What Can a Theology-Without-Walls Contribute to a Secular Age?

By Julius-Kei Kato, PhD 

These are some random thoughts I have on this topic which I will present at this year’s AAR session of the movement Theology Without Walls (November 24, 2024, San Diego, CA)

[00] Introduction: From a ‘Religion of God’ to a ‘Religion of Life’

The urgency of theology being in dialogue with secularity is obvious: Many of us are located right smack in the middle of very secularized people and contexts. Hence, I’m asking: What can ‘Theology Without Walls’ (henceforward, TWW) contribute to this conversation? 

Above everything else though, let me point out that there is this contemporary phenomenon in which the kind of “religion” (Note that I take “religion” here to mean “a passionate devotion to something”) … so, the kind of ‘religion’ unconsciously professed by a great many people in secular contexts, it seems, has undergone a seismic shift in the recent past. It has effectively shifted from a religion centered on ‘God’ (theos), to a religion centered on “life” (I mean the Greek: zoé), not just “life in general,” but rather: life in the here and now. Hence, the operative religion of many people we know (perhaps even the religion we ourselves follow without being fully aware of it) can be called a “religion of life.” And this is often true even if people can still identify with a traditional kind of religious faith.

To elaborate, the prevalent situation in which many of us are located, particularly in the West (and in Westernized contexts around the world), is one in which the primary “devotion” (to use a traditional, religious-sounding term) or—to use a more neutral term—the primary “concern” of many … perhaps most(?) people is no longer directed to a theistic notion of God (still the operative notion of God in many churches). No, the utmost concern, (I like to use) “devotion” of many people has shifted instead to ‘life itself in the here and now’. Back to my basic question: Can TWW explore and suggest alternative meaning systems/new paths of religion or spirituality that are more relevant in our contexts today as conventional ideas of God and religion, hitherto prevalent in the West, are increasingly fading away? That would be an elaborate version of my burning question.

This presentation is something like my two-cents worth on this topic.

[01] What is Theology “Without Walls”? (How I understand it)

I guess it’s good to start with TWW’s opposite—Theology WITH walls (TWiW) aka, traditional theology. Theology WITH Walls, we can say, is a particular religious community’s “inner discourse” regarding—what the community considers—ultimate matters. In the Western religious tradition, “the Ultimate” has commonly taken the form of theos or “God.” Since it is “insider talk,” the community itself, namely, its own authority structure, is the ultimate arbiter of the discourse. Outsiders should not interfere. We can say that this way of doing theology has serious limitations because it is a product of in-breeding, in a certain sense. It can listen and try to learn from others. And sometimes, it does. But the fundamental stance it takes (especially for well-established religious communities) is that our community’s “discourse about God” is the “the best” … at least for us.

TWW is (or at least aims to be) the antithesis of that. It proposes that theology CANNOT and SHOULD NOT remain an “insider discourse.” It proposes to break down the walls of the enterprise of theology. Theology, it proposes, in the sense of “Discourse regarding Ultimacy” is common to humanity because seeking ultimacy or transcendence is a deeply hardwired human pursuit.

In this endeavor, theology without walls can consider secularism as an ally. How so? (The following is from philosopher John Caputo’s explanation) “Secular” refers to a public order where ideally there is no one who has hegemony or control over others. Hence, it includes the separation of church and state so that each would not interfere with the affairs of the other. Instead, there is the existence and acceptance of a plurality of opinions (including religious ones). The secular order is envisioned then to be an open-ended, polymorphic, polyvocal order which includes diverse voices saying all sorts of things. In principle, anyone in a secular society has the right to ask any question. (This is from an online talk of Caputo at The Wheatly Institution)

In such a context, if there be any “discourse about ultimacy/transcendence” (aka, theology), it necessarily has to be “without walls,” that is, an “open-ended, polymorphic, polyvocal order of diverse sorts of people saying all sorts of things. In a secular context, one cannot take refuge in “insider’s discourses” about ultimacy or about God.

The Noble Eightfold Path as Expressed by Thich Nhat Hanh

 

Youtube link in the public domain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toVNeTrwbtc&list=PLV7Diz4DTv4nv-RTpS-0QuDNHUh0b1OLP&index=23

This is a continuation of Thich Nhat Hanh’s teaching on the Four Noble Truths. The fourth truth is described there as “the path to well-being.” This teaching below is an elaboration of that path that leads to well-being. Similar to what I said about TNH’s teaching on the Four Noble Truths, now I also affirm that this simple teaching of Master TNH on the Noble Eightfold Path is one of the best I’ve encountered because it is very deep yet easy to understand. TNH, one can see, is really a master teacher. May this transcription help us all to let this teaching permeate our inner beings and lead to effective practice! (thanks to my Research Assistant Aimee Paradis for help in the transcription!) -jkk

Right View

(00:01) The Noble Eightfold Path comprises eight elements. The first element we spoke of this morning is Right View. Right View is the kind of view that is free from all wrong views, born from notions like being/non-being, birth and death, coming/going, sameness and otherness, and so on. Right View is a kind of insight that helps us to be liberated from all kinds of discrimination, dualism. You are no longer caught between left and right, above and below, white and black, inside and outside, creator and creature, and so on. We remove all pairs of opposites. This is the ultimate truth. And sometimes it's called Nirvana, sometimes it's called Maha Prajnaparamita, the great insight that has the power to transport us to the other shore, the shore of freedom.

