Long time no see
I haven’t blogged in ages. But I’ve just returned from a fantastic 2 weeks in Spring in southern Japan. It’s always a great time when I go to Japan. I go to see family there, but also I take small groups to share something of the spirituality of Japan. We vist temples in the mountains, and come into dialogue with a living buddhist tradition. This is so different to reading books about religious practice. meeting priests who will welcome us, and talk with us raises questions about the way the christian tradition has so often dealt harshly with traditions other than its own. The imperialist view of christianity has been like a certain priest I know who thought he should convert all the nearby buddhists because they were wrong, and therefore he was right. Visting Japan is a way of touching a tradition that helps me reflect on my own. There is much in buddhism that I don’t understand, and that I don’t want to have in my own religious life. But I don’t think it’s my prerogative to be critical of that tradition either. I have been helped by so many aspects of it. The quiet spaces, the meditative tradition that was/is part of my christian tradition is important to me. I like the way buddhism openly deals with the harsh moments of life and offers a way to confront it. We can learn much from this – the christian tradition tends to downplay the hard bits of life. It was a rich experience yet again.
I’m glad my life has the opportunity for such times!
