A few key points from our October 4th Service:
| Student: “Where is the whole?” Zen Master: “The whole is in the questions.” Student: “Then … where is the questioner?” Zen koans will break your brain. That’s sort of the point. Those pithy little teaching riddles are designed to bypass logical reasoning and crack the skull open so a little enlightenment can sneak in. Koans may be the most recognizable element of Zen, a branch of Buddhism originating in Tang-dynasty China and now mostly practiced in Japan and South Korea. But it’s widely embraced in the West as well. Zen koans cultivate an ability to be okay with not knowing quite what’s going on. This may be why Buddhism, in all its forms, is so appealing to Unitarians. We’re curious and open-minded and nonjudgmental to a fault – or at least we aspire to be. Philosophically, there’s a fair bit of overlap between the two faith traditions. The Buddhist idea of karma – “we are the inheritor of our actions” – dovetails with UU’s (not explicitly stated) principle of owning your life choices. And our 7th principle – “respect for the interconnected web of all existence of which we are a part” – is virtually identical to the Buddhist idea of “interbeing.” Tickle any thread and the whole web trembles. The affinity between Buddhism and Unitarianism was the subject of Sunday’s magnificent service. The traffic goes both ways: Many Unitarians are drawn to the ancient history and mythology of Buddhism, and many Buddhists are drawn to the more agentic, social-justice dimension of UU (Unitarian Universalism). “If you’re not a Buddhist, the world is divided into Buddhists and non-Buddhists,” said the Zen master. “If you are a Buddhist, the whole world is Buddhist” . . . even the bugs! That’s the way many of us think about Unitarian Universalism, too. “Perhaps all of us have to become Unitarian Buddhists for this planet to survive,” Leslie said. – Your Sunday Service Team |
(image generated by AI)
Further Resources:
- James Ismael Ford: Introduction to Zen Koans: learning the language of dragons.
- Also see his Substack newsletter.