May 20, 2007
Buddhism & Harmony With the Divine
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Inaugural 'Sit' of UU Pittsfield Church Buddhist Meditation Group
Inaugural 'Sit' of UU Pittsfield Church Buddhist Meditation Group
Discussion paper 5/20/07
From the home page of the Unitarian Universalist Buddhist Fellowship.
From the home page of the Unitarian Universalist Buddhist Fellowship.
Since the introduction of the first Buddhist texts to America in the mid-nineteenth century, Buddhism has been as extremely influential force among Unitarians and, over the last thirty years, Unitarian Universalists. Early Unitarians, such as Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, and Ralph Waldo Emerson responded with great enthusiasm to Buddhism's emphasis on individual experience, rather than appeal to scriptures or belief in miraculous events, as the basis for authority in spiritual matters.
In recent years, Unitarian Universalists have increasingly been drawn to explore Buddhist religious practices, especially seated meditation, in order to ground the "free and responsible search for truth and meaning" that is one of the guiding principles of the UU tradition. Meditation invites a direct and immediate experience of reality and provides a balance to purely intellectual inquiry.
A Common Unitarian Universalist Statement
(with comparative comments)
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Love is our doctrine. The ..................(compassion)
quest for truth is its sacrament,...........(reality, enlightenment)
And service is its prayer.....................(merit, good works)
To the end that all souls shall grow
into harmony with the divine...............(find the Buddha mind)
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--Craig Johnson--
Labels: Berkshires, Buddhism, Buddhist, Meditation, Pittsfield, Sangha, Unitarian, UU
