Buddha at the Gas Pump 763. Carmen Acevedo Butcher
Carmen Acevedo Butcher is an award-winning translator, poet, author, and contemplative teacher. She shares how trauma, dyslexia, and mystical experiences shaped her path, then explores The Cloud of Unknowing, Lectio Divina, Centering Prayer, and Brother Lawrence’s practice of presence. They also discuss suffering, panentheism, spiritual pluralism, women’s leadership, healing, and finding sacred attention in ordinary moments.
01:43:21
Let Meditation Interrupt Your Reactions
- Use walking meditation to notice reactive thoughts and create space before acting on them.
- Carmen’s practice gradually softened judgment and helped her respond safely instead of immediately reacting.
Turn Ten Thousand Thoughts Into Returns
- Treat stillness as an inner way of being available while walking, washing dishes, or sitting with difficult thoughts.
- The Cloud of Unknowing reframes recurring thoughts as material for returning gently to presence rather than as failures.
Read Scripture Like Something You Eat
- Practice Lectio Divina by reading slowly, noticing what shimmers, responding in prayer, and resting in contemplation.
- Carmen compares scripture to food that must be eaten and ruminated rather than consumed quickly.
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Intro
00:00 • 6min
Trauma, Faith, and Mystical Beginnings
05:54 • 7min
Language, Healing, and Spiritual Pluralism
12:35 • 5min
Evil, Scarcity, and Human Responsibility
18:05 • 2min
Mystery, Goodness, and the Nature of God
20:32 • 3min
Meditation Reduces Reactivity
23:44 • 6min
God, Suffering, and Panentheism
30:10 • 13min
The Cloud of Unknowing and Sacred Silence
43:01 • 2min
Be Still and Know
44:42 • 3min
Lectio Divina and Centering Prayer
47:56 • 8min
Brother Lawrence and Presence in Difficulty
55:43 • 6min
Community, Attention, and Divine Presence
01:01:35 • 2min
Dyslexia as Sacred Reading
01:04:01 • 2min
The Gospel of Thomas and Divine Selfhood
01:05:54 • 4min
Recovering Agency and a Healthy Self
01:09:44 • 6min
Women, Leadership, and Collaborative Wisdom
01:16:13 • 4min
Translation as Spiritual Transformation
01:19:49 • 3min
Loving God Beyond Correct Belief
01:22:58 • 5min
Practicing Presence at the Gas Pump
01:27:43 • 7min
Gentle Practice and Spiritual Safety
01:35:10 • 4min
The Cloud of Unknowing Prayer
01:39:00 • 3min
Outro
01:41:39 • 1min
#50627
God of Mercy
Ælfric’s Sermons and Theology
Carmen Acevedo Butcher
Ælfric (Aelfric) of Eynsham
This volume presents Carmen Acevedo Butcher’s translation of sermons by Ælfric of Eynsham, one of the most important Anglo-Saxon Benedictine writers.
Ælfric’s preaching emphasizes biblical instruction, pastoral guidance, and the mercy of God. The book makes his Old English theological writings accessible to modern readers while preserving their historical and devotional significance.
It reflects Carmen Acevedo Butcher’s broader work with monastic manuscripts and early English Christianity.
The collection is valuable both for students of medieval religious literature and for readers interested in contemplative Christian traditions.
#50
• Mentioned in 317 episodes
Bhagavad Gita
Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita is a central text in Hinduism, embedded within the epic Mahabharata.
It recounts a dialogue between the warrior-prince Arjuna and his charioteer, Krishna, who is an avatar of the god Vishnu.
The text explores themes of dharma (duty), karma (action), and the path to spiritual enlightenment.
Krishna advises Arjuna on the importance of performing his duties without attachment to the outcomes, emphasizing the concept of nishkama karma (nonattached action).
The Gita synthesizes various strands of Indian religious thought, including Vedic concepts, samkhya yoga, and bhakti (devotion), providing a coherent vision of Hindu philosophy and spiritual practice.
#7526
• Mentioned in 9 episodes
Gospel of Thomas
Unknown (collection of sayings attributed to Jesus)
The Gospel of Thomas is an early collection of 114 sayings attributed to Jesus, discovered in a Coptic codex among the Nag Hammadi library in 1945 and thought to reflect an independent oral or written tradition.
Unlike the canonical Gospels, it lacks narrative structure and focuses on purported sayings, some paralleled in the Synoptics and others more enigmatic.