(1:48) Based on Right View -- non-discrimination, non-separation, non-dualism, then we can practice Right Thinking. Right Thinking is the kind of thinking that goes along the line of Right View. No discrimination, no separation. You are in me; I am in you. There is no discrimination whatsoever. And all of us know [that] a lot of suffering has been created on the basis of discrimination. Religious discrimination, racial discrimination and all kinds of discrimination. We have to practice in order to help remove discrimination in the mind of people. Right Thinking is the kind of thinking that produces understanding and compassion. We can, at any time, produce a thought in the line of Right Thinking. A thought free from discrimination, a thought full of understanding and compassion. As a practitioner, we can produce a thought like that several times a day. As soon as you are able to produce a thought of reconciliation, of compassion, of understanding, that thought begins to heal us and heal the world. Right Thinking can heal the world, can save the world. And wrong thinking can destroy the world. Wrong thinking can lead to suicide, can lead to terrorism, and so on. If we cultivate the Right View, then our thinking will be Right Thinking.

Right Thinking

(4:19) Suppose we produce a thought of anger, of fear, of hate, of despair. That's not good for our health. If we keep producing thoughts of hate, fear, despair, we'll destroy our body and mind, and destroy the world. That is why, as a good practitioner, we have to cultivate the practice of Right Thinking. Our thoughts should be characterized by non-discrimination, mutual understanding and compassion. We understand the suffering inside and the suffering of the other people of the world. From there, compassion arises. And thinking like that is very healing. And we need a teacher, and need fellow practitioners in order to support us, to guide us in the practice of Right Thinking. Right Thinking can change the world and save the world.

Right Speech

(5:43) With the foundation of Right View, we can practice Right Speech. Anything we say has the power to inspire people, to restore faith, to restore communication, to reconcile, to help people feel better, to show the way. That is the right kind of speech that we practice. Right Speech, or loving speech, goes along with compassionate listening. That is the objective of the Fourth Mindfulness Training. Many of us have received The Five Trainings this morning, and the Fourth is about the practice of Right Speech and Deep Listening. The practice of Right Speech and Deep Listening helps us restore communication and reconcile. A few days of practice can already help. When you are able to see the suffering in the other person, when we have the intention to help him or her suffer less, then we are already ready to practice Deep Listening and Loving Speech in order to restore communication and to reconcile. The miracle of reconciliation always takes place in our retreats.

(7:37) When we write a letter, when we send an email, or use our mobile phone, we can very well practice Right Speech. It can restore communication. It can inspire people. It can make a person happy right away. "Darling, I'm here for you." "Darling, I know you are there. That makes me very happy." "Darling, I know that you have difficulties. I'm here for you." All these kinds of practices can help bring relief and healing. As a good practitioner, we are able to practice loving speech several times a day. It does not cost anything. It can restore communication. It can make a person happy right away. Be generous because the other person has good seeds in him or her. If you recognize the good seeds in him or her, they will become a happy person, and you will profit from his or her happiness. Effects come very quickly.

The Four Noble Truths as expressed by Thich Nhat Hanh

 

Youtube Link in the public domain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dy-RI3FrdGA&list=PLV7Diz4DTv4nv-RTpS-0QuDNHUh0b1OLP&index=22

[jkk] I’ve come across many different ways to express the core Buddhist teaching of the Four Noble Truths but this iteration by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (TNH), hands down, is by far my favourite. It makes the four noble truths really easy to understand and directly leads to practice. Here is a transcription of TNH’s online teaching for those who would like to follow it more closely as a text. Special thanks to Aimee Paradis for this transcription!

***

… because if there is no suffering, there is no happiness. If there is no left, there is no right. If there is no above, there will be no below. That is the teaching of Interbeing in Buddhism. This is because that is. The teaching of the Four Noble Truths should be understood in that light.

The First Noble Truth: Suffering (1:27)

Suffering, ill-being, is a noble truth. You will ask the question, "What is so noble about suffering?" (Laughter). But suffering, ill-being, is also as noble as the path. The First Noble Truth is ill-being, Dukkha. [苦]. It is the mud; it is the garbage; it is the suffering. You know that if suffering is there, something is there also at the same time. Like the left and the right. If you confirm the existence of the left, you have to confirm the existence of the right because the left can never be without the right. If politically you are on the left, don't wish for the right to disappear entirely. (Laughter). Because if the right disappears entirely, you will disappear also. That is the teaching of Interbeing (sahabhū 俱生).

(3:16) Cùng (Vietnamese) means “being.” You are together. "Being together" means you cannot be by yourself alone. You have to inter-be with all of us. If the right is not there, the left cannot be there either. So, when God said, "Let the light be," the light said, "My Lord, I shall have to wait." And God said, "What do you have to wait for?" "I wait for the darkness, so that we can manifest together." And God said, "But the darkness is already there." And the light said, "In that case, I'm already there." (Laughter). Because the right and the left, they can only inter-are. They cannot be by themselves alone. The above and the below is the same. The subject and the object. The creator and the creature, the created. All pairs of opposites are like that.

The Third Noble Truth (4:35)

That is why, when the Buddha confirms the existence of ill-being, he confirms at the same time the existence of well-being. If well-being is not there, ill-being cannot be there either. Well-being is the Third Noble Truth. That is the cessation of ill-being. Well-being means the cessation of ill-being. The same thing. It is like light. Light is the absence of darkness. If darkness is not there, light should be there. That is why when we confirm the truth of ill-being, we confirm naturally the existence of well-being. The left and the right. Suffering cannot be by herself alone. Suffering has to inter-be with happiness. They are a pair of opposites among many pairs of opposites. Like birth and death, beginning and ending, being, non-being.

