Brian Robertson's Christian mystics site

[earl]

I see Brian Robertson has his wonderful Christian mystics site redesigned & worth a visit:
Christian Mystics

have a merry Christmas, earl

[Dondi]

I've been to this website before. but not since it was re-vamped. Thank you for posting it.

Merry Christmas to you, too.

[Snoopy]

Hi Earl,

This is new to me and it looks really interesting so thank you very much.

It has gone straight into a favourites folder!

s.

[Paladin]

Originally Posted by earl

I see Brian Robertson has his wonderful Christian mystics site redesigned & worth a visit:
Christian Mystics

have a merry Christmas, earl

Earl,

A thousand smilies to you. This is a wonderful site!

Peace
Mark

[earl]

The online discussion forum associated with his first CM site was the first forum that sucked me into the cyber chat world-dang him Hooked on it ever since. But it was also his site that introduced me to a Christianity that fit me-while I'd been raised a "heathen" Methodist, (that's someone who was brought to church services on rare occasion & otherwise never was given thought or gave it much to the whole Christian view), I'd spent some 20 years studying & practicing, (probably not too well ) buddhism. Then saw his stuff, new and old, and I realized that there was a real meeting ground for me in the 2 views. Guess you can take the Christian out of the church, (I've seldom been back in 1 since), but can't entirely take the Christian out of a guy. I actually started a long discussion thread once on that forum which reinterpreted a number of the steps of the Ladder of Divine Ascent by John Climacus from a Buddhist perspective. I like those early desert-dwelling monastics' writings. The gang there being a fairly liberal bunch could relate. Interestingly enough, I'd never get away with the reverse: starting a discussion thread reinterpreting some Buddhist writing from a Christian mystical standpoint @ the large Buddhist discussion forum I've frequented for a long time. Mention anything positive there re Christianity & the fundamentalist, neo-con buddhists among that bunch rip it. Fundamentalism is a stream of thought dwelling in any & all religions it seems. Whereas for me, I take great joy in simultaneously appreciating the one source and the thousand branching streams from & to it-the one life-giving water and the many vessels which distribute it. have a good one, earl

[Snoopy]

Originally Posted by earl

Mention anything positive there re Christianity & the fundamentalist, neo-con buddhists among that bunch rip it.

Hi,

I'm guessing that doesn't qualify as skilful speech.


s.

[earl]

Originally Posted by Snoopy

Hi,

I'm guessing that doesn't qualify as skilful speech.


s.

Actually Snoopy, there are several traditionally taught marks of skillful speech in the Buddhist tradition, among them the questions whether the words are true & whether they are skllful to furthering a truthful view. In those regards, I'd not a change a word of what I said given what I've observed at that forum throughout the 2-3 years I've hung out there & the point I was attempting to make re fundamentalist thought. Is it that you believe Buddhists are immune from fundamentalism? In fact alot of the traditional Zen writings related to admonishments among their practitioners not to become concrete literalists and that is exactly my point re fundamentalism in any tradition. take care, earl

[earl]

To add a post-script to that which again relates to fundamentalism-this time on the Christian side, what I've observed among those aforementioned Buddhist posters, (& by all means I'm not implying all posters there looked at it that way), is it seemed that the vitriolic ones were converts to Buddhism coming out of backgrounds that were nominally Christian but who spoke of their experiences as being judged and rejected by those of significance personally to them, using Christian viewpoints/terminology-i.e., they felt burned by Christian fundamentalism. The irony was that due to their pain of being victims of Christian fundamentalism, (I mean that in the negative sense of the word & realize their are multiple meanings of that term), they became fundamentalist Buddhist persecutors of those who would come to that forum who entertained any theistic or pro-Christian views. Again my view is that at the mystical or essential core of all religions we find what brings out the best in humanity and at its "outer" or surface fringes, its wrappings of dogma, its least essential aspects (IMO), we find much pain being doled out to self and others that has little to really do with the central messages of most religions and which unfortunately is where so many people get stuck. Well enough of that soapbox for now. earl

[flowperson]

Hey Earl...thanks for the link to the Christian Mystics site. And a Merry Christmas to you.

flow....

[seattlegal]

Originally Posted by earl

To add a post-script to that which again relates to fundamentalism-this time on the Christian side, what I've observed among those aforementioned Buddhist posters, (& by all means I'm not implying all posters there looked at it that way), is it seemed that the vitriolic ones were converts to Buddhism coming out of backgrounds that were nominally Christian but who spoke of their experiences as being judged and rejected by those of significance personally to them, using Christian viewpoints/terminology-i.e., they felt burned by Christian fundamentalism. The irony was that due to their pain of being victims of Christian fundamentalism, (I mean that in the negative sense of the word & realize their are multiple meanings of that term), they became fundamentalist Buddhist persecutors of those who would come to that forum who entertained any theistic or pro-Christian views. Again my view is that at the mystical or essential core of all religions we find what brings out the best in humanity and at its "outer" or surface fringes, its wrappings of dogma, its least essential aspects (IMO), we find much pain being doled out to self and others that has little to really do with the central messages of most religions and which unfortunately is where so many people get stuck. Well enough of that soapbox for now. earl

Hmm, I wonder how this relates to the idea that those abused when young grow up to become abusers, themselves? Perhaps a review of Dhammapada 1:1-5 would be helpful to these folks?

[ChristianMystic]

Hello, all!

I just wanted to thank you for the kind words regarding ChristianMystics.com and it's "rebirth."

Health problems and such over the past two years have put a damper on things, but I'm fortunate to be more or less moving foward again . Thanks to a reader of the site, I was given a free hosting location and have redesigned the site and I'm busy updating and adding new content.

My biggest regret is that the original forum was lost in the shuffles, and I'm hoping that after I get the site running and have a bit of time to put in new content I can move back to my own hosted server and redo the forum.

Just last night I added the ability to see where people who hit my site come from, and the first ones? From right here! So, it was a joy to discover this forum and I immediately signed up.

Feel free to spread the word about ChristianMystics.com and, in any event, please accept my thanks for the kindness shown here.

Blessings,

Brian Robertson

[Snoopy]

Originally Posted by earl

Actually Snoopy, there are several traditionally taught marks of skillful speech in the Buddhist tradition, among them the questions whether the words are true & whether they are skllful to furthering a truthful view. In those regards, I'd not a change a word of what I said given what I've observed at that forum throughout the 2-3 years I've hung out there & the point I was attempting to make re fundamentalist thought. Is it that you believe Buddhists are immune from fundamentalism?

Hi Earl,

Unfortunately you misunderstood my rather succinct post. I put “rip it” in bold and it was this that my comment was referring to; not your actual post. The soapbox you got on I share with you.

s.

[Snoopy]

...if there's room.

s.

[earl]

Well snoopy, I imagine one could use a number of synonyms for "rip" though given that some of those folk are so vehemently anti-Christian, their responses were llike the metaphorical "dog ripping into a bone;" no room for interfaith dialogue and commonality for them. So "rip" still works for me. earl

[Snoopy]

Hi,

...I did mean their actual ripping, not your term for it.

(maybe they should read some Thomas Merton...)

s.