead overly busy lives.  We cram errands and chores and “quality time” with our kids into the same few hours that we’re not at work or school or doing other equally necessary things.  Many of us accomplish all that we need to do in 24 hours by multitasking, or doing more than one thing at a time.

But while I was driving around doing errands and playing chauffeur to my kids the other day, I happened to hear an NPR story about multitasking that suggests that (a) it’s not nearly as efficient or effective as we think it is and (b) it is simply not something our brains are wired to do.  When we think we’re doing two things simultaneously, we’re really switching quickly back and forth between them, leading to lost time (while our brains make the to-and-fro adjustments) and increased stress.

Leaving aside the…

Civil Religion reader hs commented on the initial post, “Same sex-attraction and Christianity”. Here is his comment in its entirety:

Sherry, I guess I have to ask the question, and I’m completely serious and not trying to be flip at all: WWJD with an affirmed homosexual who wanted to be a part of the church?

We need to be really, really careful here: If the church is not a place that welcomes the homosexual as another struggling, imperfect human then we’re all in trouble. Sin is Sin is Sin. The homosexual is no worse or different from anyone else. My Bible has a famous text that says that “ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”.

I’d also suggest we really try to understand the concept of loving the sinner and hating the sin. And, pose this question: is it a sin to BE homosexual? What, exactly is the sin we’re worried about?…