Sannhetseeker

By sannhet - About Me - E-mail this page - Add to My Favorites - Add to Blog List - See other blogs in Religion & Spirituality

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Why Would Anyone Go Through the Pain of the Path to Enlightenment?

“Enlightenment--that magnificent escape from anguish and ignorance--never happens by accident. It results from the brave and sometimes lonely battle of one person against his own weaknesses.” Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano, the American Buddhist monk, really hit the nail on the head with this statement. I have been working toward enlightenment for nearly 30 years and I can say without a doubt that it has been the most difficult, challenging, frustrating, joyful, loving, heart-wrenching, painful thing I... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

To Tolerate is to Affront

I’m beginning to question the idea of religious tolerance. This is not because I don’t believe in the concept of the various world religions coexisting, because I do. But because tolerance is not acceptance. And therein lies the distinction. According to Webster, tolerance means a “ sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one's own”. Of course, sympathy for a different religion just means an affinity, association, or relationship between two religions... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Dark Night of the Soul - Experiencing Life Without God

A new book of correspondences from Mother Teresa (Come Be My Light) reveal a revered spiritual beacon who’s light did not always shine as brightly as was thought. As a matter of fact, she writes to a colleague, the Rev. Michael Van Der Peet that, “Jesus has a special love for you. As for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great that I look and do not see. I listen and do not hear.” This statement suggests that Mother Teresa, like many others, experienced what St. John of the Cross called... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, August 20, 2007

I Don't Want a God Who Would Go Around Killing People's Little Girls.

I was watching a church service on TV yesterday, and the preacher was going to town, all fire and brimstone and such, talking about the wrath of God, and it got me to thinking about a quote from John Spong. He said, "I don't want a God that would go around killing people's little girls. Neither do I want a God who would kill his own son. " I agree with Bishop Spong. I wouldn’t want a God like that either. I don’t want a God who picks sides. I don’t want a God who would cause death-laden floods... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, August 18, 2007

"As Man is, so is His God. Thus is God oft Strangely Odd."

I thought I would share some of my favorite quotes about God: Goethe: "As man is, so is his God. And thus is God oft strangely odd. " Anne Provoost: "If your God is going to drown the world; if your God is going to bring a flood, then why don't you pick a different God?" Karen Armstrong: "Nirvana is something within you. It is not an external reality. No god thunders down from the mountaintop. Just as the great mystics in the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths all discovered, God is within the... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Some Reunite With the Divine in One Lifetime. For Others, it Takes Many

I was recently asked the question if there is always hope for one to come to "God". If it is possible, after living a life of depravity and selfishness, to still be reunited with the Divine. My answer was, of course! There's always the chance of lifting the veil. For me, it’s all about spiritual development. If one is lucky enough to be able to remove the dark glasses of the profane and reunite with God in one lifetime, then that is indeed a blessing. For most of us though, one lifetime is just... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, August 10, 2007

Death is Not the End. Death is Not the Beginning. Death is Consciousness.

I had a discussion with an old friend who is the person that brought me to Vermont yesterday. She is a very spiritual person so it was great to sit down and talk "spirit" with her. The subject quickly moved to the topic of death, one of my favorite. For thoses who don't know, I just finished a book titled "Thursdays With Death", which is about a man who learns the truth about spirituality, life and death from the Grim Reaper. My friend asked me what I thought death was like, so I told her the... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

There is no Heaven in the Sky. Heaven is Vermont!

Well, I've settled into my "corporate housing" apartment, started my new job and, after just 4 full days in Vermont, I am amazed at how acceptable people are here. Not just a few folks, not just a group here and a group there, but everyone - at least everyone that I have met. No matter what your belief, as long as you aren't trying to stuff that belief down someone else's throat, it's acceptable. At least a dozen times since I have been here, the topic of religion has come up in casual... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

The Big Mystery of Death: Can You Get Change for a Twenty?

For centuries, man has been mystified by death. What happens when we die? Where do we go when we die? Can you get change for a Twenty? (Sorry, I just had to throw in that Woody Allen line.) Anyway, the simple fact is that death isn’t that mysterious at all. Death is the next stage in spiritual growth. It’s the next step toward reunion with the Divine. Death of the spirit however, is a different thing altogether. Death of the spirit is a major factor in the horrors of today’s world. While we... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Safe Passage

Well, I've just been through a living hell at work (125 of 200 people were let go yesterday, including me), but at least I have a job to go to. Since I will be hitting the road in a few days for the long drive to Vermont, I won't be logging online too frequently for the next couple of weeks. I ask though, that if you remember, please include my safe passage on this 2700 mile trek in all of your prayers. Sign in to see full entry.

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