The Orthodox Heretic by Peter Rollins
“Many centuries ago an independent island was attacked by the dictator of a nearby nation, a nation with vast resources and a mighty army. Upon landing on the island, this army moved with little resistance toward the capital city. With less than a day to decide what action to take, the leaders of the island desperately discussed what could be done in the face of the encroaching army. They were hugely outnumbered, out-resourced, and out-skilled, so defeat seemed inevitable.
"Ojibwa Values"
Traditionally the Ojibwa Value the Spiritual Process
For the Ojibwa, values are part of the spiritual journey ... not the destination.
Values are an integral part of every culture. Along with a perception of mankinds' place in the universe and the individuals own personality, cultural values generate behavior.
Cultural values create expectations and behavior patterns without which a culture would disintegrate and its members lose their sense of identy and self worth.
For example, values tell people what is good or bad, right or wrong, important or insignificant, useful or detrimental, beautiful or unattractive. Values are at the root of traditions that groups of people find important in their daily lives.
What are some Ojibwa values?
“An Artist’s Eye” by Keith Basar
This poem is dedicated to my wise, sweet friend M. A person of incalculable passion for life and the path she now excitingly follows.
~K
You were born of the Holy
gifted in ways that few know
and fewer could ever know.
How long has your heart celebrated your poetic flair?
and artistic touch?
that searches the stillness of the night
for its next expression?
Most likely, long before you were born
"The Guest" by Kabir - (Sufi Mystic)
The Guest is inside you, and also inside me;
you know the sprout is hidden inside the seed.
We are all struggling;
none of us has gone far.Let your arrogance go,
and look around inside.
"Teamwork Lessons from the Geese" by Robert McNeish
This fall, when you see Geese heading south for the winter, flying along in ‘V’ formation, you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way. As each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in ‘V’ formation the whole flock adds at least 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front.
“Clouds In Each Paper” by Thich Nhat Hanh
If you are a poet, you will see clearly that there is a cloud floating in this sheet of paper. Without a cloud, there will be no rain; without rain, the trees cannot grow: and without trees, we cannot make paper. The cloud is essential for the paper to exist. If the cloud is not here, the sheet of paper cannot be here either. So we can say that the cloud and the paper inter-are.
“Life is here to break your heart” by Jeff Foster
Life is here to break your heart
over and over again -
until you realize
that heartbreak is life too.
Then your heart can no longer be broken,
or fixed, for that matter.
“Ten Ox-Herding Pictures”
The ten oxherding pictures describe the Zen training path to enlightenment, Folk images are accompanied by poems and commentaries. They depict a young oxherder whose quest leads him to tame, train, and transform his heart and mind, a process that is represented by subduing the ox.
SOURCE: https://tricycle.org/magazine/ten-oxherding-pictures/
“Greatest Gifts” by Dianne Bautch
Would I know such joy
if I had never gotten lost in melancholy?
Would I know such peace
if I’d no need to overcome chaos?
"No-Mind" by Sokei-an Sasaki
One day I wiped out all the notions from my mind. I gave up all desire. I discarded all the words with which I thought and stayed in quietude. I felt a little queer—as if I were being carried into something, or as if I were touching some power unknown to me . . . and Ztt! I entered. I lost the boundary of my physical body…