Embodied Practice Series:
a spirituality of experience, not belief
Oct 28th, Nov 4th, & Nov 11th from 7-8pm at Reedwood Friends
What happens when you stop trying to believe the right thing and instead do something? What shows up for you when you do that?
In this series we explore how a medieval mystic Dominican friar and theologian (who was investigated for heresy), a spiritual movement of independent medieval European women (who were persecuted by the church), and an esoteric form of Buddhism from 9th century Japan, answered this question.
Modern scholars of comparative religion often note striking parallels between Shingon’s esoteric practice and the Rhineland mysticism of the Beguines, and of Eckhart who was influence by them. Shingon teaches Sokushin jōbutsu, becoming a Buddha “in this very body,” because your true nature is the cosmic Buddha. Similarly, Eckhart claimed that the “birth of the Word in the soul” means God and the soul are fundamentally non-dual at their core. Eckhart famously said, “God is a wordless word.” Shingon similarly sees ultimate reality as being beyond concept, requiring embodied ritual (mudra, mantra) rather than intellectual speculation to be realized.
In this series on embodied spiritual practices we will explore what can be learned from revisiting medival mystic Christianity and 9th century mystic Buddhist practices and consider what they offer to our lives today.
Meister Eckhart: Zen teacher and Unitarian Universalist reverend Chris Bell will explore Eckhart’s teachings, including what he calls detachment or releasement, and the notion of the “ground of the soul” where “the eye with which I see God is the eye with which God sees me,” and offer some of the connections to similar Zen Buddish ideas. Both Eckhart and Zen offer practices that cultivate experience that we can explore – something we can do, not a focus on comparing doctrines. Oct. 28th 7-8pm
The Beguines: Scholar and author Carole Spencer will draw on her background in both women’s spirituality and Quaker history to view the Beguines through a Quaker lens. While there’s no formal connection between the two, both focus on an inner experience of unmediated connection with the divine/mystery/God. Quaker notions of the Inner light and “that of God in everyone” would not be unfamiliar to Beguines. Both Quakers and Beguines were intentionally founded as lay movements that were not part of the official religious structures of their day, and seen as rebel or heretic movements by the establishment. Nov. 4th 7-8pm
Shingon Buddism: The Reverend Kosho Finch leads the Shingon Buddhist Temple in Portland Oregon. Shingon sees the body and experience as the starting point for spiritual insight, and uses specific practices like mudra, mantra, and visualization in which the body is the place where spirituality is being explored. Nov. 11th 7-8pm
About the Program:
Each of the events in this series is a stand-alone workshop that will include both some discussion of the wisdom tradition being explored and also instruction and a brief experience of some of the spiritual practices used in the tradition. We welcome all who are interested. The sessions are free and will meet in the Lounge at Reedwood Friends (Quaker) at 2901 SE Steele St. in Portland Oregon or online via zoom which requires registration here.