The idea of home runs deep through all of us. On one hand it simply means the house where we live, or the hometown we come from. But the idea of home has deeper and broader meaning when seen through the lens of religion. Home means belonging. It means being seen, being known, being loved. … Continue reading Walking Each Other Home
Summit Friend, Peter Bolland, will again be gracing our pulpit. He will be sharing how time spent in the wilderness restores us. He’ll be referencing Thoreau, Emerson, John Muir, Thich Nhat Hanh, and reading a poem by Mary Oliver. About the Speaker: Peter Bolland is professor of philosophy and humanities and department chair at Southwestern … Continue reading The Wisdom of the Wilderness
As Buddha lay dying he told his monks to remember that “All forms come into being and all forms go out of being.” Anitya, or impermanence, is at the heart of Buddhist wisdom, as it is at the heart of many of the world’s wisdom traditions. But why is it so hard for us to … Continue reading Meditations on Impermanence
Wisdom traditions around the world counsel us to “let go.” In Hinduism it’s called renunciation, in Buddhism it’s non-attachment, in Daoism it’s wu-wei, and in Christianity it’s kenosis (emptying out). But what does that really mean? Let go of what? And why? Let’s explore the deeper meanings of these spiritual teachings, and the practical impact … Continue reading What Letting Go Really Means
Buddhism is many things—a philosophy, a religion, and a way of life. Join us as we explore some of the many ways Buddhist insights inform, comfort, and shake us awake from our complacency. “Budh” is Sanskrit for “awake.” To what extent are we asleep? And what would it mean to wake up? What insights can … Continue reading Buddhist Wisdom
In traditional mainline Christianity this is the season of Lent. But what does Lent mean in the Unitarian Universalist movement, and across New Thought in general? As we reframe traditional understandings of sin and atonement, how might this ancient ritual of conscious renunciation be revitalized to serve our evolving needs and aspirations? How might periods … Continue reading Lent for the Rest of Us
Description: Is it enough to have all the right ideas, doctrines, and understandings? Or is what we do just as important as what we believe? What if wisdom is not something you know, but something you are? Join us as we consider what Buddhism, Confucianism, and the Gospels have to teach us about these perennial questions. How might we better … Continue reading Spirituality in Action
In 1832 Ralph Waldo Emerson left his position as a Unitarian minister and went on to become an influential writer and speaker whose ideas had a deep impact on the Unitarian Universalist movement and American spirituality in general. By blending his interest in Hindu spirituality, progressive Christian mysticism, and the urgency of the anti-slavery movement, … Continue reading Humanism and Spirituality
