From time to time this will be a place where you may find short articles I have written or copies of talks I have given. I am often asked for copies of these written or oral presentations, so this can be a resource for links to the pieces or the original material themselves. Essentially I am a perpetual student, interested in more things than I could ever really master, and always eager to learn more. I actually think this is fun. I have always been most interested in how things become what they are – how they grow and develop – from the primal origins of this planet, to the evolution and development of living organisms, to the amazing emergence of the human mind and consciousness. I have also responded throughout my life to an internal yearning for spirit, or that which goes beyond this ordinary, relative world. I’ve loved nature and sought to learn as much as I could from long, quiet walks in the woods and later from more formal scientific training in the classroom and the laboratory. I’ve also continued to be fascinated by not only the everyday psychology of human development and change but by the farthest reaches of transpersonal experience encountered in contemplative practice. I will continue to seek the most interesting teachers, teachings, and learning opportunities I can find and pass on what I discover. My hope is that you find something here that you not only enjoy, but could encourage you in your own development. April 2008: Hawaii Retreat Daily Entries “Discovery” - By Flint Sparks Dundee, Scotland - July 2007 “HOPE IS CRUEL”
by Flint Sparks From the Spring 2007 edition of “Just This,” the journal of the Austin Zen Center. Last year I was able to participate in a solo retreat in Dallas with the support of Ruben Habito and his associated teachers at the Maria Kannon Zen Center. I was asked to write something about that time in deep practice, focusing on koan study. The result of that request can be found as part of the Zen Journal of MKZC. April 2006 Hawaii Retreat - Daily Entries SOUL OF THE GARDEN is a special series produced by KLRU-TV Producer and Host Tom Spencer. In this series, Spencer explores spirituality from a very personal perspective. In this series Spencer introduces viewers to ideas and individuals who have helped shape his own spiritual practices. Flint Sparks and the Austin Zen Center appear alongside several other wise, local spiritual leaders, in exploring the sense of wonder and solace so many of us feel when we encounter the beauty of the natural world. "Mystery" deals with the tensions between
our longing for certainty and the profound mysteries that surround
us. "Paying Attention" was inspired by the Mary
Oliver poem "The Summer Day," which explores what is perhaps
the most important spiritual practice - bringing attention and "mindfulness"
into our day-to-day experiences. "Communion" explores the shared nature of
the spiritual journey. "The Path of Practice" which calls viewers
to live the spiritual life they profess. "Gratitude" examines gratitude as the destination
of the spiritual journey. “Buddha’s Nature” Not One - Not Two: Global Spirituality from an Interfaith
Perspective. What Do You Really Want. The Shock Of Vulnerability . Calling The Mind Home. Retreat from Ordinary Thoughts, first from the
Austin American-Statesman. Devotion in Zen Practice, first from the Austin
Zen Center newsletter. Our Undisturbed Way, first from the Austin Zen Center
newsletter. An article entitled "Buddha's Nature" appearing in the Winter 2005 edition of Just This, from the Austin Zen Center
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