(6:25) Later on, in this retreat, we will learn how to transcend pairs of opposites in order to touch the ultimate, Nirvana (our nature of no-birth and no-death) and transcend all kinds of fears and discrimination. So, confirming ill-being, you confirm, at the same time, well-being as something that is possible. Then if there is ill-being, there must be a way of life that leads to ill-being. A path leading to ill-being. Your way of life. You have lived in such a way that has made ill-being possible. So looking into the First Noble Truth, you can see the Second Noble Truth, which is the making of ill-being, Samudaya (2. the making of ill-being "集). You don't have to look for the Second Noble Truth elsewhere. Just look into the First Noble Truth and you find the second.

(8:05) Suppose you have a depression. Your depression represents ill-being. If you look deeply into your depression, you will find out where it has come from. You have lived in such a way in the last six months that it has made your depression possible. So looking in the First Noble Truth, we can see the Second Noble Truth. You have consumed in such a way that makes ill-being possible. In Buddhism, we speak of the making of ill-being also as a path. The path leading to ill-being. The Fourth Noble Truth is also a path, but a path leading to well-being. The path of well-being.

Today’s "Spirituality Revolution" Happening in Our Midst: Its Relevance and Main Characteristics

 

By: Julius-Kei Kato, SSL, PhD

These thoughts are the result of my reading of Dr. David Tacey's The Spirituality Revolution [henceforth, SR]: The Rise of Contemporary Spirituality (2004), as well as my own various reflections, research, and experiences related to this theme. [jkk] 

[1] There is an Ongoing "Spirituality Revolution" Today |  Many studies and surveys show that there is a high level of interest in—what we can call—"spirituality" today among people from all backgrounds and persuasions, surprisingly even those who are not interested in traditional and organized “religion.” Of course, the term "spirituality” itself is difficult to define in a simple way because there are many ways to understand it. I usually explain spirituality as the quest to live not superficially but more deeply, not egoistically but for something bigger than one’s selfish interests. Hence, spirituality—as I understand it—is a quest for “deeper and bigger”; in fancier terms, it is a quest for “depth and transcendence.” Spirituality (or cultivating your own spirituality) is deeply and fundamentally a human trait (or a human activity). It is the core of all religion (SR, p. 87) but, as is common today, it does not have to be linked with organized religion.

In other words, one can be both spiritual and religious, or one can even be—as the common buzzword today states—“spiritual but not religious.” To share my own self-perception, I describe myself as “spiritual but not-and yet religious” to express both my deep ambiguity toward the dark sides of organized religion yet, at the same time, also my deep recognition of religion’s ongoing importance for myself and many others in today’s world.

Spirituality is not per se an enemy of religious faith. But it will definitely make a believer seek the core and the origin of one’s religious faith. And in that process, the spiritual seeker-believer discovers both the wholesome and the dark sides of religion. This is the reason why “spiritual” people are sometimes viewed as “rebels.” They try to call out and reform the religious traditions to purify themselves and return to their authentic roots.

Australian professor of humanities Dr. David Tacey, who observes trends in spirituality in contemporary society, is convinced that we are actually in the midst of—what he calls—a "spirituality revolution" today. Being myself a professor who teaches religion & spirituality courses to young adults at a liberal arts university, I strongly agree with him. I have experienced firsthand this spiritual thirst among many young people at the university. This seems ironical because a lot of these same young people do not affiliate with institutional forms of religion.

Tacey’s central premise in the abovementioned book (The Spirituality Revolution [SR]) is this: “We are entering a new aeon, governed by a new ethos and a new spirit. The secular period has peaked and is drawing to a close. The dry, arid wasteland of the modern era is being eclipsed by something new, and it is still too early to determine exactly what it is” (SR p. 16, numbers in parentheses refer to pages in Tacey’s book).

[2] A "Post-Secular" Age |  Linked with this contemporary heightened interest in spirituality is the fact that we are living at present in--what some call--a "post-secular" age. What that means is, many people (particularly, youth and young adults) have moved beyond a purely secular worldview (one that is fundamentally materialistic and dogmatically scientific but unable to provide people with a deeper meaning for their human existence) into something else that (happily, I think!) is open to and includes spiritual and transcendent realities. In other words, being a dogmatic materialist (“I only believe what I can see and touch”) is no longer cool. Being “spiritual” is actually “in” to such an extent that I have seen a study that says, saying you are “spiritual” makes you more attractive as a date.

Tacey bases his claim of a spiritual revolution mainly from his experience of observing firsthand the spirituality movement "from below,” that is, the spiritual ferment happening among the youth who take his courses at the university setting. In his book, he mentions a famous line from a poem titled "Dover Beach" (by British poet Matthew Arnold) which proclaimed (in 1867!) that the "sea of faith" (referring to some parts of Western Europe at the time) has come to be at a low tide. Going back to our present day, in light of the heightened interest in spirituality today, Tacey disagrees with the line from Dover’s Beach. He actually thinks we are once again at "high tide" about matters of the spirit, hence, his claim of a present-day "spirituality revolution" (SR, p. 21). And I definitely agree with him.

[3] The Spirituality Revolution as Evidenced in the Contemporary Quest for Spirituality |  To describe this current spirituality revolution more concretely, let's try to identify its main characteristics. We can observe some important common trends from the experiences of many people today who are seeking and questing for a more meaningful spirituality. These trends seem to form a set of principles and practices that can give a deeper meaning to life in the midst of the many challenges of our contemporary age.

