EASTERN LIGHT:
Quaker Spirituality Viewed Through the Lens of Buddhist Practice
with
Steve Smith
Do you hunger for a deeper spiritual or inner life? Are you intrigued by Buddhism or by attending a Quaker meeting? Have you worked with a psychotherapist? Perhaps Buddhist and/or Quaker perspectives could illuminate your own inner work, whatever your path.
From the beginnings of the Religious Society of Friends in 17th-Century England, Quakers have drawn from the insights of other traditions to enrich their own spiritual practice. For more than 60 years, The Friends Conference on Religion and Psychology has faithfully promoted this cross-fertilization, bringing insights from Jungian thought and other wisdom traditions to its annual conferences. Thus it has enabled thousands to broaden their spiritual horizons and grow deeply. This year’s conference expands upon this history by offering perspectives from Zen Buddhism to support the spiritual growth of conference attendees.
Steve Smith will share his own personal spiritual journey. In four plenary presentations and discussions Steve will address three primary themes—facing suffering with compassion, grounding our spirituality in our bodies, and awakening to Presence—through both Zen and Quaker lenses. Steve will emphasize lived religious experience rather than theory or theology.
Please read Steve’s Pendle Hill Pamphlet 370 A Quaker in the Zendo before the conference. This can help you to immerse yourself more quickly in what matters most: the deepening of our spiritual journeys and our joyful renewal.