My Unitarian Jihad Name is....

[Wensleydale]

I too, am a member of the crusade.

Sibling Pepper Spray of Mild Reason!

[snakefing]

Perhaps someone can explain to me the significance of, The Dagger of The Short Path?

[brainface]

I'm always happy to educate the members of our unstoppable wave of human kindness.
[spoiler=googleGoogle]

In the Zen philosophy of Paul Brunton, there are two paths to enlightenment or knowledge. One is called the 'Long Path' and the other is called the 'Short Path'. (See? Told you that the set-up was important.) The 'Long Path' is that of seeking and education and discipline. It is the years of study, the pouring over of the academic research, the learning of the forms and the techniques of a given religion or belief system. It is the brass tacks that first build and then maintain the entire structure. This is what your teachers or Elders are talking about when they tell you to read and to study. This is also what they may retort -and quite sharply, too!- when you whine about having to do all that boring stuff when you want to be out there shooting sparks from your fingertips. Too bad, they say. You have to do the grunt work first. It's up the hill with you and if you don't have the stamina for it, you won't make it here and stop wasting our time. It took thirty years to get here and we aren't about to just hand it over to you all nice and neatly packaged just because you want us to. Do the Work, dammit!

The 'Short Path' is that of sudden flashes of divine inspiration and instantaneous revelation. These flashes can come to anyone at anytime without any training or climbing or grunting at all. They are from the Gods Themselves and who knows why They choose to reveal Themselves to ordinary or untrained people in this way? That They do is evident in the numbers of people who come to Paganism after just this sort of experience. It needn't be a lightning bolt, but may have been a whisper. However it comes, it is enough so that when these folks discover the religions and paths that make up modern Paganism, they recognize within them the same Voices. They 'know' that they 'know' even if they aren't quite sure of even the most basic rudiments of the religions or systems themselves. They just 'know' that are where they are meant to be.

actually, is zen paganism? i don't even know.[/spoiler]

[snakefing]

Well, my understanding was that Zen was a particular branch of Buddhism. The rest of that seems rather more paganistic, but then no one ever accused neo-pagans of being fussy about consistency.

Still, "The Dagger of Sudden Enlightenment" does have a kind of pleasingly sinister ring to it.

[SDragon]

while i will concur that zen is bhuddhism, the site was witchvox. witchvox. of course it sounded paganistic.

[Darkxarth]

Wait, Neo-Pagan Buddhist Unitarians?  Now you've got me all confused... :o

[Seraph]

I am Brother Guillotine of Loving Wisdom.  It's cool, but I wish I were a garrote . . .
Garrotes are awesomeness incarnate.

[Soup Nazi]

I got a sweet one. I am brother burning pointy implement of loving truth.  :heart:

[limetom]

I am Brother Divine Garrote of Reasoned Discussion.

It appears I'm an oxymoron. :P

[Seraph]

I am Brother Divine Garrote of Reasoned Discussion.

It appears I'm an oxymoron. :P

Why must you torment me so?
Je suis jalouse.

[snakefing]

Je pense que vous voulez dire, "Je suis envieux," ou au moins, "Je suis jaloux."

[Darkxarth]

Je ne parle pas francais.

Yay!  I'm helping!

[Seraph]

Je pense que vous voulez dire, "Je suis envieux,"

Oui.
"Je suis Jalouse" is the title of a song by Emily Loizeau.

[limetom]

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FrancogallicÃ,,' nÃ...n sciÃ....

[Seraph]

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FrancogallicÃ,,' nÃ...n sciÃ....

What does that mean? What language is it?