Let me start by enumerating some common themes that—we can say—are characteristic of the common quest for spirituality particularly in the West (and in Westernized contexts) today. These themes all express a quest for—what I often express as—"inner depth & self-transcendence.” However, that quest includes the following prominent features that relate to: the body, the feminine, gender equality, nature & ecology, the desire for a greater wholeness, the struggle for social justice and peace, among others. To organize these various themes more systematically, I'll group them into three big areas that I will label as follows: (1) creation spirituality (SR, p. 84); (2) spirituality as a quest for greater wholeness, depth, and transcendence (SR, pp. 80-91); (3) the struggle to attain greater social justice & peace, especially for the marginalized and oppressed (SR, pp. 66, 147-48).

Compassion/The Golden Rule as a Plan, a Discipline, and a Process for Building a Better World

 

(image is from The Cleveland Clinic)

by Julius-Kei Kato, SSL, PhD

[1] Personal Context |  I teach biblical and religious studies at King’s University College, a liberal arts college that is part of a public university in Ontario Canada. Among the courses I regularly teach is an advanced seminar on religious pluralism. One of our goals in that course is learning to work together for the common good in order to shape a brighter future despite being members of different religious communities or not at all.

[2] Strategies for Finding Common Ground |  To that end, at a certain point in the course, I introduce students to some possible strategies for ‘finding common ground among religions’ in our current societies (especially in the West) which are characterized by diversity, pluralism, and secularism. The last time I taught the course (Fall of 2023), these were the four strategies that I introduced to my students:  (1) the Perennial Philosophy (By this I mean: developing a spirituality that might lead to finding commonality even among people who have different religious/faith traditions); (2) The Global Ethic promoted by the Parliament of the World’s Religions; (3) The Charter for Compassion advocated by well-known historian  of religions and prolific author, Karen Armstrong; and (4) The Principles for Dialogue formulated by prominent Catholic ecumenist Prof. Leonard Swidler of Temple University (Philadelphia).

All four, I’m convinced, are excellent strategies for finding common ground among different spiritual-wisdom traditions but here I would like to focus my reflections on the third strategy, namely, the value and force of compassion, expressed in a declaration called “The Charter for Compassion” formulated by historian of religion Karen Armstrong. This so-called Charter for Compassion is in turn fundamentally based on the Golden Rule which, as you know well, is found at the heart of, and advocated by practically all world religions. I will also add this important observation: the effort to deepen this spirituality (of compassion) in individuals and communities is not only a narcissistic, selfish self-development program but is connected deeply with the advancement of the common good in society because it involves a deeper awareness that we are truly all interconnected with each other. That will hopefully lead to concrete practices and strategies for ‘working together for a brighter future’. I would also like to suggest that the value and practice of compassion should be given more priority in all the groups that are included in the category “civil society”.

[3] Compassion and The Golden Rule |  There is a TED talk given by Armstrong entitled “Let’s revive the Golden Rule.” It is an excellent piece, and my reflections here will follow closely what she says in that manifesto-lecture on compassion, its relation to the Golden Rule, and how compassion can be made a force for the common good in society and how it can help people from different backgrounds and traditions to work for a brighter future.

[see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhHJ4DRZNZM ]

It is very clear that compassion has a central place in all the major spiritual-wisdom traditions of the world. (“Spiritual-wisdom traditions” is how I often call the various religions of the world.) If you dig into these spiritual-wisdom traditions, you will surely meet with a version of what is called “The Golden Rule,” formulated either in a positive or negative phrasing.

For example, the words of Jesus expressing the Golden Rule found in the Gospel of Matthew (7:12) is an example of a positive formulation: “Do unto others what you want them to do unto you.” While the version that the Chinese sage Confucius (credited by some as the first who formulated the Golden Rule) is usually put in the negative form: “Do not do to others what you would not like them to do to you.”

[a quote from Karen Armstrong’s work] Confucius was the first, as far as we know, to enunciate the Golden Rule. This was some five hundred years before Christ. His disciples asked Confucius, “Master, which of your teachings can we put into practice all day and every day? What is the central thread that runs through all your teachings?” And Confucius said tsu [shu 恕], “likening to the self.” You look into your own heart, discover what gives you pain, and then refuse under any circumstances to inflict that pain on anybody else. Do not do to others what you would not like them to do to you. Confucius believed that if we did that consistently—all day, every day—then we would gradually leave ourselves behind, because compassion requires you to dethrone yourself from the center of your world and to put another there. [See: https://www.lionsroar.com/the-golden-rule/]

I’d like to emphasize by way of commentary what Confucius seemed to be explaining. It seems, he was trying to communicate the following: Look into your heart; find out what gives you pain; then resolve under any circumstance not to inflict that pain to others. Moreover, Confucius taught that this has to be done “all day and every day!” And not just, say, once a day, in order to fulfill what is sometimes called “our good deed of the day.”

The Nine Attitudes of Mindfulness -as proposed by Jon Kabat-Zinn

 "Mindfulness is a source of happiness." (Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh)

Transcription by Danielle Durand, MA (Thanks, Danielle!)

Source: https://youtu.be/2n7FOBFMvXg?t=4 (full video)

Video Published: 2015-04-24 / Accessed: 2021-07-12

About Jon Kabat-Zinn (timestamp 0:09)

 

Here, professor (of Medicine) and renowned mindfulness teacher Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, talks about the 9 Attitudes of Mindfulness, how to use them in our Mindfulness practice and daily life.

Jon is the founder of the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He is also the founder of its renowned Stress Reduction Clinic. He teaches mindfulness and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in various venues around the world.

