When nothing is sacred, then everything is sacred Also, praying for others is like donating ten bucks to a campaign - it allows you to be ready for more substantive action later and allows you to tell people you prayed for.X.
There are many sorts of prayer, asking for something specific is not the major sort - asking to be a more helpful or courageous friend is just as useful On Oct 31, 2012 1:01 AM, "Bill!" <billsm...@hhs1963.org> wrote: > Merle, > > My responses are as usual embedded in your post below: > > --- In Zen_Forum@yahoogroups.com, Merle Lester <merlewiitpom@...> wrote: > > >  billlllllllllll...you sound like you do not like edgar? > > What I've said reveals nothing about my feelings for Edgar. > > >  why not pray? > > It's a useless activity, except perhaps to either make the one who's > praying feel better. > > >  what does pray mean to you? > > 'Pray' to me means to ask for something from someone who you think can > give whatever you're asking for. > > > what do you mean to whom? > > I mean 'to whom would you pray'? To God? To Jehovah? To Allah? To > Vishnu? To Buddha? To Edgar? To Sally? To FEMA? To whom? > > >  pray is pray is pray > > I can't argue with that. > > > sacred > > What do you mean 'sacred'? There is nothing that's 'sacred'. There's > Just THIS! > > > i care > > Okay. I care too. > > >  i pray > > I don't. > > >  that is that and again i ask why not? > > I don't pray. I don't do a lot of things. Like, I also don't cut the > heads off of chickens, smear my body with their blood, drink some > intoxicant, stick pins in a doll and dance until I pass out hoping that > will bring about something I want. > > > compassion  universal love and understanding is that not pray? > > No Merle, compassion and universal love and understanding is not prayer. > At least I don't equate these. > > And one last thing...if you're going to pray, why just pray for Edgar? Or > for all those on the East Coast of the USA? Or for all those in danger? > Why not just pray for EVERYBODY, EVERYWHERE? Including yourself? > > How about something like the first line of the 4 Bodhisattva vows: > > Sentient beings are numberless, I vow to save them [all] - not just > Edgar... > > Now THAT'S compassion and universal love - but I'm not sure about > universal understanding. That's out of my scope. > > ...Bill! > > > > merle > >  > > Merle, > > > > Why pray for Edgar? And to whom? > > > > ...Bill! > > > > --- In Zen_Forum@yahoogroups.com, Merle Lester <merlewiitpom@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > >  we must pray for edgar... > > >  merle > > > > > > > > >  > > > >... wind-damage. > > > > > > From Hurricane Sandy or Edgar? ; ) > > > > > > Ps You know we love you, Edgar! > > > > > > > > > > > > ________________________________ > > > From: Joe <desert_woodworker@> > > > To: Zen_Forum@yahoogroups.com > > > Sent: Tuesday, 30 October 2012, 22:07 > > > Subject: Re: [Zen] Edgar! Watch Out!!! > > > > > > > > >  > > > Edgar, > > > > > > You LOOK ok. Is that YOU, wading ashore? Good. I feel that all is > right with the Whirled, then. Now. > > > > > > --Joe > > > > > > PS Group: Unless he has a gasoline powered generator, he may be off > line for a bit. And the Internet providers there will have their problems, > too, for a few days, as may the phone companies, if Edgar has DSL. But, > hopes that our co-Moderator is safe!, and that his antiquities collection > did not experience flooding nor wind-damage. I could have warned about > this a week ago when Edgar avowed that it was not cloudy in New Jersey: > We're clear-eyed in the Desert... when sand does not make us blink. We did > not blink. Be safe, stay safe. > > > > > > > Merle Lester <merlewiitpom@> wrote: > > > > > > > > are you ok edgar?..merle > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Current Book Discussion: any Zen book that you recently have read or are > reading! Talk about it today!Yahoo! Groups Links > > > >
