All Writings

I hope whomever reads through these posts are moved to walk through the world with a wider sense of being, a more compassionate heart, and with a greater intention to recognize and work towards fostering interconnectedness with all beings. One of my favorite Buddhist texts, the Bodhicaryavatara by Shantideva has these beautiful lines that for me, sum up my intention as a human and as a chaplain:

May I be a guard for those that are protectorless, 
A guide for those who journey on the road.
For those who wish to cross the water.
May I be a boat, a raft, a bridge.

- Bodhicaryavatara by Shantideva (chap. 3, vs 18 Padmakara Translation)

Buddhist Writings, Just For Fun Susan Shannon Buddhist Writings, Just For Fun Susan Shannon

On the Rag with the Monks

In a perfect world, my period would have started and stopped well before I left the United States for Nepal. I’d counted it out on my calendar before getting my ticket. But no, pigs can’t fly, beggars can’t ride and perhaps if it were a perfect world, women wouldn’t menstruate in the first place. Or, if they did, the periods would be less disruptive. As it was though, I was awakened at three in the morning by the worst cramps, just two days after arriving in Nepal. I was staying in a tiny room in a small monastic school in the mountains outside of Kathmandu.

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Interfaith Writings, Featured, Just For Fun Susan Shannon Interfaith Writings, Featured, Just For Fun Susan Shannon

Jethro Tull's Album Aqualung as a Symbol for Modern Ministry

I was days before my 14th birthday when Jethro Tull’s album Aqualung came out in 1971. Hearing the songs for the first time gave me full permission to raise my voice and question what I had been force fed about organized religion. The songs spoke to the religious ideals of high culture, which I felt as distrust.

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