Radical doubt underlies my experience of being Christian. At any moment – for any length of time – I am willing to let the whole practice and tradition go, to see it all as unhelpful, confused, discriminatory, superficial, distracting, unnecessary, illogical . . . It is like an enormous wave overtaking this aspect of myContinue reading “Doubt as a Christian Virtue”
Author Archives: Sean
Attention without Goals
One way to think about giving attention is to see it as essentially permissive or even passive – it does not seek to change the object which is being attended (which may include attention itself). Attention has no goal outside its own expression or existence. A great deal of our psychic energy, especially in ourContinue reading “Attention without Goals”
Inner Peace and Christ as Light
With respect to inner peace, the suggestion here is twofold. First, the world is forever an image of God which is endlessly partial and thus merely hints at God. For example, imagine that you see the Sistine Chapel but only through a narrow window. The size of the window only allows you to perceive aContinue reading “Inner Peace and Christ as Light”
Self, Self-Image and God
Say that I take a picture of you, and set it next to you. Now I have you and an image of you. If I want to feed you – bake you bread, make you tea – I will not place sustenance before the photograph. If I want to hold you or walk with you,Continue reading “Self, Self-Image and God”
On Bringing Forth Reflexive Domains
One element of reflexive domains is that they are not pre-existing. We do not discover or detect them. Rather, they arise with us. We bring them forth as they bring us forth. This is love. When I say “bring them forth” I do not mean that we will them into being. For we, too, areContinue reading “On Bringing Forth Reflexive Domains”
On Reperceiving
I have been thinking lately about the concept of reperceiving. Reperceiving is a way of enlarging the field of awareness, such that one no longer focuses obsessively or exclusively on a personal or subjective sense of an experience, set of circumstances, et cetera. When we repercieve, it becomes possible to perceive more of the situationContinue reading “On Reperceiving”