spirituality
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Mountain dog school for living philosophy
The Mountain Dog School for Living Philosophy promotes philosophy as a way of life, inviting individuals from diverse backgrounds to explore existential questions through dialogue and reflection. Its mission emphasizes personal engagement in philosophizing, fostering authenticity, self-actualization, and meaningful relationships… Continue reading
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Responsive to skillful attention
The concept of discernment is vital for cultivating awareness, as it involves skillfully distinguishing experiences without over-determining or under-determining. This harmonizes extremes to avoid the fall into nihilism and eternalism. Simultaneously, it reawakens the empty yet interconnected nature of all… Continue reading
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A Fourfold for the Current Empire
I explore the concept of “transistance,” a practice of navigating life’s complexities without adhering to rigid frameworks. It emphasizes the importance of embracing ambiguity and interdependence, while rejecting traditional revolutionary approaches. I propose it is a first step of a… Continue reading
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Whispering New Directions
The text explores the concept of the practical spirit, emphasizing three modes: contemplative, scientific, and operative. It critiques the dominance of operationalism in modern society, linking it to systemic dehumanization. I advocatesfor “transistance” to navigate beyond established orientations and connect… Continue reading
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Love’s Generative Nothingness: A Philosophical Reflection
Original Spontaneous Insight Love is making something out of nothing. Creatio ex nihilo. Love makes, builds, creates connections where none are and a life together that has not yet been lived. Upon no thing can anyone discover such a possibility.… Continue reading
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Siren Song Society: Profound Boredom – Authentic Leisure – Existential Liberation
offer these connections to encourage people to be okay with boredom–to not see every break in labor or in study or in whatever as requiring us to find something to amuse ourselves into utter alienated distraction. Continue reading
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The Big (Soul) University
The entire existential project behind Karl Jaspers’ Idea of the University involves integrating a professor’s research with students’ search for their own selves. The Socratic teacher turns his students away from himself and back onto themselves; he hides in paradoxes, makes himself… Continue reading
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‘Queer Icons’ Of Color
Icons are an essential part of the visual history of religions, including those of the Catholic, Coptic and Orthodox Christian traditions. From the familiar Mary and the Archangel Gabriel to the more obscure Saint Menas or Theotokos of Vladimir, iconic… Continue reading
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The Mariachi Mass
It’s a musical tradition found in Mexican-American enclaves mostly in southwestern U.S. cities. The mariachi Mass brings an ensemble of garishly dressed folk musicians — with their guitars, trumpets and violins — right down to the front of the church,… Continue reading
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Saint Stephen The Ironist « The Dish
Some good points from Sullivan on Colbert as an example of what happens when one is capable of intelligence and irony while being a person of faith. If I were to sum up the various forms of popular culture that… Continue reading
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Daodejing 71
#71* To know your ignorance is most upright. [1] Not knowing but pretending to know is illness. [2] Just consider shortcomings only as shortcomings: thus, no shortcomings. The Sage has no shortcomings because he considers shortcomings as shortcomings: hence, no shortcomings. *Translation… Continue reading
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Daodejing 4
#4* Dao is empty yet when used, it seems never endless. Bottomless, yet it seems like the progenitor of 10,000 things. [Blunt the sharpness, Remove the distractions, Soften the light, Blend with the dust.] [1] Formless, yet it seems like existence.… Continue reading
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Daodejing 1
My beloved friend, LU Wenlong, has been graciously going through Laozi‘s great work with me. He transliterates directly from the Chinese into the English, and then we dialog for a bit about an expressive translation. In doing this, I have found that many… Continue reading
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Daodejing 39
#39* In the ancient days: grasping one. Heaven grasping one: clear and bright. Earth grasping one, tranquility. Spirit grasping one, effective. [1] River valley grasping one, fullness. 10,000 things grasping one, growth. Kings grasping one, leading under-heaven. Draw this inference: Grasp one. Heaven without clear and bright, splitting open.… Continue reading
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Daodejing 38 Redux
With this poem, we begin the Book of DE (the second part of the Daodejing, the poems on virtue or excellence). #38* Magnificent excellence (DE): Acting without thinking of being excellent. Acting thus is authentic excellence. Debased excellence: Keeping up… Continue reading
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Daodejing 32
#32* DAO (the Great Way) always and forever without name. Simple and small. Nothing under-heaven can rule over the Great Way. If Kings obey this, all under-heaven will follow them spontaneously. Heaven and earth† join together: sweet dew will fall… Continue reading
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Ageless Wisdom
“The sacred function of hope has, in modern man, degenerated into a hideous disease called tomorrow.” –G. Gurdjieff How does the old age not already become the new age? How does the ancient not always transform into the modern? Would… Continue reading
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Daodejing 28
#28* Knowing power, abiding in modesty; like a stream under Heaven. Like a stream under Heaven- never abandoning eternal virtue, returning at last to purity. Knowing white, abiding in black; like this order under Heaven. Like this order under Heaven-… Continue reading
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