Merton, yes.
I attended a church in NYC in college-years dedicated to Merton's ways of
practice, led by renegade young Jesuits of Woodstock Seminary, New York. They
could do no wrong, in my eyes. Totally deconstructed and destroyed the
conservative Italian Catholicism of my adolescent youth -- which I knew needed
doing -- enabling an opening into Spirituality, instead (what a concept!) --
and basic human nature -- instead. Eternally grateful. Big debt.
(Joe Campbell helped me a good deal, too, the American Mythologist,early on)
I converted to Chan Buddhism in a formal way 5 years later, if not sooner. ;-)
Never seen a church, since. When it comes to weddings and funerals, I only go
to my OWN.
Shihfu Sheng Yen was just the right person. I suppose we had a connection,
from the past. That's the only way that even a hard-headed scientist such as
myself can explain it. But we are both Natural Philosophers. We have that in
common, and it is fundamental. He is "The Environmental Monk of Taiwan",
according to Taiwan's president, too boot. But, as a monk, he always wore
sandals, even in Winter in NYC. As I did! Funny. Or the Adidas SL-72 running
shoe (which I still wear: down to 20 miles per week, nowadays, training-wise).
I've always been a mystic... until zen practice erased the need for that. I am
again an empiricist, as all mystics are. And all zen practitioners are.
Nonetheless spiritual, in the strongest sense. Just as Buddha taught.
Practice never runs-out, never ends. "The Three Poisons rise endlessly: I vow
to put an end to them." Different translations for different folks, and
different places.
You are not into the formal stuff at all, are you!!
Hail!
--Joe
> Merle Lester <merlewiitpom@...> wrote:
>
> yes yes joe..herman hesse...my all time favourite writer... and with a part
> estonian heritage...brilliant...love him...and have you read thomas merton?
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