 

Introductory Remarks (timestamp 0:20)

The cultivation of mindfulness—of moment to moment non-judgmental awareness—is, really—it sounds very simple, but it's actually just about the hardest work in the world for human beings because we get so caught up in our conditioned states of mind, and when we begin to

cultivate awareness, it's really important to bring a certain attitudinal approach to it so that we're not trying to force anything to happen, or sit in a kind of rigid posture, or attain some special state that will, you know, that we sort of think, “ah, that's what it is,” “I'll be enlightened” or “I'll just be permanently wise,” or “I'll be this,” or “I'll be that.” The problem isn't actually with the enlightenment, or the permanently wise, or anything like that. The problem is with the personal pronouns “I,” “me,” and “mine.” They are very, very problematic because who we think we are and who we actually are, are very different, and there's a huge separation. What we think we are is very, very small compared to who we actually are. And so, when we are cultivating mindfulness in MBSR or with people, we encourage a certain kind of attitude that's brought to the formal and informal practices that you can keep in mind through your daily life as well. And these attitudes—there are seven of them—that I put in Full-Catastrophe Living when I was writing it because it really felt like if you bring—if you start to cultivate acceptance, if you start to cultivate non-striving, if you start to cultivate letting go or letting be, if you start to cultivate trust and patience—that these qualities can be cultivated in everyday life—with your children, with your parents, with your partner or spouse, with your colleagues at work. And so, it's a way of reinforcing and deepening the actual formal and informal meditation practices.

This lecture primarily outlines the seven (+2) essential attitudes of mindfulness and practices to implement them in our daily lives.

***

Attitude 1: Beginner’s Mind (timestamp 2:36)

Beginner's mind is a lovely orientation to bring to the present moment. This moment is always fresh, always new—we've never been in this one before—and yet, we bring so many ideas, and attitudes, and desires to every moment that we can't actually allow ourselves, much of the time, to see things as if for the first time. Imagine bringing awareness to your children with beginner's mind so that you actually see them not through your lenses of ideas and opinions about your children, but fresh—the miracle of them, the amazing nature of them— so this is something that we could bring to any moment. [it has the virtue of.] Sometimes, we're so expert that our minds are just full of, you know, our expertise, but it leaves us without any realm for novelty or new possibilities. In the mind of the expert, they say there are very few possibilities, but in the beginner's mind there are infinite possibilities because we come to it fresh. So, it's a kind of a discipline to try to bring beginner's mind to every aspect of your life and not be so stuck in our ideas and opinions about how much we like this or don't like that or what the outcome of a particular situation might be. And when we come to things with this freshness. It actually, again, has tremendous transformative qualities associated with it. And when you bring it to other people, and you're open and spacious with them, and don't insist that they be the way they were half an hour ago or two years ago—or whatever it is— they feel seen, and recognized, and met in a way that they might not otherwise experience. That benefits them, and it also benefits us.

Attitude 2: Non-Judging (timestamp 5:04)

Non-judging is a very important element of mindfulness practice and, in fact, is part of my working definition of mindfulness, which is the awareness that arises through paying attention on purpose in the present moment non-judgmentally. And the non-judgmentally is the real challenge because when you start to pay attention to what's on your mind, you very rapidly discover that we have ideas and opinions about everything—just about everything—and we're always judging things in terms of “I like that,” “I don't like that,” “I want that,” “I don't want that,” “this is good,” “that's bad,” and it's like a steady stream of judging, judging, judging, judging, judging. So, when we speak of mindfulness is being non-judgmental awareness, it doesn't mean that there won't be judgments; it means that [you're] you will be aware of how judgmental we actually are, and then not judge the judging. And when we relate to it in that kind of a way, then we begin to see that that our judging is very often black and white; it's either this or that, this or that, good or bad, like, dislike, want, don't want. And we get imprisoned by that kind of view. 

But being non-judgmental doesn't mean that all of a sudden you get stupid and think, “Well, I'm not going to be judgmental, so I'll just walk out in the street in front of an oncoming truck. What difference does it make?” No—it means that we will cultivate discernment (this is the capacity to see what's actually unfolding) but not to judge it, but to recognize it and to understand it in relationship to our experience. So, when we speak about non-judgmental awareness that's what we're talking about—we're talking about a very fine degree of discernment of clarity, of wisdom, of understanding the interconnections between things and, at the same time, noticing the tendency to judge quite quickly—like, don't like, want, don't want—and to recognize that that actually creates a kind of veil or a filter in front of our eyes that doesn't allow us to see the thing—to see things as they are, but to only see them through the lenses of our own ideas and opinions, and likes and dislikes, which is practically blinding to us. So, there—this is a wonderful discipline: the cultivation of awareness of judging and the cultivation of being gently non-judgmental, or not judging the judging that we do discover in ourselves. And over days, weeks, months, and years, we can begin to actually find a way to navigate through our judging in such a way that it no longer dominates our lives in quite the same way. And we recognize when it comes up that it's actually, in some sense, toxic. And the more we challenge it, and the more we rest in discernment and in pure awareness, the more we can live life authentically in the present moment without getting caught by our own habits of mind—unhealthy, if you will, habits of mind.

