There is a tendency among some Christians to hold the dogma of their religion so tightly that its relevance is lost to non-believers.

Alan Watts, the Buddhist scholar, wrote of the shared symbolism of a union between opposites in many religions including Christianity. It is relevant to the agnostic as well.

He wrote that as a man and woman unite to produce a child, in Christianity a ‘man must be born anew of water and the Spirit’. In these words, he notes that the Holy Ghost is Spirit and Mary (from the Latin word, mare (sea, water) is the world, in the joining of these two is the birth of Christ.

The realization of Christ within (or Buddha within, Tao within, Krishna within) is in each instance the result of a bringing together of opposites, of subject and object, ego and universe, of the One behind the Many, to create the ‘Holy Child’. (Become What You Are, Watts, 2003). To an agnostic, this union may reveal Truth or Knowledge; to the Christian, God; to the Buddhist, Ultimate Reality.

Seeing Christ in this broader context unites us all in celebration on Christmas day.

We may discover Christ or Tao or Buddha or Krishna or Truth if we set on a quest to look but are not bounded by dogma such that it blinds our ability to see. Discovering such Truth cannot be taught or willed into existence; it is always present and merely requires an open mind to glimpse it.

Opening the mind to discovery is perhaps the single most relevant thing we can do, for so often we live behind closed doors, narrow corridors, and high walls that block our view. Chipping away at our barriers requires that we see their presence (a challenge in itself). I think of my barriers of mind as large brick walls built on either side of a narrow path (along which I often find myself). But, when I look carefully at the walls, I always notice a small chip or loose brick through which a glimmer of sunshine breaks through, with just enough light to direct my eye to the spot. I can see on the other side of the wall an infinitely large garden of beauty - green and vibrantly changing.

Knocking down the barriers of mind may open the way to this garden, but don’t be deceived, for once inside, small hidden walls are apt to be discovered.

Perhaps the great quest in life is to discover this constancy - to know this continuing process of change. With one discovery comes another question. The game is infinite.

Yet in the discovery, perhaps Christ is Born, Buddha Enlightened, the Tao followed, and Truth revealed.

Merry Christmas!!!

A few years back I discovered that meditation or contemplative practices done in a group setting are quite different than practices done alone. At the time, I was reading Steven Strogatz book ‘Sync’ about the science of synchronicity (the phenomenon of naturally arising sync in nature) and saw that the group experience was a syncing of individual transformative experiences.

The acronym SIT (Synchronized Individual Transformation) seemed perfect for describing this effect as it often arises when we sit together in meditation or contemplation.

Religious rituals likely arose because they provided a means to experience synchronized individual transformations. Rituals support individuals in their own inward investigations by providing a group experience that can strengthen it. Furthermore, they play a vital role in giving people an experience of being ‘part’ of something larger than themselves, particularly at times when this is needed most (times of great change - birth, marriage, death).

However, finding community rituals outside of religion is challenging because so many are circumscribed within belief systems.

Three years ago, my friend and I began a ‘Friday morning SIT’ at my house. A group of us meet each Friday to ’sit’ together in meditation for 30 minutes. No one leads the group, no ones teaches. We merely come together, someone reads an inspirational quote from a glass jar full of quotes we each submitted, we sit together for 30 minutes (with a timer to keep track of time), then go our separate ways. In this weekly ritual, we experience synchronized individual transformations (and deepen our friendships as well).

In the convergence of science and spirituality (by that I mean the recognition of two viable ways of knowing, one objective and focused on the outer physical world, the other subjective and focused on the inward experience of mind), non-religious and fluid sorts of rituals are needed.

By fluidity, I mean that a ritual may be shaped by the members creating it; not by rigid doctrine of the past. Over the summer I performed a marriage ritual for two very close friends. Their marriage was secular (by that I mean without reference to God or any religion) but the content drew all participants together in a synchronized experience of love and connection.

Perhaps Synchronized Individual Tranformations (SITs) is a useful term for describing non-religious community rituals that enhance our individual growth by the group experience.

I love Thanksgiving, and family meals in general, but I’ve discovered that the pre-meal moment reserved in many homes for prayer is an awkward time for me. Raised by Christian parents, prayer was a habit prior to every meal - rote in nature. Since I left religion many years ago, I’ve always wanted an alternative to this pre-meal routine but had not yet succeeded in finding it.

My son remarked the other day that he realized why people pray before meals. “It brings people together in a calm, happy and thankful state of mind.” (Good for the body, good for the mind!)

I wholeheartedly agree, but prayer is so tied in with specific ideologies about the word God that I don’t like to use it.

In lieu of a God-centered prayer, here is a meditation of thanks for this Thanksgiving.

Let our hearts be filled with kindness,

Our minds be calm and light

May thanks arise within us

For all we share tonight.

Happy Thanksgiving.