Clark Strand Explained

Clark Strand (born August 14, 1957)[1] [2] [3] is an American author and lecturer on spirituality and religion. A former Zen Buddhist monk, he was the first Senior Editor of . He left that position in 1996 and moved to Woodstock, New York, to write and teach full-time.

He is also a poet and has published two books featuring his poetry.

Early life and education

Strand was born in 1957,[1] and grew up in Arkansas[4] and Alabama.[5] The family moved to Atlanta in 1971,[6] and Strand graduated from the Lovett School in 1975.[7]

Strand was raised as a Southern Presbyterian,[8] and converted to Buddhism in the 1970s.[9] He studied philosophy and religion at in Sewanee, Tennessee,[10] graduating in 1980.[11]

Career

Strand began his post-university career as a Zen Buddhist monk.[12] In 1988, he left the Dai Bosatsu Zendo, a Rinzai Zen Buddhist monastery in upstate New York[13] [11] and became the director of New York Zendo, a Rinzai Zen Buddhist temple in New York City.[11] In 1990 he resigned from New York Zendo[14] [15] and ceased being a Buddhist monk.[16]

Following a few years of psychoanalysis, he became the first senior editor of in 1993.[17] He also continued his decades-long exploration of the spiritual traditions of the world in search of a more spiritually-evolved version of religion that was compatible with modern life; the journey took him inside of numerous communities including Buddhist temples, Hasidic synagogues, Christian monasteries, and Hindu cults.[18] [16] [19] This eventually led to his books Meditation Without Gurus (2003) and How to Believe in God: Whether You Believe in Religion or Not (2009).[18]

In 1996, Strand left his position as senior editor of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, and moved to Woodstock, New York to write and teach full time.[17] [20]

In January 2000, Strand founded the Koans of the Bible Study Group (since renamed Woodstock Buddhist Bible Study), a weekly inter-religious discussion group devoted to finding a new paradigm for religious belief and practice.[16] He also founded the Green Meditation Society in Woodstock, which promotes an ecologically-based approach to spiritual practice, drawing upon the environmental teachings of the world's great religious traditions.[21]

In the early 2000s, he began exploring Soka Gakkai International, which originated from Soka Gakkai Japan, a humanistic religion based on the teachings of the 13th century Japanese monk, Nichiren, who lived in Kamakura period. This led him to write Waking the Buddha: How the Most Dynamic and Empowering Buddhist Movement in History Is Changing Our Concept of Religion (2014).[22]

Strand has written additional books on spirituality, as well as articles on a variety of religious, spiritual and ecological themes. He writes for The Washington Post,[23] The Huffington Post, The New York Times, Newsweek’s On Faith Blog, Tricycle, Body & Soul, Spirituality & Health and several other publications.[24] [25] [26]

He also lectures and teaches classes, workshops, and retreats.[18] In May 2015, he participated in the First White House U.S. Buddhist Leaders Conference.[27]

Strand is also a poet,[28] and has published two books featuring his poetry: Seeds from a Birch Tree: Writing Haiku and the Spiritual Journey (1997), and Now is the Hour of Her Return: Poems in Praise of the Divine Mother Kali (2022). He also teaches classes and workshops in writing haiku.[29]

Personal life

Strand lives in Woodstock, New York.[30] He and his wife, author Perdita Finn,[31] are co-founders of The Way of the Rose, a non-sectarian rosary fellowship that welcomes people of all faiths and spiritual backgrounds.[32] [33]

Bibliography

1997Seeds from a Birch Tree: Writing Haiku and the Spiritual Journey
1998The Wooden Bowl: Simple Meditations for Everyday Life
2003Meditation Without Gurus: A Guide to the Heart of the Practice
2009How to Believe in God: Whether You Believe in Religion or Not
2014Waking the Buddha: How the Most Dynamic and Empowering Buddhist Movement in History Is Changing Our Concept of Religion[34]
2015Waking up to the Dark: Ancient Wisdom for a Sleepless Age[35] [36]
2019The Way of the Rose: The Radical Path of the Divine Feminine Hidden in the Rosary (with Perdita Finn)
2022Now is the Hour of Her Return: Poems in Praise of the Divine Mother Kali