Attitude 3: Acceptance (timestamp 8:57)

Acceptance is a very active process—there's nothing passive about it. It's not passive resignation, but it's an active recognition that things are actually the way they are. Sometimes, they're not the way we want them to be. So, acceptance doesn't mean that we can't work to change the world or to change circumstances of one kind or another, but it means that unless we accept things as they are, we will try to force things to be as they are not, and that can create an enormous amount of difficulty. If we recognize the actuality of things, then we have the potential to apply wisdom in that situation to actually shift our own relationship to what is occurring in ways that might be profoundly healing and transformative. But without acceptance of one’s situation, then it's very difficult to know where to stand, and without knowing where to stand, it's very difficult to take the first step. So, some things are very hard to accept, like when it's something—when you experience pain, for instance, and you don't—in your body—and you don't know what it's from, it's very, very difficult to accept it because we—first, we want to know what it's coming from. And if we don't have any answer for what is causing the pain, then it can be very, very difficult to accept it. But what we find working with chronic pain patients is that before you can actually work with pain and suffering, you need to actually put out the welcome mat for it and accept it as it is because whatever has been done medically that could be done has been done, and you're still living with a certain degree of pain. What our people with chronic pain who come to our clinic experience is that there’s a lot of different ways to actually work with pain, but the first step is to actually put out the welcome mat for it, which is very hard to do when you're suffering, but it's actually a gateway into freedom from suffering. So, that's one of the most powerful ways in which acceptance can be brought to bear on healing and transforming one's life and is a very, very powerful factor and is a very, very powerful attitude in the cultivation of mindfulness.

Spiritual Quests & Optimal Living: How They're Intimately Connected

 

Ordinary Human Life as a Spiritual Quest

I've recently renamed my public Facebook page to "JK Kato-Spiritual Quests & Optimal Living." (LINK) Formerly it had a long and clunky name: "JK Kato-Studying the Human Quest for Depth & Transcendence."

Why? The new name reflects my growing conviction that human life--every aspect of it--is a spiritual quest, a quest which is nevertheless rooted in ordinary life with all its ups and downs. That means: Don't be afraid of "spiritual quests"! A spiritual quest is not an elite activity that is beyond the reach of ordinary people like you and me.

Rather, simply put, the spiritual quest actually consists in trying to live an "Optimal Life" (a key expression for me now), which is nothing else than trying our darned best to be the best versions of ourselves in the different situations where we find ourselves. 

In Japanese, one of the most common expressions for encouraging others is the expression "Gambare!" (頑張れ). That basically means "Do your best!" It also includes though this nuance: (Do you best) 'under all the different circumstances where you find yourself'. For me, "optimal living" then, simply put, basically means --what in Japanese is-- gambaru ("doing your best"). Thus, the spirituality of optimal living is simply a Gambaru Seishin (頑張る精神), a spirituality of doing one's best in every given moment.

Another way of putting it would be the following:  Optimal living is "showing up as the best version of yourself" in every moment of life. That is life-coach, optimal living philosopher Brian Johnson's dynamic rendering. To that let me add the important word: "mindfully." Therefore, my fuller description of optimal living is: While being mindful of where we are and what we face, we try to be the best version of ourself in every moment of life.

Now an important caveat: Optimal living is NOT perfectionism. The former is healthy because it is firmly based on reality and takes account of our different limitations; the latter can be unwholesome because it tends to have unrealistic demands. 

So, What's "Spiritual" about All This?

If "optimal living" (that is, "mindfully showing up as your best self at every given moment") is practically what a "spiritual quest" is all about, you may be asking: What is "spiritual" about that? Isn't that just an ordinary "human" goal and endeavor?

Yes, that's a very important question and here are my thoughts about it.

The great spiritual traditions of the world have always reminded us that each one of us, as well as all beings and all things in the whole universe, are part of a BIGGER REALITY. The spiritual traditions have called that Greater Reality by different names: "God", "the Spirit", "Nirvana", "Interconnectedness" (Emptiness-Nothingness), "Brahman", etc. That concept has even been given names in the popular culture of our secular age such as: "the Universe", "the Force", "Destiny", etc. 

What that means is, according to the great spiritual traditions of the world, each one of us is living out our daily existence within a wider and bigger dimension which is not normally perceivable by our ordinary senses. In other words, this bigger dimension is non-material; hence, it is "spiritual". Many spiritual traditions describe this bigger dimension as having a personal character. It is therefore thought of as a gracious, and compassionate personal Being (as in Christianity's assertion, "God is Love").

Remember then: According to the spiritual traditions, your actions, your thoughts, your very existence ... those are not only your own. You and whatever you do -- all of that is closely interconnected to everyone and everything else. You're playing out your life and your particular role on a bigger stage, and each and every action of yours, whether good, bad, or neutral, has consequences not only for yourself but for others and the whole universe. 

All of that leads to this conclusion: To live fully as a human being, it's certainly better to be attuned to this bigger, wider, and deeper, non-material/spiritual dimension of reality. Without it, life will be shallow and lacking in meaning. This is why it is often said, "You've got to live for something bigger than yourself."

That, in short, is why we are all spiritual beings. That's why we have to undertake the spiritual quest. That's why it's good to be "spiritually literate." It's in our nature as humans to be aware of and to actually "touch" in some way this spiritual (non-material, bigger, and deeper) dimension of life.
Furthermore, you don't have to attach "God" to this spiritual quest, although many of us still do so and that's fine as well. What is necessary though is to be aware and mindful of this "greater dimension." Whether you call it by a name (like "God") is secondary.

In our secular age, many people prefer to stress the mystery-dimension of this bigger realm and not explicity name it. This is a modern development that is somehow different from the practice of our past ancestors who liked to name this greater reality with titles such as "God", "YHWH", "Jesus", "Allah", etc. 

The Spiritual Quest is Primarily about This Life Here and Now

For all the complaints that religious believers have about our present "secularized" age, I think that the secular age has a valuable contribution to our sense of spirituality. Nowadays, it is emphasized that things are primarily played out in this life, in the here and now. Therefore, we have to give this life our all, without being overly concerned with the afterlife, contrary to what many traditional religions have advocated in the past. To give a concrete example, this means  that we cannot resign ourselves and sort of just passively accept the evils and oppressions of this time because we hope for a better existence in the afterlife. That is an instance of religion being an "opium of the people," to use Karl Marx's famous critique of religion. Rather, we struggle against and resist the many wrongs in this world; we try to live our lives now to the full, precisely as the best way of responding to the precious gift of life.

