{"id":551,"date":"2019-12-13T15:30:02","date_gmt":"2019-12-13T05:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/?page_id=551"},"modified":"2020-05-02T18:04:36","modified_gmt":"2020-05-02T08:04:36","slug":"some-personal-background","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/some-personal-background\/","title":{"rendered":"Personal Background"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

An\nAwareness of the Transcendent<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Beginning in my childhood years, I began\nto be aware of something deeper in life \u2013 a spiritual dimension. In school, I was\ngiven a pocket-sized New Testament gift by the Gideons International; also,\ncoincidentally a young pastor couple moved opposite to our home in a country\ntown in southern Australia, and invited my two brothers and me to attend Sunday\nSchool. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I found meaning in the narratives and principles\nof the Scriptures during high school, teacher\u2019s college, university, and my adult\nlife. Much later in life, Christian spirituality beckoned my interest, and I\nenjoyed learning about the contemplative life. I\u2019ve also had a penchant for an\ninter-faith perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Study\nin England<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In early adulthood (aged 23), I had an\nopportunity to follow my heartfelt desire for theology by studying at a small co-educational\nChristian college, set in an idyllic, peaceful, Hertfordshire country estate\nsetting, close to Bricket Wood (between St. Albans and Watford). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the two years (1972-74), important\nlifelong spiritual disciplines were developed \u2013 daily morning prayer, study and\nreflection; daily evening prayer; weekly day retreat; occasional fasting; and\ncelebration of special feast days during the year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mornings were spent in classes;\nafternoons in work tasks (toward the maintenance of the property, such as\ngardening, janitorial work, kitchen duties, etc.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Retrospectively seen, this experience partly\nparalleled a monastic life in that our lives were devoted to a spiritual\ncalling! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the years that followed, I completed\na Bachelor of Arts (with an emphasis in theology), as well as two Masters\ndegrees (with an emphasis in Christian spirituality). Additionally, I completed\na Masters degree in education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction\nto Daily Meditation <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Much later in life (early sixties), a\ndistinct turning point occurred when I came into contact with The World\nCommunity for Christian Meditation (https:\/\/www.wccm.org\/<\/a>).\nThis group teaches the Christian tradition of meditation, and it was a vital\nintroduction to the faithful practice of daily meditation. I also appreciated\nlearning more about the contemplative life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Father Laurence Freeman is the head of\nthe WCCM, and has been involved in inter-faith dialogue with His Holiness the\nDalai Lama. A good book in this context is The\nGood Heart: A Buddhist Perspective on the Teachings of Jesus<\/em> by His\nHoliness the Dalai Lama. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, a pivotal book for me (written by\ntheologian Paul Knitter) was Without\nBuddha I Could Not Be a Christian<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In listening to a CD recording, Laurence\nFreeman caught my attention by quoting the Dhammapada<\/em>.\nThis whetted my appetite and it became a door-opener to learn more of the Buddhist\nteachings because of the resonance I felt with Christian living principles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buddhist Studies<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

To summarize,\nI came into contact with Buddhist teachings relatively late in life (beginning\nof 2012). Since then, I have taken online Buddhist courses and purchased many\nbooks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following\nteachers, in chronological order, have been as \u201cspiritual friends\u201d (Kaly\u0101na-mitrat\u0101<\/em>,Skt.): <\/p>\n\n\n\n

http:\/\/vipassana.com\/<\/a> (Andrew Quernmore \u2013 Vipassana Fellowship<\/em>; following the Theravada tradition of Buddhism)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/fpmt.org\/<\/a> (Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche \u2013 Discovering Buddhism<\/em> program; following Mahayana\nBuddhism)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.jamyang.co.uk\/<\/a>\n(Geshe Tashi Tsering \u2013 Foundation of\nBuddhist Thought<\/em> program; completed \u2018The Four Noble Truths\u2019 and \u2018Relative\nTruth, Ultimate Truth\u2019 modules)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

http:\/\/www.chungtian.org.au\/<\/a> (Venerable\nMaster Hsing Yun \u2013 Chung Tian Temple [Foguanshan Buddhist order]; Humanistic\nBuddhism; location for my Taking Refuge)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.southwales.ac.uk\/<\/a>\n(Nick Swann \u2013 distance MA Buddhist\nStudies<\/em> program with the University of South Wales. Completed \u2018Buddhist Traditions\u2019\nmodule, but exited from program due high tuition cost as a foreign student)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

http:\/\/media.sbinstitute.com\/<\/a> (Lama B. Alan Wallace \u2013 Shamatha meditation; Dzogchen\nteachings)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

http:\/\/www.samyeling.org\/<\/a> (Ken Holmes \u2013 Home Study Dharma Course<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/ahs.org.uk\/<\/a>  (Lama Shenpen Hookham \u2013 training in meditation, reflection and insight from one\u2019s own home)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/tergar.org\/<\/a> (Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche \u2013 Vajrayana teachings; Mahamudra teachings)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tergar Meditation Community supports individuals, practice groups, and meditation communities around the world in learning to live with awareness, compassion, and wisdom. Grounded in the Tibetan Buddhist lineage of our guiding teacher,\u00a0Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, our online and in-person programs are accessible to people of all cultures and faiths, and support a lifelong path toward the application of these principles in everyday life. (https:\/\/tergar.org\/about\/<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making a Commitment to Buddhism<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

