Someone further down thread mentions the fury of monks -- which reminded me of Fenton Johnson's book "Keeping Faith." He grew up in Kentucky just outside the walls of Thomas Merton's monastery, and comes back for a Catholic/Zen conference after years of studying at the SF Zen Center & Tassajara. Furious after the death of his partner fr…
Someone further down thread mentions the fury of monks -- which reminded me of Fenton Johnson's book "Keeping Faith." He grew up in Kentucky just outside the walls of Thomas Merton's monastery, and comes back for a Catholic/Zen conference after years of studying at the SF Zen Center & Tassajara. Furious after the death of his partner from AIDS. It's a gorgeous exploration of fury and sorrow and monastic practice.
I've had this quote from the book on my writing wall for years now: "Before all else, we must define ourselves in some place other than our wounds -- to find the courage to define ourselves, rather than let our wounds define us. This is the great challenge, and forgiveness the means through which it is accomplished. Faith incarnates itself not in beliefs, but in acts; not in what I believe about God but in the moment-to-moment decisions I make in choosing how to live this day, how to be one with myself and to love and respect and forgive myself and my neighbor. In this it is a necessary condition for wisdom."
I just ordered that Fenton Johnson book! I love his work; "At the Center of All Beauty" from 2020 really knocked me out. That's a great quote too, particularly this: "Faith incarnates itself not in beliefs, but in acts." Thank you, Charlotte.
Someone further down thread mentions the fury of monks -- which reminded me of Fenton Johnson's book "Keeping Faith." He grew up in Kentucky just outside the walls of Thomas Merton's monastery, and comes back for a Catholic/Zen conference after years of studying at the SF Zen Center & Tassajara. Furious after the death of his partner from AIDS. It's a gorgeous exploration of fury and sorrow and monastic practice.
I've had this quote from the book on my writing wall for years now: "Before all else, we must define ourselves in some place other than our wounds -- to find the courage to define ourselves, rather than let our wounds define us. This is the great challenge, and forgiveness the means through which it is accomplished. Faith incarnates itself not in beliefs, but in acts; not in what I believe about God but in the moment-to-moment decisions I make in choosing how to live this day, how to be one with myself and to love and respect and forgive myself and my neighbor. In this it is a necessary condition for wisdom."
(And I just ordered the Vine Deloria ... )
I just ordered that Fenton Johnson book! I love his work; "At the Center of All Beauty" from 2020 really knocked me out. That's a great quote too, particularly this: "Faith incarnates itself not in beliefs, but in acts." Thank you, Charlotte.