MikeLogan

Dirk, that last bit was generous of you, and generosity is a trait engendered by both christians and buddhists. While facts are unconditional, truths sometimes can be.

One person's truth can be another's trash. And not too drag politics into a brush fire in the making, but a large proportion of the roughly 52% of america which voted for our very own weapon of mass dysfunction I would reckon are of the christian persuasion.

Now I happen to be a catholic, catholic schooled, son of a CCD director and taught by doctorates of theology. I wonder how many people out there realize that heaven as understood in the higher echelons of christian theology dovetails more with ideas of eastern philosophy, more so than the average image of an eternal barbeque in one's backyard.

In other words not necessarily the loss of self and ego, but an all encompassing awareness of the universe, the divine; The self exists within both of these.

Anyway, just the monday ramblings of a catholic aikidoka fresh out of monday's practice, where at I bowed out of respect alone to Ueshiba, the same as I might raise a toast to someone I admired and respected.

logan.

(we catholics are the pagans of the christian world anyhow!)