So far in this series exploring Buddhist thought as a mirror to better understand Christianity we’ve seen just how central the idea of attachment/non-attachment is in Buddhism: We are dissatisfied with the world, thereby suffering and acting to cause others to suffer, because we are overly attached to the transient things of the world around … Continue reading The Gospel and the Three Poisons
Of the basic teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha one of the most influential for Buddhist thought and life is what is called the ‘middle way’ or ‘middle path’. This was the epiphany that true freedom and wisdom is to be found neither in the life of indulgence knew knew in the palace … Continue reading The Gospel and the Middle Path
In our highly individualist, consumer-driven culture, we often (hopefully unintentionally) bring our customer mentality to spirituality, as though God should be happy for our business and trip over Godself to ensure we have a positive experience and 'meet our needs'. But of course, we’re dealing with the infinite creator of the universe here, and so … Continue reading Only Our Duty: A Reflection on Luke 17.5-10
A lot has happened in bookish and pop culture the past couple weeks since I did one of these posts. So without further ado: Roundup Music Whether she wants to or not, Taylor Swift takes up a lot of air in the pop-cultural space, so it's no surprise that the lead up to the release … Continue reading Culture Roundup (October 4, 2025): Reading the Giller Prize Longlist and Initial Thoughts on The Life of a Showgirl
Last time, we explored the core Buddhist teaching of impermanence and how it relates to Christian teaching. Today we’ll see that that same understanding of pervasive instability extends even to the person itself. This is the concept of anatta, ‘non-self’. It’s an oft misunderstood idea, so will need some unpacking before we can responsibly look … Continue reading Who Am I Anyway?: Non-Self and the Gospel
Matthew Root 