Love, Life, Meaning, Zen, and Science: The Short Version Blog, by Norm Bearrentine

Be Here Now; The Complexity of the Present Moment

March 4, 2008 by Norm Bearrentine Leave a Comment

Originally posted 05-10-07: One of the first books I ever read on meditation was Be Here Now, in the early 70's. Since then I've seen many references to staying in the present moment, paying attention, mindfulness, etc. but … [Read more...]

Buddha the Scientist; Faith vs. Free Will

March 4, 2008 by Norm Bearrentine Leave a Comment

Originally posted 05-09-07: I was re-reading the Summer, 2006 issue of Tricycle the other day, and found myself annoyed, again, by an article by Thanissaro Bhikkhu called "Faith in Awakening." What provoked me was this, … [Read more...]

When I realized that the idea of god was a joke, I thought that was the end of the story. Later I found that Christianity had shaped my values, and while some were worth keeping, many had lost their foundation—the meaning of life, for example. Something similar happened when I realized that the idea of free will was a joke, and I’ve spent the decades since both those realizations discovering and editing what Julia Galef calls the “orphan beliefs” they left behind. It’s a tricky business, and this blog has been a chronicle of my efforts to puzzle it all out, including reviews of related books. I hope you find it helpful.