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Finn . Perdita . Take Back the Magic: Conversations with the Unseen World . 2023 . . 9780762482528 . 212.
  2. Web site: Clark W Strand from Woodstock, NY . Nuwber . August 21, 2024.
  3. Web site: Strand . Clark . Thanks so much for my happy birthday wishes, everyone! It was a wonderful day! . . August 21, 2024 . August 15, 2024.
  4. Web site: Conner . Janet . Praying at the speed of Love, Episode 19: The Way of the Rose Part 1 . mainbucketdgandco . July 14, 2024 . December 5, 2019.
  5. Strand . Clark . Wake Up to the Dark . Spirituality & Health . January–February 2023 . July 9, 2024.
  6. Web site: Nola . Meg . Reviewer Meg Nola Interviews Clark Strand, Author of Waking Up to the Dark: The Black Madonna's Gospel for an Age of Extinction and Collapse . ForewordReviews.com . July 9, 2024 . September 23, 2022.
  7. Dr. Allan Strand Jr. (1930-2022) . The Lovett School . 91 . Fall–Winter 2022.
  8. Web site: Author Clark Strand . WakingtheBuddha.com . July 13, 2024.
  9. News: Laidlaw . Stuart . Awaiting the Dalai Lama . September 5, 2024 . . October 28, 2007.
  10. Web site: How is Christ Our King In 2012? . CathedralATL.org . August 24, 2024 . November 25, 2012.
  11. College Class Notes . The Sewanee News . December 1988 . 54 . 3 . 23 . August 13, 2024.
  12. Web site: Strand . Clark . A Zen Master's Guide to the Bible . Spirituality & Health . August 21, 2024 . May 29, 2014.
  13. Book: Strand . Clark . Seeds from a Birch Tree: Writing Haiku and the Spiritual Journey: 25th Anniversary Edition: Revised & Expanded . 2023 . Monkfish Book Publishing . 9781948626866 .
  14. Web site: The Zen Studies Society Annual Meeting of the Board of Trustees . ShimanoArchive.com . August 21, 2024 . January 16, 1990.
  15. Web site: Minutes of ZSS Board of Trustees Meeting . ShimanoArchive.com . August 21, 2024 . March 31, 1990 . 'Eido Roshi (嶋野 栄道) announced that Clark Strand had resigned as resident monk of New York Zendo....'.
  16. Web site: Guy . David . Get Back, Jo Jo . DavidGuy.org . September 2, 2015 . August 21, 2024.
  17. Web site: Reading Series – An Intimate Evening with Clark Strand . Village Zendo . October 14, 2021 . August 21, 2024.
  18. Web site: Author Clark Strand . WakingTheBuddha.org . August 21, 2024.
  19. Book: Strand . Clark . How to Believe in God: Whether You Believe in Religion or Not . 2009 . Harmony/Rodale . 9780385529525 . 3–4 .
  20. Web site: Jeffers . Steven L. . Nelson . Michael E. . Barnet . Vern . Brannigan . Michael C. . The Essential Guide to Religious Traditions and Spirituality for Health Care Providers . api.pageplace.de . . August 21, 2024 . xxvi-xxvii . 2019.
  21. News: Author Clark Strand to Speak on 'The 12 Steps of Ecological Recovery' at Judson Church . . Market Wire . January 31, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150518085443/http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUS119564+31-Jan-2011+MW20110131?irpc=932 . May 18, 2015.
  22. Mowe . Sam . Q&A: Clark Strand, Author of Waking the Buddha . Spirituality & Health . April 27, 2014 . May 16, 2015.
  23. News: Strand . Clark . Want to enjoy the deep, mystical sleep of our ancestors? Turn your lights off at dusk. . August 25, 2015 . . May 19, 2015.
  24. News: Strand . Clark . Turn Out the Lights . . Spring 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100306012349/http://www.tricycle.com/feature/turn-out-lights?page=0,3 . March 6, 2010.
  25. Web site: Strand . Clark . How the Nones Are Coming of Age . . May 14, 2015 . May 1, 2014.
  26. News: Strand . Clark . Bring On the Dark . May 15, 2015 . The New York Times . December 19, 2014.
  27. News: Boorstein . Michelle . A political awakening for Buddhists? 125 U.S. Buddhist leaders to meet at the White House. . May 15, 2015 . . May 12, 2015.
  28. Web site: Clark Strand: A Deeper Connection with Everything Through Haiku . The Meaningful Life with Andrew G. Marshall . Podbean . August 21, 2024 . July 31, 2023.
  29. Web site: Clark Strand . . August 24, 2024.
  30. Web site: Clark Strand's life and work . World Wisdom . June 21, 2024.
  31. Web site: Matousek . Mark . Virgin Encounters: What to Do With an Apparition? . . November 5, 2019 . June 21, 2024.
  32. Web site: Clark Strand . . June 21, 2024.
  33. Peters . Julie . The Way of the Rose . Spirituality & Health . December 17, 2019 . June 21, 2024 . Unity Church.
  34. Web site: Strand . Clark . From the Muddy Pond . SGI Quarterly . https://web.archive.org/web/20150518091423/http://www.sgiquarterly.org/feature2014jan-4.html . May 18, 2015 . January 2014 . dead.
  35. News: Matousek . Mark . Waking Up To the Dark: Ancient Wisdom for a Sleepless Age . May 15, 2015 . . May 11, 2015.
  36. Web site: Waking up to the Dark: Ancient Wisdom for a Sleepless Age . . May 15, 2015 . January 14, 2015.

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