Studio8 - Uniting the Arts

a couple of notes about thomas merton's preface to his book "desert wisdom" ....

Merton carefully notes that abandoning the cities was not only abandoning the pagan character of urban life but also abandoning their presumeably increasing Christian presence, "when the 'world' became unofficially Christian." Merton notes that

these men (the desert fathers-- and mothers) seem to have thought ... that there is really no such thing as a "Christian state." They seem to have doubted that Christianity and politics could ever be mixed to such an extent as to produce a fully Christian society ... for ... the only Christian society was spiritual and extramundane.

Merton argues that these hermits were ahead of their time, not behind it, that they understood what was necessary -- and unnecessary

speaking of faith... my beets and chard garden are doing very well, Soo harvested some leaves from both and we had them as a side dish sauteed with onion and garlic. Damn good! I've got faith that the garden will give us more as the weather improves.

politics..? i'm trying to wean myself away from the idiocy that we call Congress. I figure is the vast majority of the world can live without knowing how dysfunctional the U.S. Gov't has become and they still eat, drink and make merry... why can't i? (i can, by golly!)

I am an atheist believer, religion is just what the Dali Lama called medicine, when you are not sick you don't need it. I got a chocolate Jesus, it helps me make through the night.

I am a sick puppy;




I was thinking about what Soozen wrote about people with big brains, You are smarter than me Mark, I am sure you could punch holes in everything I write. In fact it helps me when you do. I wish I was half the writer you are. Thank you for writing.

I think about your parents watching Fox news, the keys to the mustang and your dad's world view.

Clay was hard core, the real deal, authentic to his core. I honor his memory. He kind of reminded me of Kesey.

Once upon a time a young man of American background thought he had discovered the Great Secret, the Skeleton Key to the Cosmos, the Absolute Answer to the Age Old Question asked by every Wizard, and Alchemist and Mystic that ever peered curiously into the Perplexing Heavens, by every Doctor and Scientist and Explorer that ever wondered about the Winding Ways of this world, by every Philosopher and Holyman and Politician that ever listened for the Mysterious Song beneath the beat of the Human Heart... the answer to "What Makes It All Go?"

wicki quote Kesey

religion is just what the Dali Lama called medicine, when you are not sick you don't need it.

I wish I had Dali Lama´s sense of humor...! (I don´t know, I´m in a compulsory search of meaning phase, sometimes faster than my observation capacity... )

and about mnaz questions:

a) it´s socio-cultural and also personal
b) it´s an experience or aspiration of unity, trascendence, plentyfulness, meaningfulness and it´s also dogma

religion
genesis angels
in search of meanings
sometimes I think Lew Welch found too many meanings
some people need religion when faced with the realization that they can make an end of their lives if I chose to do so. So I Camus up with my own personal hell.

RE: Genesis Angels and the
Angel headed hipsters of

STUDIO EIGHT

that's an awesome mix, on the genesis angels sort of "leitmotif," jack.

thanks ....

Where is Joel when I need him?

"Every genuinely religious person is a heretic, and therefore a revolutionary" -- GBShaw

There’s no Bahá’í

Ave Maria

"God is right there with you next to your elbow.
All is needed is prayerful conversation..."
That's one of my Grandma's maxims.

mnaz wrote

... thing. How do you pray if not to God? To the cosmos in general? And ... may not be heard? This question has made it into a couple of my writes. Most recently... God has social ramifications. If I don't believe in God, ...

http://studioeight.tv/phpbb/viewtopic.p ... ons#p90905

Therein lies the differences between "prayer" and "meditation"...

Prayer requires a god to pray to or to an image that takes on a persona of an overseer that commands one's attention and demands obedience.

Meditation only requires stilling the mind to the point where silence reveals Truth that supersedes any notion of what one's god may be.

yes, well said
there is no word for G d.

"Where can I find a man that forget's about word's and have a word with him?"

re: "there is no word for G d."

sad but true given the fact that millions believe in their heart of hearts that they know this unknowable and undefinable 'god' they swear to .

Damn. For some reason the word 'Religious'

makes me think of lost faith.

One cannot have faith in something without having experienced that something in the most profound way - realization. Without that moment of knowing, faith is merely the cry for hope that something is there to hold us together.