A little context and introduction

At the urgings of a few individuals very close to me, I have finally put up this blog.  In this blog, I will attempt to explore what it means to be a human being in the context of practicing some kind of meaningful Christianity and some kind of Engaged Buddhism…

Briefly, so that you may have some context in which to appreciate my spiritual efforts, I will share that I was raised in the Episcopal Church and first felt a call to the Priesthood at the age of 8.  My childhood was violent, chaotic and unstable, and the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Eucharist (Communion) were extremely important to me in maintaining my sanity and experiencing at least one stable, unconditional source of love.  These Sacraments remain just as important to me today.  I came to the practice of Buddhism first through my own readings and exploration of Zen Buddhist writings as a teen-ager and later, as a young adult, through an invitation from a friend to experience a retreat with his Tibetan Buddhist teachers 1995.  I took refuge in the Buddhist practice on that retreat and maintained my study and practice of Tibetan Buddhism for 12 years.  But in 2007 I encountered the teaching and practice of Zen Buddhism through the writings of Claude AnShin Thomas and his book: At Hell’s Gate: A Soldier’s Story from War to Peace, and The Eight Gates of Zen: A Program of Zen Training by John Daido Loori Roshi.  My encounters with Claude AnShin and my resonance with Daido Roshi’s Eight Gates returned me to a sincere and committed engagement with Zen Buddhist Practice.  And lastly, in my years of processing, healing and growth, I have had the tremendous fortune to become a professed member of a New-Monastic Community that encourages and strengthens my ongoing practice of Christianity and Buddhism…the Lindisfarne Community, a Celtic-inspired community of deeply spiritual individuals journeying together and exploring a modern-day expression of monasticism.  I was ordained to the Priesthood by the Lindisfarne Community in 2008.  For this community’s witness and encouragement and inclusion, I am deeply and forever grateful.  In this community, I am free to be both a practicing Zen Buddhist and a Christian Priest…and to explore this Priesthood “Ontologically”, that is: through my total being.   

And this blog is meant to be part of that exploration.   

So here we go…