It is clear that we cannot conclusively prove that there is an afterlife or even that there is a non-material-spiritual dimension. Nevertheless, living our one life well and to the full, as the best version of ourselves, will bring us to--what Abraham Maslow pointed out is--the highest level of fulfillment: Self-Transcendence, a fully alive level of existence in which someone trusts that there is a greater reality, lives for a bigger cause and, at the same time, is authentically happy and fulfilled. Almost as an afterthought, if there be indeed an afterlife, living our life now to the full will be our best preparation for it!

If we somehow experience some self-transcendence, we will actually touch everyone and everything else in a deep and moving way. This has been shown by the spiritual mystics of all spiritual traditions. We will also somehow get a glimpse of and touch in some way the Greater Dimension itself or, if you will, the Greater Being, the one that some spiritual traditions have called "God", "the Spirit", "the Force", "the Universe". 

---

“YHWH” as (the) Breath (of Life)

This is an excerpt from a talk Fr. Richard Rohr OFM gave at Norwich Cathedral in 2015 titled “Christian Contemplation-Becoming Stillness.” It can be found online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TGS-JD80nE&t=778s  / Published on YouTube on: Jan. 18, 2015.

Rohr recounts a conversation he had with a scientist who happened to be a Jewish Rabbi. The Rabbi makes the case that the name of God, sacred to Jews and Christians, YaHWeH, was originally an attempt to replicate breath. Hence, we can conclude, that our very breath is intimately linked with the Greater Reality (some of us call God) and that, with every breath we take throughout our life, we exist within the greater divine reality. [jkk]

[50:03]

He [the rabbi-scientist] said, "Did you know that the consonants used in the spelling of the sacred name, Y-a-H-W-e-H,  are in fact the only consonants that if correctly pronounced do not allow you to use your tongue or close your lips?

In fact we know that the pronouncing of the sacred name was an attempt to imitate and replicate breath, that it was inhalation and exhalation."

And then he began to do it into the microphone and, in a few minutes, tears started being audible in the room [full] of PhDs

I now give this to every crowd I can because it can change your life.

If I would come back here a year from tonight and if some of you hold on to this and begin to live it and to experience it and to practice it, your prayer life will dramatically change. But notice it has nothing to do with thinking.

Here, Rohr reminds us that we should transcend the action of cognitive thinking in order to experience the spirit of contemplation. That, in turn, will change our lives.[jkk]

In fact it moves the entire experience to the cellular body, to the corporeal breath level and it means, wonder of wonders,  that the first word you ever spoke when you came out of your mother's womb was the name of God.

And it will be the last word you'll ever speak. You don't have to try to remember to say a prayer before you die.You're going to anyway: that last breath you take on your death bread will be the name of God

And it's the one thing you've done constantly. You just did it now and you did it again: You're breathing. [52:16]

***

Being mindful of one’s breathing is a fundamental component of practically all meditation techniques found in the world’s various spiritual-wisdom traditions (the world religions). Here is one way to make breathing exercises explicitly Christian: to understand and practice it as a form of recitation of the sacred name of God. Besides, one does not need to recite it audibly. The very breath is a recitation of the divine name and communing with the divine presence. [jkk]

---

The Rising “Religion of Life” Today: Philosopher of Religion Don Cupitt's Thoughts on This and My Critical Reactions to It

 

This blogpost is closely based on a lecture given by David Warden of the “Dorset Humanists” on "The Religion of Life,” (DCRL link below), a way of life advocated by British Philosopher of Religion Don Cupitt

SOURCE:  Don Cupitt and the religion of life – a lecture by David Warden

link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK7pWPVV7LA (Hereafter referred to as DCRL)

Note well also the following works as further references:

·         Philosopher-Kings: http://www.philosopherkings.co.uk/doncupitt.html

·         The Fountain: https://iai.tv/video/the-fountain

·         Cupitt, Don. Turns of Phrase: Radical Theology from A to Z. London: SCM Press, 2011. (Hereafter referred to as TP)

·         See also the overview of Don Cupitt’s thinking at: http://www.philosopherkings.co.uk/doncupitt.html

*****

Don Cupitt and Religion 

Don Cupitt is a British philosopher of religion and theologian who has reflected deeply and written extensively on the state of religion in the contemporary Western world.

Cupitt thinks that “God” (the image of God) as traditionally conceived of in the West (namely, a supernatural Being who is all-powerful and controls all things) is fundamentally a myth (not an objective reality). However, “religion” which upheld this idea of God in the West for a long time, can still be deeply meaningful. He has called this position “non-realism.”

Besides, Cupitt also teaches that this life is (apparently) all that there is and that there is nothing else beyond this present existence. Hence, our main task is to live this life to the fullest and make the most of our limited existence here on earth.

Here in the West, religion is usually thought of as a belief in and worship of a supernatural God. Let us not forget though that there are other meanings of the word “religion.” For example, in everyday usage, “religion” is sometimes meant as an “all-consuming passion” (such as baseball or football, hence, expressions such as “Hockey is my religion”).

