The harmony of contrasts is a leading theme in the aesthetics of nature and of the arts. Watch the harmonies unfold in this 1877 poem by English poet and Roman Catholic priest Gerard Manley Hopkins. Pied Beauty Glory be to God for dappled things— For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow; For …
Ideas of incarnation and works of harmony
Christianity uses the word “incarnation” mainly to refer to Jesus of Nazareth understood as the Word of God, come down from heaven and made flesh, a person in whom divine and human natures were mysteriously and gloriously united. Hinduism and Buddhism regard us all as having had previous …
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How to begin a project in artistic living
Receiving and giving To construct a philosophy of living project, we first identify some area of our lives that we would like to work on, some growth frontier. It is important to be realistic, not take on too much, but the greatest growth usually comes from focusing on our front-burner issue, the …
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Art, morality, and Auguste Rodin
Over the years, the sculptor who moved me most was Auguste Rodin, whose Burgers of Calais continues to symbolize for me the heights of human greatness. The work commemorates the men of the French city of Calais, who in 1347 responded to the offer of the victorious English king who had besieged their …
Dying, Bach’s B minor Mass, and Dr. Perry’s answered prayer
Dr. Perry On December 22 when I posted the moving story of Taitetsu Unno’s ministry to the woman in the hospital, I did not know that he had died a few days earlier. Mark Unno, his equally brilliant and accomplished son, also a philosopher and Shin Buddhist priest, told me that during his …
Continue Reading about Dying, Bach’s B minor Mass, and Dr. Perry’s answered prayer
Dying, Bach’s B minor Mass, and Dr. Perry’s answered prayer
Dr. Perry On December 22 when I posted the moving story of Taitetsu Unno’s ministry to the woman in the hospital, I did not know that he had died a few days earlier. Mark Unno, his equally brilliant and accomplished son, also a philosopher and Shin Buddhist priest, told me that during his …
Continue Reading about Dying, Bach’s B minor Mass, and Dr. Perry’s answered prayer
