Early Catholic Influences

 

"The Body of Christ is the living temple of God and of the new humanity." Dietrich Bonhoeffer

 

My interest in personal, community and global health began as a student in a Catholic college prep school back in the early to mid-1960s. Fred Ramon, then a Vincentian priest, introduced me to two organizations, the Young Christian Students (YCS) and the Catholic Worker. This introduction changed my life and set me on a path that continues to this day.

 

The Young Christian Students (YCS) was an offshoot of the Young Christian Workers movement in Europe and founded by Cardinal Cardijn of Belgium that fostered Catholic Social Action through the methodology of Observe, Judge and Act. In other words, what do we experience? What does our faith say? How do we put our faith into action in the world.  We discover God through social action. The weekly YCS meetings were a method of faith formation that confronted the personal and social realities of the day. At that time, the Civil Rights Movement was flourishing and the War in Vietnam was escalating. My faith was forever turned toward the world of real people, in real circumstances. The old, other worldly faith was subordinated in favor of a faith engaged in the world. 

 

In my senior year of high school, Father Fred Ramon, the moderator of YCS, took a few of us to the Catholic Worker House in the Bowery area of Manhattan.  The Catholic Worker was founded in the 1930s by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin. Philosophically, the Worker was anarchist and pacifist. It was born out of a deep concern for the well-being of workers and a rejection of the use of violence to solve global and national problems. 

 

Brooklyn College

 

I attended Brooklyn College in the late 1960s. Besides meeting my wife, I was mentored by many superb professors.  I majored in sociology and had the pleasure of taking classes with two world class social theorists, Prof. Felix Gross and Prof. Laura Kitch. Through them I was introduced and thoroughly read all of the classic sociological theorists (Durkiem, Weber, Simmel, etc.) and such authors as Peter Berger, Talcott Parsons, Robert Merton, Kark Mannheim, Karl Marx and many others. I learned about all the major theories of society and the history of social theory. Kitch was the liberal and Gross the conservative. Through them I learnd about the two sides of social movements, the need for change and the need for continuity. 

 

Catholic Peace Fellowship and Beyond

 

In the early 1970s, I joined the national staff of the Catholic Peace Fellowship (CPF) to work against the War in Vietnam. Under the leadership of the CPFs founder, Tom Cornell, I became more aware of the social teachings of the Catholic Church and how they might be applied to the contemporary scene. Besides Tom Cornell, I had the privilege of meeting Dorothy Day, the founder of the Catholic Worker Movement (and hopefully soon to be canonized), Fr. Daniel Berrigan, the Jesuit peace activist and poet, Joe Fahey, the founder of the Pacem in Terris Institute at Manhattan College, and many other outstanding Catholics dedicated to social change. Through these people, I came to know of the work of the Trappist monk, Thomas Merton, whose writing influenced an entire generation of Catholic youth. Through the works of Merton, I was introduced to Eastern spiritual practice and philosophy, namely the Taoism of Chuang Zui and the practice of Zen Buddhism. Along with Catholicism, both of these paths constitute the backbone of my spiritual practice and belief.

 

Chan (Zen) Buddhism

 

"To see one in all and all in one is to break through the great barrier which narrows one's perspective of reality. - Thich Nhat Hanh

 

My knowledge and interest in Zen was deepened by two Jesuits in the 1980s, William Johnston and Richard Hunt. Through them I was given the opportunity to learn the practice of Zen from Catholics who spent many years in Japan. Eventually, I was led to Master Sheng Yen and Chan Buddhism through a colleague at Brooklyn College. Master Sheng Yen was a major influence in Taiwan as well as having a meditation center in Elmhurst, Queens. My practice continues to this day, although I am not attached to any particular group.

 

Catholicism/Buddhism

 

The combination of Catholicism and Zen (Chan) was an auspicious mix. It is from these two apparently diverse religious paths that my understanding of personal and social change was born and has been nurtured:  Compassion/Love/Non Duality/Justice. In my years of Zen meditation, service to others, and reading and rereading the Gospels, I’ve come to see compassion, love, reconciliation and the struggle against hypocrisy as guiding lights in my life. The profound nature of forgiveness transforms our relationships, ties us together, and renews our lives. I'm convinced that God does not reward the good and punish the bad but shows mercy to all. 

 

Allowing the Buddha Mind/Original Mind to awaken and mold my work in the world remains central to expressing compassion and love. None of us exist independently. We are tied together and share a common nature, a Buddha Nature.  We are Buddhas who give expression to limitless compassion and a commitment to end the suffering of all.  "At all times in all places, bring about a buddha." As the Buddha said:

 

"In separateness lies the world's greatest misery; in compassion lies the world's true strength. 

From the Gospels comes the clear and resounding voice of rebirth, renewal and personal and social transformation. The Resurrection of Jesus proclaims a new creation, a turning of all things toward new life. We are all one, as St. Paul attests, in Christ’s Body. Proclaiming the New Kingdom of love, compassion, reconciliation and freedom from hypocrisy. As we lose our mistaken sense of self, Buddha Mind emerges and we participate in Christ’s Glorified Body. As Jesus proclaims:

 

“I am the vine. You are the branches.”

 

I in no way have attempted to Christianize Zen or Yoga. Each does what it does. I am a Christian who practices Zen and Yoga. I have been practicing both for 40 years. Practicing Zen and Yoga and Christianity work together to address every aspect of my humanity. Mind, Body and Spirit are nutured and allowed to express a dynamic creativity in the world. Although each is separate, they work together to help me live an authoritative personhood. The end result of the threefold practice is not quietism. It is an acceptance of the path of enlighenment and salvation.

 

Social Systems

 

Eventually, I stumbled upon systems theory. It is this theory that scientifically best reflects my personal attitudes. In this theory, all things are seen as a system of interconnected patterns (see the Systems Theory section for details). 

 

I would describe my view of systems as seeing Reality as a series of interconnected, creative, intelligent and self-generating relationships. We are physically and spiritually united with each other and all that surrounds us. Our physical reality is an organic web of life. We are not “other” than nature. Consciousness is unlimited, expansive. We all share an Original Mind that is the pathless path of the Tao and God's Kingdom. Opening our vision to the world, putting aside our blinders, we see that we are the universe and we are on a journey together. 

 

Alden Brown

 

A significant long-term relationship of mine has been with Alden Brown. What first started as a parish priest/parishioner relationship, grew into a lifelong collaboration and friendship. In the 1970s and early 80s we served together as campus ministers at the Brooklyn College Newman Center and as members of the Brooklyn Diocese’s Commission for World Justice and Peace.  Alden taught me much about friendship, intellectual honesty and rigour, and a compelling understanding of the Gospels. We read and met many contemporary theologians, intellectuals and activists. I owe much to Alden both peronally and intellectually. Our collaboration continues to this day.