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On Jan 3, 2014 Jon Madian wrote on Aliveness and Harmony, by Christopher Alexander:
my wife's comment: nice piece but could've been written gender free :)))
On Dec 10, 2013 jon madian wrote on Meditate Like Christ, by Krishna Das:
Joe, truly I agree with the "one way" if it involves love, compassion, non-judgment of self and others, witnessing (mindfulness) and so on, for that one way is the way of many wisdom traditions. Jesus is in me as doorway, as is the beauty of nature, Buddha, and those who share the journey of love and loss with me. Wishing you well, and apologies for NOT quite joining your camp.
On Dec 10, 2013 jon madian wrote on Meditate Like Christ, by Krishna Das:
Folks, I'm afraid this conversation is polarized in ways that can not lead to new, life affirming insights on either side, so I thank the open-minded who welcome a diversity of perspectives and wish others well. At least we all agree on the value of pursuing a spiritual path and I assume this includes loving and not judging others--a challenging task indeed.
On Dec 8, 2013 jon madian wrote on Meditate Like Christ, by Krishna Das:
Meg is there room for different people and different religions to have different views on this or is there one truth only? If so, how do you know this truth is the one truth? Why isn't there room for different beliefs based on different spiritual traditions? How can you be so sure that what you believe is the one true belief?
On Dec 8, 2013 jon madian wrote on Meditate Like Christ, by Krishna Das:
Is there anything in the universe that is NOT God if one is receptive to perceiving through the eye of empathy and love?
On Dec 8, 2013 jon madian wrote on Meditate Like Christ, by Krishna Das:
What is blasphemy? And what is blasphemy?
On Dec 7, 2013 jon madian wrote on Meditate Like Christ, by Krishna Das:
I wonder if we are to "wait... for The One and Only...JESUS? Or are we to seek to develop ourselves in ways that reveal the Jesus in all of us? My hunch is that waiting for JESUS will be much less productive than "seeking what he sought" and thus evolving ourselves so we manifest more and more of the principles his life either embodied or has come to embody.
On Sep 23, 2013 Jon Madian wrote on Meditate Like Christ, by Krishna Das:
Yes, it could well be that Jesus was influenced by Indian spiritual traditions, and it also seems equally likely that he may have gained all he needed from Hebrew mystical traditions. Or, like many mystics, he may have been born destined to know the heart and soul of love.
On Sep 21, 2013 Jon Madian wrote on Meditate Like Christ, by Krishna Das:
agreed; it amazes me how tears emerge in great moments of deepest, most caring joy.
On Sep 13, 2013 jon madian wrote on Meditate Like Christ, by Krishna Das:
What's most meaningful, beautiful, and scary to me is the tear. Itt unites transcendence with empathy, cosmic love with individual suffering, bliss with grief. What a beautiful expression.
On Jul 31, 2013 Jon Madian wrote on Emotions for Liberation, by Sally Kempton:
yes, beautifully put, the question is 'how we get there' (to an attitude that can support reconciliation).
The other point is accepting the other emotions we must deal with on our path to getting there, or accepting where we may fall short....
On Jul 31, 2013 jon madian wrote on Emotions for Liberation, by Sally Kempton:
The ideas that our suffering is always our own fault seems like a half-truth, like all truths. Many innocent people are caught up in genocide, friendly fire, and a million other circumstances outside of their making or control. What could be sadder than a starving mother who cannot feed her crying, dying child! Actually many things are just as sad and happening every moment of every day. We need to avoid overly simplistic, transcendent ideas that often don't apply. Yes, a great deal of our suffering is self-inflicted and a great deal of it is not.
On Jul 25, 2013 Jon Madian wrote on Emotions for Liberation, by Sally Kempton:
I wonder how else the guru might have chosen to communicate? While the ability to easily express all emotions, including anger, is a positive, isn't the ability to chose what a person wants to express and to model just as important. Will the cook go home and feel righteous in expressing his anger at his wife or child? Yes, to the freedom to feel and express emotions, but ? ? ?
On Mar 23, 2011 jon madian wrote on A Deep, Uncritical Love, by Bhante Gunaratana:
The openning statement: "You can't make radical changes in the pattern of your life until you begin to see yourself exactly as you are now." seems spot on. The challenge is that the "now" is the ever emerging present, which keeps appearing to change as we respond to the events within and outside of us. So this self-observation, or witnessing in a non-judgmental way, requires that we not identify with our thoughts and emotions even as we embrace them. A subtle dance where the music is stillness, concentration, and empathy.
On Mar 22, 2011 jon madian wrote on A Deep, Uncritical Love, by Bhante Gunaratana:
I loved this piece until I came to the "meditation" part. As one who began to practice "meditation" many decades ago, my concern with the word "meditation" is that it can mean so many things that are NOT what is intended.
The premise that we must cultivate self-awareness in all situations, be aware of our afflicted states and take responsibility for them is clear to me. Sitting quietly and breathing into self-awareness, or being engaged with others and staying self-aware with the help of breath, seems more useful than the abstract idea of meditation. This work of self-awareness is very humble, very simple. It is giving attention to thought and feeling and investigating and releasing those states of consciousness that are not constructive, that are judgmental and hurtful because they are born of hurt and fear. So often grief is a doorway to love and living fully with awareness is the meditation.
On Aug 2, 2010 jon madian wrote on Space in the Crowded Workplace, by Ashvin Iyengar:
Purely beautiful... thank you again and again
On Feb 17, 2015 jon madian wrote on Sincerely Enthusiastic, by Gretchen Rubin: