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THE SCALLOP: Reflections on the Journey

Sabbath Lesson from a Buddhist Monk

PHOTO: Thich Nhat Hanh, photographer unknown

On the back cover of "Living Buddha, Living Christ," by Thich Nhat Hanh, Thomas Merton wrote: "Thich Nhat Hanh is more my brother than many who are nearer to me in race and nationality, because he and I see things the same exact way."

Perhaps surprising from a Cistercian monk, but not if you have read much of Merton and Thich Nhat Hanh. I took "Living Buddah, Living Christ" with me on a trip to Thailand, knowing I would be staying in a predominantly Buddhist country. (On an earlier trip I read "Buddhism for Beginners" for the same reason: to understand and appreciate the people I would be living amongst.) Read More 
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Keeping the Sabbath

PAINTING: Wheat Field in Rain by Vincent van Gogh Vincent van Gogh Gallery
This Sabbath was meant to be kept,” the rain insisted last night as I sat in a pizzeria waiting for my dinner to arrive. It had been a pleasant day. After morning Mass, I ate a leisurely breakfast at Panera’s and read a friend’s essays written while he attended a writing workshop. They were good, ranging from a deepening relationship with his tattoo artist son who needed help translating “get out of my face” into Latin for a client to God’s maddening habit of going quiet.

I changed tables at the invitation of a friend who had come in for a quick lunch and finished my iced tea with her and her companion. Returning home, I wrote a blog entry and began cleaning my office, something I had wanted to do for weeks. On Friday I will have a visit from the Catholic Time’s editor and photographer. The paper is planning an article on local bloggers, and my workspace is not ready for public display.  Read More 
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