Early orthodox writers regarded the text as associated with Gnostic tendencies and therefore theologically suspect, which contributed to its exclusion from the canonical New Testament.
Modern scholarship debates its date and relationship to the Synoptic tradition, with some scholars proposing early origins and others a later, sectarian composition.
The work has become central to studies of early Christian diversity, Gnosticism, and sayings traditions.
#486
• Mentioned in 81 episodes
The Practice of the Presence of God
Brother Lawrence (Nicolas Herman)
This book is a collection of Brother Lawrence's teachings, including his conversations and letters, which emphasize the importance of maintaining a constant awareness of God's presence.
Brother Lawrence learned to find God in all his daily tasks, whether he was working in the kitchen or repairing sandals.
He advocated for a simple and direct approach to living in God's presence, stressing that all work can be done as an act of love for God. The book includes his maxims and letters that provide practical advice on how to advance in the spiritual life and maintain a deep sense of God's presence in all activities.
#345
• Mentioned in 106 episodes
Bird by Bird
Some Instructions on Writing and Life
Anne Lamott
Susan Bennett
Bird by Bird is a comprehensive guide to writing that covers various aspects of the craft, from the initial stages of starting a project to the technical details of plot, character, and dialogue.
Lamott emphasizes the importance of persistence, faith, and hard work in writing.
She advocates for writing imperfect first drafts and warns against the pitfalls of perfectionism and self-criticism.
The book also delves into the emotional and spiritual aspects of writing, encouraging writers to confront their deepest fears and desires.
Lamott's approach is down-to-earth, humorous, and generously filled with personal experiences and practical advice.
#966
• Mentioned in 50 episodes
The Cloud of Unknowing
Anonymous
This book is a foundational text of Christian mysticism, written in the 14th century.
It advises readers to direct their full attention, love, and effort towards God by embracing a 'cloud of unknowing' that stands between them and God. The author emphasizes that God cannot be known through intellect but only through love and a deep, contemplative practice.
The text advocates for the abandonment of all worldly thoughts and distractions to focus solely on God, using a 'cloud of forgetting' to separate oneself from created things.
It is a guide for advanced spiritual seekers, outlining the stages of spiritual life including purgation, illumination, and union with God.
#5831
• Mentioned in 11 episodes
Open Mind, Open Heart
The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel
Thomas Keating
This book, written by Thomas Keating, provides an overview of the history of contemplative prayer in the Christian tradition and offers step-by-step guidance in the method of centering prayer.
It focuses on the intuitive level of contemplation, the role of the Sacred Word, Christian growth and transformation, and active prayer.
The book aims to help readers develop a personal relationship with God and to perceive everyday life with increasing sensitivity to the divine presence.
#7454
• Mentioned in 9 episodes
Why We Meditate
Daniel Goleman
Tsoknyi Rinpoche
In 'Why We Meditate', Daniel Goleman and Tsoknyi Rinpoche blend scientific research with spiritual practices to provide a comprehensive guide to meditation.
The book offers practical techniques to overcome destructive emotions and achieve inner peace, making it accessible to both beginners and experienced meditators.
It explores the physiological benefits of meditation, such as inducing a relaxation response, and delves into deeper psychological and spiritual insights.
Award-winning translator, author, poet, teacher, and workshop leader, Carmen Acevedo Butcher, PhD, is core faculty and Dean at the Center for Action and Contemplation, founded by Father Richard Rohr. Her translation for Shambhala Publications of the fourteenth-century contemplative classic The Cloud of Unknowing received a 46th Georgia Author of the Year Award. Martin Laird calls her translation of Brother Lawrence’s Practice of the Presence “the new standard,” and it was named by Spirituality & Practice to its Best Books List. At the University of Georgia Carmen earned an MA and a PhD in Medieval Studies, and as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of London, she worked with monastic manuscripts in London and Oxbridge libraries and translated homilies by the tenth-century Benedictine abbot, Ælfric of Eynsham, published as God of Mercy: Ælfric’s Sermons and Theology (Mercer University Press). Carmen has been interviewed on the BBC World Service The Compass, NPR Morning Edition, Center for Action and Contemplation’s Everything Belongs, Turning to the Mystics, and Learning How To See, and many other podcasts. She teaches at the University of California, Berkeley, in the College Writing Programs, and she is often found in the marsh chanting Psalm 46:10 in Old English.