By November\n2013, I had a desire to become more committed to Buddhist spiritual practice.\nIn Buddhist circles, this is known as \u201ctaking Refuge\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A memorable location\nfor participating in the \u201cRefuge\u201d ceremony was the Chung Tian Temple, about\nhalf an hour\u2019s drive from our home. I was kindly received, and given the name\nZhen De (meaning \u201cAppreciation of Virtue\u201d) during the ceremony. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, the\nChung Tian Temple did not become the Buddhist community that I would wholeheartedly\nparticipate in \u2013 even though the Sangha (community of followers) is exemplary in\nits Buddhist devotion and outreach. Still, my wife, Eva, and I always enjoy\nvisiting the Temple, located in a peaceful, Australian bushland setting (http:\/\/www.chungtian.org.au\/<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\nClosing . . .<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly,\nmy contact with the Buddhism emerged from within my Christian background in\nAustralia. While differences exist, many meaningful points of convergence also\noccur between the Buddhist and Christian understanding of life\u2019s meaning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore,\nthere has been continuity in my spiritual path, rather than an abrupt new\nbeginning with Buddhism, and a total abandoning of all prior spiritual\nteaching. By the way, I have found the Dalai Lama\u2019s affirmation of other faith\ntraditions most reassuring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much more\ncould be written. For example, only recently have I discovered the rich spiritual\nheritage of Hinduism (particularly Vedanta) \u2013 and again I see wonderful\nconvergence with my Christian and Buddhist studies. But, that will have to be\nwriting for another day . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alexander Peck (December 13, 2019)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a PDF copy of the above text, please click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\""All
Reflection: “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, …” (I Peter 1:24, NIV)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"reddit\"<\/a>\"pinterest\"<\/a>\"linkedin\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An Awareness of the Transcendent Beginning in my childhood years, I began to be aware of something deeper in life \u2013 a spiritual dimension. In school, I was given a pocket-sized New Testament gift by the Gideons International; also, coincidentally …<\/span> Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"spay_email":""},"yoast_head":"\nPersonal Background - End-of-Life Reflections<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/some-personal-background\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Personal Background - End-of-Life Reflections\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"An Awareness of the Transcendent Beginning in my childhood years, I began to be aware of something deeper in life \u2013 a spiritual dimension. In school, I was given a pocket-sized New Testament gift by the Gideons International; also, coincidentally … Continue reading →\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/some-personal-background\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"End-of-Life Reflections\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-05-02T08:04:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Poinciana-Tree-in-Bloom-1024x768.jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/\",\"name\":\"End-of-Life Reflections\",\"description\":\"Reflections on dying and death from a Buddhist view\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/some-personal-background\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Poinciana-Tree-in-Bloom-1024x768.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Poinciana-Tree-in-Bloom-1024x768.jpeg\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/some-personal-background\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/some-personal-background\/\",\"name\":\"Personal Background - End-of-Life Reflections\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/some-personal-background\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2019-12-13T05:30:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-05-02T08:04:36+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/some-personal-background\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/some-personal-background\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/some-personal-background\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Personal Background\"}]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Personal Background - End-of-Life Reflections","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/some-personal-background\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Personal Background - End-of-Life Reflections","og_description":"An Awareness of the Transcendent Beginning in my childhood years, I began to be aware of something deeper in life \u2013 a spiritual dimension. In school, I was given a pocket-sized New Testament gift by the Gideons International; also, coincidentally … Continue reading →","og_url":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/some-personal-background\/","og_site_name":"End-of-Life Reflections","article_modified_time":"2020-05-02T08:04:36+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Poinciana-Tree-in-Bloom-1024x768.jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/","name":"End-of-Life Reflections","description":"Reflections on dying and death from a Buddhist view","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/some-personal-background\/#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"http:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Poinciana-Tree-in-Bloom-1024x768.jpeg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Poinciana-Tree-in-Bloom-1024x768.jpeg"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/some-personal-background\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/some-personal-background\/","name":"Personal Background - End-of-Life Reflections","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/some-personal-background\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2019-12-13T05:30:02+00:00","dateModified":"2020-05-02T08:04:36+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/some-personal-background\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/some-personal-background\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/some-personal-background\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Personal Background"}]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/551"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=551"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/551\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2493,"href":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/551\/revisions\/2493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dying-and-death-reflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}