No U in Love...

by: John Ptacek  Love is where you are not.   It would bomb as a pick up line, but it’s a concept of love worth pondering. They are the words of Jiddu Krishnamurti, a renowned spiritual teacher who traveled the world in the twentieth century extolling the merits of self-inquiry.   At first the statement comes across like one of those if-a-tree-falls-in-the-woods Zen mind benders, but spend a few moments with it...

Suffering as Initiation...

by: Alice Muscat Why is there pain and suffering in the world? This age-old question has been knocking at my door these past six months, begging for an answer. Last November I was present during a friend’s labor and delivery. As the labor continued, I placed my hands upon her to help with the contractions and pain on and on through the night, getting more and more intense.  I wondered why (Genesis aside) a woman must...