That was a direct quote from a living Buddhist Spiritual Master who during his lifetime engaged in a profound in depth consideration/investigation of every existing religious and Spiritual tradition, pointing out that the modern West does not have a living Spiritual tradition. And that the Living Divine Reality does not enter in to or grant unique covenants with any human grouping large or small. Or, put in another way such presumptions and their associated God-ideas are purely and only human inventions which subordinate the Living Divine Reality to human intentions and thus, in effect reduce the Living Divine Reality to the slave of human beings, and provide the justifications for all of the horrors that institutional religions inevitably create - sinners always create hell on earth.
I agree that the Modern West does not have a living spiritual tradition. I'm trying to revive mine. The via negativa says what your Buddhist friend says.
And I disagree that we do not have a living tradition - if that were so I would not feel so nourished by the Eucharist whenever and wherever I share it (with one exception - Sunday mass 30 years ago in a huge Catholic Church in Dublin; the priest got through it in about 20 minutes, about 600 received “communion” like so many chickens in an abattoir, and then we all left - hardly surprising the church in Ireland is so ignored). I think the true body of Christ is like one of those rivers in the desert - the river bed is bone dry, but 10 feet below it is damp, and 10 feet below that there is running water.
Just to clarify my remark - the Modern West doesn't have a living spiritual tradition because it hasn't replaced Christianity (which is a living spiritual tradition, although besieged in certain quarters - hence my seeking to revive the CofE)
All the traditions of the dead generations weigh like a nightmare on the brains and hearts of those now living.
You're such a Protestant!!
That was a direct quote from a living Buddhist Spiritual Master who during his lifetime engaged in a profound in depth consideration/investigation of every existing religious and Spiritual tradition, pointing out that the modern West does not have a living Spiritual tradition. And that the Living Divine Reality does not enter in to or grant unique covenants with any human grouping large or small. Or, put in another way such presumptions and their associated God-ideas are purely and only human inventions which subordinate the Living Divine Reality to human intentions and thus, in effect reduce the Living Divine Reality to the slave of human beings, and provide the justifications for all of the horrors that institutional religions inevitably create - sinners always create hell on earth.
I agree that the Modern West does not have a living spiritual tradition. I'm trying to revive mine. The via negativa says what your Buddhist friend says.
And I disagree that we do not have a living tradition - if that were so I would not feel so nourished by the Eucharist whenever and wherever I share it (with one exception - Sunday mass 30 years ago in a huge Catholic Church in Dublin; the priest got through it in about 20 minutes, about 600 received “communion” like so many chickens in an abattoir, and then we all left - hardly surprising the church in Ireland is so ignored). I think the true body of Christ is like one of those rivers in the desert - the river bed is bone dry, but 10 feet below it is damp, and 10 feet below that there is running water.
Just to clarify my remark - the Modern West doesn't have a living spiritual tradition because it hasn't replaced Christianity (which is a living spiritual tradition, although besieged in certain quarters - hence my seeking to revive the CofE)