In the 1980s, the term “sanctuary” was used in the context of churches that sheltered individuals and families fleeing war in the Central American countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua. Churches offered housing to individuals who otherwise would have been sent back to their countries of origin. The churches were considered safe shelter because of […]
Image cropped and adapted from the cover of Jaimal Yogis’ book, “All Our Waves are Water.” https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/7h7w1dmwn9u45gs/WEB_Interview_Yogis.mp3 May 2, 2017 — Jaimal Yogis is a San Francisco author who lives at Ocean Beach with his wife and three sons. He spent many years traveling the world seeking spiritual enlightenment. That time is captured in his […]
Photo by CC Flickr user Julie Pimente https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/vxgv3k2ude47emk/WEB_Prathakanti.L.mp3 Western medicine once shunned alternative treatments like acupuncture, acupressure or the Indian system of Ayurveda. But the field of medicine is now taking them more seriously. Proof can be found in the emerging field of integrative medicine. Its approach is to combine modern medicine with alternative and […]
“[Religion] has occasionally provided a sense of community or been mildly frustrating.” “I respect others’ beliefs, but don’t feel any need for any ‘supernatural’ explanation for myself.” “I don’t love the term spiritual, but I do believe in something bigger than ourselves.” “I’m fascinated with other people’s religions and glad I’m not part of any […]
Spiritual Edge contributor Hana Baba remembers what it was like to grow up black, African and Muslim in this piece published in Patheos. My parents must have felt this confusion, because that’s when they decided we would be going to Sudan a LOT more frequently. That a Sudanese identity would blend all these parts of […]
Credit: Tom Levy Reverend Koshin Ogui is a rebel. He’s dedicated to the Buddhist school in which he is ordained. But in the 1970s, he broke with tradition to begin teaching meditation. Meditation, while commonly associated with Buddhism is not part of Jodo Shinshu, Japan’s most popular school of Buddhism. While teaching meditation may not […]
“[Religion] has occasionally provided a sense of community or been mildly frustrating.” “I respect others’ beliefs, but don’t feel any need for any ‘supernatural’ explanation for myself.” “I don’t love the term spiritual, but I do believe in something bigger than ourselves.” “I’m fascinated with other people’s religions and glad I’m not part of any […]
Catholic Sisters Joann Persch and Pat Murphy, age 85 and 90, were arrested in Washington DC for their protest against conditions in federal ICE detention facilities. Photo credit: Heidi Shin https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/yqih630b5uuyw7m/WEB_Show_021920%20Two%20Fearless%20Nuns.mp3 In the latest installment of SACRED STEPS from KALW’s The Spiritual Edge, we’ll meet two Catholic nuns who, after decades of work with immigrant […]
Ahmad Rashid Salim. Credit Judy Silber https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/iwuqtghqsquc7d3/WEB_RashidSome.mp3 The Spiritual Edge has been putting together a series of profiles about how people do — and do not — practice their religious beliefs. Ahmad Rashid Salim is Muslim and a prayer leader at the Islamic Cultural Center in Oakland. Born in Afghanistan, his family came to the […]
Bishop Yvette Flunder. Photo by Tom Levy https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/lhvvbvjiot02l91/WEB_CityOfRefuge.mp3 At the Pentecostal Church where Yvette Flunder grew up in, she recalls pastors and church leaders who were tender and kind and understanding. That is, until one topic came up — that of homosexuality. Flunder herself was, as she calls it, “a same-gender-loving-woman,” and the prejudice drove […]
“[Religion] has occasionally provided a sense of community or been mildly frustrating.” “I respect others’ beliefs, but don’t feel any need for any ‘supernatural’ explanation for myself.” “I don’t love the term spiritual, but I do believe in something bigger than ourselves.” “I’m fascinated with other people’s religions and glad I’m not part of any […]
NOV. 21, 2014—As people get older, they often try to come to terms with their lives. They may ask themselves, what happened along the way and why? Aging may also come with new and different challenges, like the loss of independence or a debilitating illness. Research suggests that spirituality can help. At a recent meeting […]
In the 1980s, the term “sanctuary” was used in the context of churches that sheltered individuals and families fleeing war in the Central American countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua. Churches offered housing to individuals who otherwise would have been sent back to their countries of origin. The churches were considered safe shelter because […]
How the Buddha helped clean up a neighborhood – The Spiritual Edge
Photo by Tom Levy https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/56v7qf1q8ag0g9e/WEB.VietnameseShrine.mp3 NOV. 6, 2014–Living in a multi-cultural city yields all sorts of surprises. On a corner in Oakland just east of Lake Merritt, a small Buddha has helped bring neighbors together. I didn’t know what to think the first time I saw the makeshift Vietnamese shrine. At the time, a few […]