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You Have to Say Something
Oct. 26th, 2009 04:49 pmI picked up this book from Dainin Katagiri several years ago, because the title just leapt out and grabbed me so strongly. You have to say something: Manifesting Zen Insight. It was a pretty big dilemma for me at the time, and it's an issue that continues to dog me to this day. What in the world could I possibly say about Buddhism? If I couldn't explain myself to the people around me, have I really learned anything? If someone were to try and pick my brain about my beliefs on the spot, chances are I'd end up tongue-tied and frustrated. What makes sense to me intrinsically becomes this baffling and weak train of logic if I try to put it in words.
But as I get older I realize the vast importance of speaking and acting on the things you've learned. It's not enough to go up to the mountain and stare at a wall until you've reached enlightenment. It's definitely a good thing, to go into a hermitage, to find your personal connection with the divine in your own way. But every once in a while, you have to come back down. You have to talk about what you know, what you don't, and how each of those pieces make you who you are. Discussion is just as important as silence. Action is just as important as sitting. In order to truly understand a lesson you think you know, you have to find out how it translates from being an idea to being an action. If your spirituality doesn't change how you act, if it doesn't make you more engaged in the world around you, in my opinion it's failing to do its job.
Earlier this year I was asked to help with the Spirituality track at Further Confusion 2010. It's always been one of my favorite things about FC, so I accepted. It's really exciting to be able to take care of this conversation, and what I hope to do is give people a forum to voice how their spirituality has changed them and driven them to act on the principles of their faith. I know that the current political climate has made this a really unattractive idea, and especially in the furry fandom spirituality hasn't enjoyed the best reputation (*especially* if you're Christian), but I think it's important for us to have a dialogue about how faith can be a tool for something positive.
We don't have to agree about where our spirituality takes us, and we probably never will. But I think it is important for us to realize where we're coming from, and to know how we differ and where we agree. Tolerance and respect don't come from being completely segregated. I think that people of all backgrounds can mingle and even debate with respect. That's what I would love for the Spirituality track to help accomplish.
Right now there isn't much that's solidified, but I would love it if we could find someone to speak about Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Atheism...all with an eye towards a furry bent, of course. I would also love to put together some sort of Sunday morning interfaith service, a spirituality round-table, and other panels designed to encourage dialogue among differing views. If you or someone you know would be interested in helping with this, please let me know. It would be great to hear from you!
Ultimately, spiritual people far too often feel like their faith is something that should only be intimate, that it has no place in the social sphere. I think it's important for us to be mindful of people who have no place for it in their lives, but at the same time I think it's time for us to speak up, not just in words, but in deed. The time has come to say something.
But as I get older I realize the vast importance of speaking and acting on the things you've learned. It's not enough to go up to the mountain and stare at a wall until you've reached enlightenment. It's definitely a good thing, to go into a hermitage, to find your personal connection with the divine in your own way. But every once in a while, you have to come back down. You have to talk about what you know, what you don't, and how each of those pieces make you who you are. Discussion is just as important as silence. Action is just as important as sitting. In order to truly understand a lesson you think you know, you have to find out how it translates from being an idea to being an action. If your spirituality doesn't change how you act, if it doesn't make you more engaged in the world around you, in my opinion it's failing to do its job.
Earlier this year I was asked to help with the Spirituality track at Further Confusion 2010. It's always been one of my favorite things about FC, so I accepted. It's really exciting to be able to take care of this conversation, and what I hope to do is give people a forum to voice how their spirituality has changed them and driven them to act on the principles of their faith. I know that the current political climate has made this a really unattractive idea, and especially in the furry fandom spirituality hasn't enjoyed the best reputation (*especially* if you're Christian), but I think it's important for us to have a dialogue about how faith can be a tool for something positive.
We don't have to agree about where our spirituality takes us, and we probably never will. But I think it is important for us to realize where we're coming from, and to know how we differ and where we agree. Tolerance and respect don't come from being completely segregated. I think that people of all backgrounds can mingle and even debate with respect. That's what I would love for the Spirituality track to help accomplish.
Right now there isn't much that's solidified, but I would love it if we could find someone to speak about Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Atheism...all with an eye towards a furry bent, of course. I would also love to put together some sort of Sunday morning interfaith service, a spirituality round-table, and other panels designed to encourage dialogue among differing views. If you or someone you know would be interested in helping with this, please let me know. It would be great to hear from you!
Ultimately, spiritual people far too often feel like their faith is something that should only be intimate, that it has no place in the social sphere. I think it's important for us to be mindful of people who have no place for it in their lives, but at the same time I think it's time for us to speak up, not just in words, but in deed. The time has come to say something.
