Monk’s Way.  Two words.  “Monk”–a person who focuses his/her whole life on relating to the ultimate reality in whatever way their tradition understands it and articulates it.  Perhaps the word “monk” isn’t even used, but some other term takes its place.  But he/she truly does focus–often scaring or putting off folk who see life simply as a gathering of different experiences, as a myriad of things to do, as collecting stuff, as accumulating relationships, etc.  As it says so succinctly in the Christian Gospel: Only one thing is necessary.  And then comes the time when even that “one thing” vanishes….but more about that at another time..

Now nothing said here should mean or imply that all people should be monks in the formal and obvious sense.  But the fact is that everyone does have this “monk within”–an archtype deep within themselves.  It may be asleep, inactive, drowned out by all the “noise” of a busy life in modern society, but it is still there. (Actually a monk in a big monastery could possibly be very far from the monastic path, but a  person living in society may very well be following the “monk’s way.”)   To be fully human, to be really alive, is not to give in to the push and pull of our consumer culture, but to allow that inner monk to emerge and guide one.  And this may contain some very unique elements for each person.  Now this blog will be for and about both kinds of presence in the world.

The other word: “Way”.  Kind of obvious, isn’t  it?  If not, lets see what we can do about that.