"The coolness of Buddhism isn’t indifference but the distance one gains on emotions, the quiet place from which to regard the turbulence. From far away you see the pattern, the connections, and the thing as a whole, see all the islands and the routes between them.”
--Rebecca Solnit

"Happiness is a how; not a what. A talent, not an object."
--Hermann Hesse

This is lovely. Prominent religious leaders from various faiths call on us to make friends with followers of religious beliefs different from our own.

“The ego is not a thing. The ego is a circular pattern of thinking.”
—Adyashanti

"Modern-day fundamentalist evangelical Christians in the U.S. simply assume that Christianity is primarily concerned with who gets to go to Heaven, and that it is normal for Christians to assert that their way–and only their way–is the right way, while every other religion is deficient or wrong.  Ironically, the only other world religion that has this same extreme exclusivistic tendency is radical Islam."

--Daniel P. Coleman, Am I a Christian?

“When you realize you’re a verb, life is easier.”

--Adyashanti

Speculation on the Mount by John McNamee

Source: https://thenib.com/speculation-on-the-mount

“Holiness is God’s ability to confront evil without being defiled. God’s holiness does not require him to keep evil at arm’s length. God’s holiness enables Him to take the wicked in His arms and transform them. God is never in danger of being defiled. No evil can alter His love, for His gracious character is beyond corruption. This is what it means to say God is holy—God’s love is incorruptible. Holiness and love are not competing commitments. God is love. His love endures forever. This enduring love is what makes God holy. No manner of evil done to us or by us can separate us from this love. God transforms His morally imperfect children through the power of His perfect love. It is our experience of this love that inspires us to such perfection. Jesus said, ‘Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect’ (Matt. 5:48). If this verse was a command for moral perfection, our cause is hopeless. Fortunately, this admonition follows a command to ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you’ (Matt. 5:44). Perfection is demonstrated not by moral purity, but by extravagant love. We are like God not when we are pure, but when we are loving and gracious.”

 

--Philip Gulley and James Mulholland, If Grace Is True: Why God Will Save Every Person

 

 

“Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody’s business. What we are asked to do is to love, and this love itself will render both ourselves and our neighbors worthy.”

— Thomas Merton

"How lovely would it be to treat one’s spiritual path like this: an awareness that the path is open, the path is everywhere, the path is the destination, and that what matters is to walk the path, be on the path. It is true, as the sages say, a journey of a thousand steps begins with one step."

--Omid Safi, The Sacred Path is the One We're On

"I try to be circumspect about weighing in on news events, but this Kathy Griffin thing has me intrigued from a theological perspective."

Continued at:  http://www.patheos.com/blogs/danielpcoleman/2017/05/selective-grace/