A blog exploring Zen Deism, meditation meets reason. Combining Deist philosophy with Contemplative practice
Meditation Instructions Here is my contemplative guide to practicing mindfulness meditation (Zen/Vipassana). I. Preparation Posture: Sit upright yet relaxed, either on a cushion or chair. Hands: Hands in the lap, the right hand rests atop the left, palms facing upward. Thumbs may gently touch, forming a soft oval. Eyes: Gently close them to turn attention […]
Meditation Instructions Read Post »
“I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.” – Laozi Simplicity is hard. We complicate things by adding concepts to experience, judgments to concepts, and emotions to judgments. Then we are stressed, anxious, angry, sad, and depressed. Daoism teaches us to return to the now, the here,
The Three Treasures of Daoism Read Post »
Paul Kurtz said, “Briefly stated, a skeptic is one who is willing to question any claim to truth, asking for clarity in definition, consistency in logic, and adequacy of evidence.”1 I am a skeptic; I do not believe what I lack good reasons to believe. Because I am willing to question any belief I hold,
I Am a Skeptic, Are You? Read Post »
It is important to know what counts as evidence. Evidence is objective and verifiable information that supports the probability of a claim being true or false. What is the difference between evidence and proof? Proof is that degree of evidence that warrants belief—that is, when the evidence shows that a claim is probably true. Not
An Evidence-Based Life Read Post »
Philosophy is the pursuit of wisdom, and a philosopher is one in pursuit of wisdom. This is why I call myself a philosopher. The word philosophy comes from the Greek philosophia. The first part, philo, means “friendship” or “love.” The second part, sophia, means “wisdom.” So philosophy literally means “the love of wisdom.” Today, philosophy
What Is Philosophy? Read Post »
Deism, as defined by Dr. Michael Arnheim, is the “Belief in an impersonal creator God who does not get involved in the day-to-day affairs of the world” (1). I describe my spiritual path as spiritual Deism. For me, it’s a natural blending of contemplative practice with the Deist commitment to reason, observation, and a non-personal
What is Spiritual Deism? Read Post »
