A moment of Mindfulness at camp

Earlier this year, I was doing a lot of thinking, and reading, and teaching, and writing about two topics which have become very dear to me - non-dual theology (the idea that God is not some thing out there, but rather the sum total of our cosmos) and mindfulness. These two things are very tightly interconnected, even if it's not obvious how that's true at first.

Anyway, life got crazy, and I've been able to do less reading, less teaching and a whole lot less writing (but, still a lot of thinking) about them the past few months. When it came time to pick some teaching topics for camp, I decided to try to teach about non-dual theology. Sure, it's a bit heavy for an hour at camp, but it's an elective, and there are always a few kids who get really into this stuff.

I had some time before my class, so I went down to the spot where I'd be teaching and started to flip through Art Green's Radical Judaism*. I was looking to get my mind in the right place, and re-energize some of those theological muscles.

* It's a book about Green's non-dual theology, and it's utterly fantastic. I highly recommend it. But, be forewarned - it's not an easy read!

Well, as always when I read Green, I came across a passage which I just loved - it said exactly what I've been trying to say about something, only so much better, and more succinctly, than I can*. Talking about the amazingly, breathtakingly complex series of interaction and interdependencies in nature, Green writes:

* For example - all of this blog post, up until now, has just been a way to get to: "hey - look at this awesome passage in his book!"

It is these very intricacies and complexities that have led the religious fundamentalists to hold fast to the claim that there must be a greater intelligence behind it all, that such complexity can only reflect the planning of a supernatural Mind. But they miss the point of the religious moment here. Our task as religious person is not to offer counterscientific explanations for the origin of life. Our task is to notice, to pay attention to the incredible wonder of it all, and to find God in that moment of paying attention.

When someone tells you that science is in opposition to religion, just remember that that's only true of some religion. For some, science only makes religion better.

Oh, and I only got 2 campers and a counselor signed up for my elective. But, man did we have a good talk!