Everyday Buddhism: Making Everyday Better
Religion & Spirituality:Buddhism
You're in for a treat in this episode. At least it was a treat for me to have a conversation with Clark Strand. Clark is a former Zen monk, author, Haiku teacher, and communicator of all things spiritual and religious. He has studied and actually practiced within many, many spiritual and religious traditions so he speaks from actual experience.
The focus of today's conversation is on his book, Waking the Buddha: How The Most Dynamic and Empowering Buddhist Movement in History is Changing Our Concept of Religion, but Clark is also the author of Seeds From a Birch Tree: Writing Haiku and the Spiritual Journey, Now Is the Hour of Her Return: Poems In Praise of the Divine Mother Kali, co-author, with Perdita Finn, of The Way of the Rose: The Radical Path of the Divine Feminine Hidden in the Rosary, and many other books on poetry, spirituality, and ecology. He is the co-founder of an international, non-sectarian rosary fellowship with members across the world.
I invited him on the podcast to talk about Nichiren Buddhism, Soka Gakkai, and chanting, in general. It is a subject I haven't covered on this podcast and the timing was sparked by the recent passing of Tina Turner who was a very public Soka Gakkai practitioner.
Although the focus of the conversation began with the Soka Gakkai, it became a fascinating journey to many other areas, due to Clark's wide reach of Clark's spiritual depth.
Among many other things, we talked about the folk traditions within all religions. Or, as Clark said, "there is always a religion within a religion." …
About how the Soka Gakkai became virtually the only ethnically and racially diverse Buddhist organization religion in the world…
About why Clark states that spirituality needs to be about "ecology not theology" and that the reason the thread that runs through his spiritual experience IS ecology and the folk traditions…
And, for fellow Pure Land and Shin practitioners, about how the Pure Land tradition is the only tradition deeply grounded in ecology…
About Haiku…
About the divine feminine, the Divine Mother, and the rosary as a spiritual and NOT a religious practice … and is, essentially, a tantric mantra practice…
About the 12-Steps program…
About chanting and how it gives voice to one's intentions, dreams, or hopes … and is the most ancient form of spiritual practice…
Listen and enjoy the journey...
Everyday Buddhism 30 - The Buddha Sat Right Here with Dena Moes
Everyday Buddhism 29 - Right Speech is Right Listening
Everyday Buddhism 28 - June Weddings, Relationships, and Perfection?
Everyday Buddhism 27 - Right Mindfulness and Meditation
Everyday Buddhism 26 - Why Sangha? Bringing Buddhism to Life
Everyday Buddhism 25 - Pureland Buddhism with Satya Robyn
Everyday Buddhism 24 - Appreciating Life Through Death Meditation
Everyday Buddhism 23 - Japanese Psychology and Buddhism with Gregg Krech
Everyday Buddhism 22 - Release Your Cows
Everyday Buddhism 21 - Tibetan Buddhism: There is Only One Dharma
Everyday Buddhism 20 - A Bright Dawn: Conversation with Rev. Koyo Kubose
Everyday Buddhism 19 - Bodhi Day Special: The Grace of Light
Everyday Buddhism 18 - The 5 Precepts: Gentle Guides Not Commandments
Everyday Buddhism 17 - Radically Happy: Conversation with Phakchok Rinpoche and Erric Solomon
Everyday Buddhism 16 - Simple Awareness and the Many Forms of Meditation
Everyday Buddhism 15 - A Buddha Belongs to the World
Everyday Buddhism 14 - Protesting? What's in Your Mind?
Everyday Buddhism 13 - Right Effort: Joyful Balance
Everyday Buddhism 12 - MORE Koans: Bringing Them Into the Everyday
Everyday Buddhism 11 - Koans: Reaching the Limit of Thought
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Hello Heaven Podcast
Tara Brach
The Way Out Is In
Heart Wisdom with Jack Kornfield
Insight Hour with Joseph Goldstein
Secular Buddhism