Pooh and the Tao

I sat down to read THE TAO OF POOH by Benjamin Hoff on a Saturday evening after a long day at work. I would rather have been out with friends, but.....

I found I enjoyed reading the book and found it introduced me to and helped me understand the general tenets of Tao through the five main characters and their experiences. It helped me understand that Taoism can be applied to our daily lives and give insights into modern society and reflections on real live journeys. It can guide a person to prioritize life goals and give perspective when life seems to get too complicated.It can help a person appreciate what is really important in life.
The book is charming and funny. I understand Taoism Philosophy better and understand Pooh and Piglet better, too. Pooh guides to understand that life is not as hard or confusing as we sometimes let it seem. All the religious teachings and rituals in the world can at times, confuse the simple idea of what the meaning of a person's life really is and should be. It teaches us appreciation for the creation of the world, for nature, for friendships and family, for being.
The book offers simple ideas about Taoism and the balance of the universe. It is imaginative and the symbolism used in the book by Benjamin Hoff made it easy to understand and enjoyable to read. I plan to read it again and recommend it to others.

Religion Panel

Here is the link to the audio from the religion panel:

http://www.shelbymehl.com/2010/02/panel/

There is a password on it, but everyone should be able to figure it out (if you can't send me an email - shelby at shelbymehl.com)

Music and Zen Masters

I enjoy music and its impact on a person's life. Recently I read an interesting article on the website, www.squido.com/rocksprituality. It was entitled: SHRED MASTER-ZEN MASTER. It pointed out that usually musicians and Zen masters are known in two very different categories, but the article's author believed that they are really one in the same. When a person first is learning about music it might seem rigid and unnatural. After a time, it appears simple and natural, something "that flows like water." He believed that music is a gate way to the soul. Music is a universal language, uniting people, giving them peace. A person's soul responds to music, "it dances with the music." It can relax you or inspire you to dance wildly, letting your emotions whirl. Like Zen Masters and the teachings of Zen, music lets you give your life over to a power greater than self. It is a uniter and lets you live your life with purpose.
Music can help as a person seeks fulfillment or purpose. Help create "quantum moments," in a person's life and gives a person the ability to share purposeful, creative moments of discovery and peace with others. Music helps a person to turn his/her talents over to a greater power and seek avenues for creativity and sharing as Zen spirituality instructs. Music helps a person shift music from just notes to a powerful action, a life filled with happiness, serenity and purpose given to use and share by our creator.

An Odd Way To Get Youth To Believe

I found this article on CNN.com

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/01/21/japan.monks.rap.religion/index.html#cnnSTCText

You get the full affect of what these Buddhists are doing from the video.

They call it Buddhism 2010. A Buddhist monk, Kansho Tagai, believes that religion needs to change for the future. They achieve this through rap, though it's the same chants. He even has a street name, Mr. Happiness.

Another idea is to make religion more fun. Zenshin Fujioka has set up what he calls a Monk Bar. Apparently other Monks are even asking for advice.

Eastern Religion/Philosophy journal archive

This is a link to an archive of selected [not sure how they were selected] articles on various topics in Asian religion/philosophy from a couple of journals, mostly published by University of Hawaii press, which has a strong Eastern religion/philosophy focus. Chronologically it starts in the 50s and runs through about 2000, though the older stuff is as good or better than the more recent.

Pat Robertson/Haiti/Voodoo

Pat Robertson, the "voice" of conservative Christians, remarked in the news that he felt the earthquake in Haiti was God's retribution for a voodoo "pact with the devil." I believe Mr. Robertson's remarks were cruel and discriminatory and very hurtful especially in light of the suffering the Haitian people are currently suffering. Mr. Robertson said that the earthquake was God's revenge for a pact Haitian slaves made with the devil to overthrow French colonists in the late 1700's.
What happened according to historical record was "that there was a voodoo ceremony where the symbol of freedom sang out, which was the sound of the conch shell trumpet spurring slaves to rebel against French coffee and sugar plantation owners in 1791." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haitian_Voodoo). It was the call for and the beginning of a successful slave revolt and it began with a voodoo ceremony.
I am sad for all that has happened to the people of Haiti. And saying that, I realize that I know very little about the country and even less about what Voodoo, a major religious practice in Haiti, is about. What is Haitian Voodoo about and what do its followers believe in?
Reading about Haitian Voodoo I've learned that Voodoo is a religion, a complex spirituality that comes from religious ideas which came over from Africa during the slavery era and with the passing of time and traditions, meshed together with the religious rituals from the Catholic missionaries, the Haitian culture and the African influences.
A human being has both a physical body and a soul or spirit and when a person dies, the two separate. The spirit of the individual slips away and must be reclaimed by a priest in a ceremony, usually after a day and a year in Haiti. This is one reason with the high number of deaths in Haiti, many people fear that their loved ones' spirits will never be at peace because they weren't properly buried or be reclaimed accordingly to tradition. In this time of great tragedy, many Haitian people need to find comfort and peace in their faith, whether it be Voodoo or Christianity, and do not need to be condemned for their beliefs.

--- DJS

Wiccan/Pagan worship space.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/01/air-force-academy-gives-p_n_444800.html

Air force academy in colorado dedicates religious space to Pagans/Wiccans

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-wicca3-2010feb03,0,3367750.story

less than a week later, religious space is desecrated.

Don't do it, Mr. Obama!

As a BBC News story reports, China is urging President Barack Obama not to meet with the Dalai Lama later this month. According to the BBC, "Communist Party official Zhu Weiqun said such a meeting would "threaten trust and co-operation" between Beijing and Washington."