For the most part, I see myself as on
a Buddhist path. The great thing
about Buddhism in America is that
there are many sanghas to choose
from in California. Thic Nhat
Hanh, a Vietnamese monk who
has his headquarters in Plum Village
(France), has a major monastery in
San Diego called Deer Park, where I
have heard his dharma talks. I attend
a Taiwanese Temple, where we
meditate and listen to dharma
talks. Click on the picture below
for more information
Hsi Fang Temple is one center
located in San Diego that
is part of a worldwide Chinese
Buddhist community (Buddhist
Light International Association)
with headquarters in Los Angeles.
To see a photo gallery of Hsi Lai
temple in L.A. , go here.
OK, so what's Buddhism all
about? Click here for a capsule
of what Buddhists call the
Dharma, or path to awakening
and enlightenment (aka Nirvana).
For a musical interlude portraying many Buddhas from some of my
travels, click here.
I am also a Unitarian at
First Church in the
Hillcrest area of San
Diego. My church is very
scholarly, compassionate,
activist, and inclusive. It
also houses many
Buddhist sanghas as well,
two of which I attend. For
more information on my
home church and to segue
to Unitarianism in
general, click here.
You may not be aware of the growing religious secularization going on in
our nation, where increasing numbers of people (especially young
adults) are choosing to not affiliate with any religion--or even to go to
any church. What are the dimensions to this trend, and how are
Unitarians--who go back all the way to Emerson and Thoreau--different
from the non-affiliated and from main-stream Protestant denominations
in the U.S.? For a Power Point presentation of a talk given by myself and
Reverend Jennifer Channin at my church dealing with these topics, go
here.
