Chapter 8

[Cindy]

1. This chapter is about taking refuge in the Dharma ("the way of understanding and love taught by the Buddha; lit. the law"). What would be our Dharma in traditional Christianity? Is it the Bible, as the equivalent of "the law"? Is it "the way of understanding and love taught by Jesus"? Is it the Trinity, as he suggests at one point?

2. In contrast to Question #1, where I asked about traditional Christianity, let's consider the question in a more personal way. Where do you take refuge? What gives you peace? What is it that you return to, time and time again, to guide your life?

3. TNH explains the difference between "devotion" and "transformational practice." How does this difference play out in our own lives? In what ways do we have "devotion" but not "practice"? Could his explanation simply mean we have to "practice what we preach" or is it more than that?

4. "We all need something good, beautiful, and true to believe in." Right now there is so much bad in the world. (I know it's not just "right now," but right now it feels so pervasive.) Violence erupting everywhere we turn, gun violence that is out of control, hateful attitudes from candidates hoping to reach the highest office in our land, and the list goes on. What is your "something good, beautiful, and true to believe in"?

5. I admit to an inadequate understanding of the Greek Orthodox church. I did not know about their belief in "deification, that a person is a microcosm of God." What do you think of this idea? Is it consistent with your own beliefs? Do you agree that "God made humans so that humans can become God"? Are we mini-Gods? What are the possibilities and dangers of this idea?

6. "When we invoke the Buddha's name, we evoke the same Buddha-qualities in ourselves." In what ways/contexts do we invoke Jesus' name or God's name? Does it work to evoke the God-qualities in ourselves?

7. "If Christians who invoke the name of Jesus are only caught up in the words, they may lose sight of the life and teaching of Jesus." I have heard Protestants say that Catholics don't really pray because they say the Lord's Prayer so fast, it doesn't mean anything. I find this to be a harsh and unfair criticism, especially since we Protestants can say the prayer with no true regard to its meaning. In what other ways do we lose sight of what we claim?

8. Near the end of the chapter, the author talks about the importance of practicing behind mindful, or going to our island of mindfulness, when life is calm so that it will be a natural thing to do (or place to go) when life is hard. Have you found this to be true? In what ways have you done this or not, and what difference does it make?

9. In the last paragraph the author says "Taking refuge in the Trinity is at the foundation of every Christian practice." Would you agree with this statement?

Any other thoughts you'd like to share?

[Judy]

When I read your comments about Catholics in #7 I recalled being in college and attending a Catholic church with a friend and thinking the same thing - everyone spoke so fast and "by rote", so how could they possibly be paying attention to the words?? But now I can imagine that the act of repeating the same words can be a kind of mantra that puts you in Prayer Mode. It's like developing the skill of being mindful in #8 where you practice it when you're calm so that you can do it when things get crazy. And in the Episcopal church where I grew up, I always found it meditative and prayerful to recite prayers and responses that I knew by heart. It goes beyond the literal translation of the text to an attitude of prayer and mindfulness.