In parts of the East though, religion has often been understood primarily as a practice or applied philosophy that can deliver enlightenment and bliss to those who undertake its practice. In this understanding of religion, “believing” is not too important. Rather, the emphasis is on praxis: practicing and living according to teachings that are immensely practical and are geared to achieving a greater wholeness in the practioner and in the world. These teachings can actually be called—in the words of spirituality teacher Roger Walsh—"psycho-spiritual technologies” that can and do deliver bliss, happiness, and well-being. Spiritual-wisdom traditions such as Buddhism, Confucianism, and Daoism (among others) best exemplify this type of religion. There is a tendency in the West though to look down upon such non-theistic forms of religion and consider them as “mere philosophies” (mere human thinking) and not true religions, which are thought of as being directly revealed by the Divine Being. Needless to say, I do not agree with this condescending attitude toward Eastern spiritual-wisdom traditions.

It is fair to say that Westerners are generally not used to an understanding of religion that puts great import on practice (praxis) instead of believing. As mentioned above, it is usually thought that monotheistic religions are the only “authentic” forms of religions. Because of the prevalence of this idea in the West, there is still a strong tendency to equate religion with supernatural beliefs or with believing in things that one cannot really prove but have to be, as the popular formula goes, “taken on faith.” Many of these matters that are to be taken on faith have mythological features in common with other ancient myths. Many Westerners find it hard to see that a largely “beliefless” kind of religion that puts the emphasis instead on praxis can be interesting, let alone legitimate (cf. Cupitt, 2000: Philosophy’s Own Religion).

[jkk annotation]

In line with Cupitt, I propose that even in the West, it is high time to understand and practice religion in the abovementioned manner frequently associated with Eastern spiritual-wisdom traditions (Eastern religions). I say this because of my work with young adults at the university, many of whom identify themselves as MRB (‘Multiple Religious Belonging’ people), SBNR (Spiritual but not Religious), Dones (We’re “done” with religion), and/or Nones (We have “no” religion). This may very well be the reason why Buddhism, a tradition that has no explicit belief in God, is so popular in the West today.

Psychiatrist and spirituality teacher Roger Walsh (UC-Irvine) has called an understanding and practice of religion (that emphasizes the practical dimension) “transconventional religion.” This is contrasted with “conventional” Western religion which puts the emphasis on believing on faith (the creed, the Bible, biblical principles, etc.) and linking one’s eternal salvation with such an act of believing.

[end of jkk annotation]

How to Meditate: My Suggestion - "Life-giving Reading" (Lectio Vitalis)

(this is a revised version of a blogpost that I originally wrote in March 2021)

Why Meditate?

Practically all spiritual teachers in every spiritual-wisdom tradition agree that the spiritual quest (aka, the Hero’s Journey) cannot go far without some form of—what is commonly known as—meditation practice. “Meditation” (here) is known by other names such as: prayer, mindfulness, contemplation, etc. However it is called, meditation is essential to support your own hero’s journey, your own spiritual quest. Why? It is that formal act done regularly of trying to [1] reach your depth and [2] transcend yourself which, as we said, make up the heart of all spirituality and religion.

Besides, meditation has been proven even by numerous scientific studies to have many other benefits for the well-being and health of your mind and body. For example, Jonathan Haidt in his The Happiness Hypothesis, tells us that meditation is something like a magic pill. His words: “Suppose you read about a pill that you could take once a day to reduce anxiety and increase your contentment. Would you take it? Suppose further that the pill has a great variety of side effects, all of them good: increased self-esteem, empathy, and trust; it even improves memory. Suppose, finally, that the pill is all natural and costs nothing. Now would you take it? The pill exists. It’s called meditation.”

[for those taking the course RS2180] An important component of this course on spiritual quests and popular culture is the task of journal writing. I envision journal writing to be a result of your meditation on the different learning materials of the week. Try to practice some kind of meditation before you write your journal entry!)

 

Meditation Described Briefly 

A simple description: Meditation is a universal practice found in practically all spiritual-wisdom traditions (aka, the world religions). It is basically a concentration technique that has two key elements: 

1.    First, choosing a focus for attention. This is usually one's breathing (in and out). But it can be extended to: an emotion, a thought, a part of one's body, etc. It can even be applied to a sacred word or mantra (as it is done in the Christian prayer-practice known as "centering prayer"). 

2.    Second, when one notices that one's attention has wandered elsewhere, gently bring it back to the point of focus.

That is meditation in a nutshell! Our minds--as Buddhism often teaches--are like restless, wild monkeys that jump from tree to tree ("the monkey mind"). When one can tame this restless, wandering mind and train it to focus on something, then the spiritual quest can move forward in earnest (see Roger Walsh, Essential Spirituality, pp. 155-56).

 

A Suggestion on How to Meditate - A "Life-Giving Reading" (Lectio Vitalis)

There are many forms of meditation. The following is just my recommendation from my personal practice. For the absolute beginner, I would recommend starting with 10 minutes every day and aim to expand that eventually to 15~20 minutes. For people who are somewhat addicted to being endlessly engaged (often, distracted) with technological gadgets, that can seem daunting. But it is necessary to resolve and set out to "just do it" (as the Nike ad says).

There is a popular spiritual practice in the Catholic Christian tradition called "Lectio Divina." That means "Sacred [or Divine] Reading." It is a time-tested and proven method of reading the scriptures in a prayerful, contemplative manner. It is based on a simple method that can be summarized in the following steps: (1) Read -- (2) Think -- (3) Pray -- (4) Act.

I will adopt and tweak a bit the 'Sacred Reading' method and propose it to beginners or people who want to progress further in their meditation practice. As I said, I'll rename the practice to "Lectio Vitalis" (Latin) which means "a life-giving/life-sustaining reading." The Latin literally means "Vital Reading."  "Vital" here means: "life-giving, life-sustaining, life-affirming," but also "important" (vital!) for cultivating and sustaining one's spiritual quest or hero’s journey.