Hi, Merle, I live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. You?
Glenn --- In [email protected], Merle Lester <merlewiitpom@...> wrote: > > > > Â welcome glenn..what country are you in?...cheers merle > Merle > www.wix.com/merlewiitpom/1 > > > ________________________________ > From: Glenn Rogers <rgthiessen@...> > To: [email protected] > Sent: Thursday, 23 August 2012 6:48 AM > Subject: [Zen] Hello > > > Â > I'm new to this group; allow me to introduce myself. I'm not used to being > this personal and I feel a bit vulnerable, but I have an inner need to reach > out to a Sangha, since I haven't been able to find one where I live. > > I grew up Christian and became a fundamentalist anabaptist pastor. Now in > midlife, I'm a psychotherapist and Zen practitioner. My primary teacher is > Thich Nhat Hanh and I have also benefited from teachings from Chogyman > Trungpa Rinpoche, Pema Chodron and the Dalai Lama. I do not follow any > religion or hold on to any religious beliefs, but rather search for Truth > (Dharma) wherever it resonates with me and adjust those truths (because of > impermanence) as need be. I strive (without striving) to experience each > moment of life (here-and-now) as it comes to me. My worldview represents an > attempt to integrate truth from psychology (particularly psychodynamic and > existentialist), philosophy (especially Ken Wilbur), quantum physics, and an > earth-centred spirituality. In my attempts to find a Sangha, I have found > only meditation centres that focus more on beliefs than experience or > practice. When I share my experience I am met with comments like, "That's not > Buddhism!" I am frustrated to find the same resistance and judgment as I > experienced in the church. Due to Depression, I have been seeing an excellent > psychotherapist for nine years. My main struggle in life is the fear I have > of looking deeply into my suffering and accepting the strong emotions that > come from that. As a psychotherapist (and human being), I also encounter > other's suffering and I must practice right diligence in order to manage the > pain and anger I experience as counter-transference. I wonder how it is that > humans can be so deliberately cruel to one another and why compassion is so > difficult to practice. Coming full circle, I realize that I am caught in this > same cycle of suffering--I do not stand outside of it. On the bright side, > integrating Buddhist psychology (i.e., impermanence, non-discrimination and > inter-being) has erased my life-long fear of death (heaven just couldn't cut > it for me!). Through the contemplation of the > Buddah-in-me (or Christ-in-me--it really doesn't matter), I am learning to > love myself more all the time; I'm actually kind-of happy with who I am on > the Path. > > I am in my second marriage; my wife is a wonderful woman who embodies Zen > wisdom without the need for the language. She is my soul mate and companion > on the Path. We live on a beautiful acreage, surrounded by water and lush, > green trees; innumerable birds (and a few insects, like misquotes!) and other > wildlife during the summer--it's black-and-white in winter (another kind of > beauty). > ------------------------------------ Current Book Discussion: any Zen book that you recently have read or are reading! Talk about it today!Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
