Day 35

I spent years searching for a church community to meet my need for spiritual fellowship. I went to Unitarian services and new thought churches and enjoyed standing in circles holding hands and singing The Peace Song. I went to more traditional Christian churches and was inspired by the life of Jesus, one of the greatest peacemakers of all time. I even went to Quaker meetings for a time. I loved the simplicity and serenity of merely sitting in silence, waiting to see if someone would be moved to stand and share the word.

I always had a vision for a different kind of church. This church had no pulpit or pews. I envisioned people sitting in a circle, simply sharing their experiences of the sacred. No dogma or doctrine. No scripture or rules.

For the last year, I have been attending a Zen Buddhist discussion group. I don't go every week. One of the things I like about the group is that people drop in and out to suit the circumstances of their lives and their personal needs. It is very loosely organized. We meet in a coffee shop. We discuss Buddhist texts as well as the sacred and profane details of our experiences.

More than anything else what I appreciate about this group is that people seem to be fully present. We attend only to the discussion. People in this group seem to really listen to one another. There are sometimes long, calm silences as we consider what has been said. There is a shared intention here, to try to live each moment fully.

I almost always come away from this group with a little jewel that I continue to bring out and enjoy throughout the week. Today we talked about how we can live with the intention to respond to each situation we find ourselves in with compassion.

Responding to life with compassion. Is there a higher spiritual calling? More and more I am convinced that the divine doesn't just live in temples, but also in coffee houses.