Introduction

There is nothing here that has not been explained before
And I have no skill in the art of rhetoric;
Therefore... I write this in order to acquaint it to my mind.
For due to acquaintance with what is wholesome
The force of my faith may for a short while increase...
If, however, these words are seen by others...
...it may be meaningful for them.
- Shantideva, Bodhisattvacharyavatara, I(2,3)
Do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your minds,
so that you may discern what is the will of God
--what is good and acceptable and perfect.
- Romans 12:2
Don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture,
by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability,
or by the thought, "This contemplative is our teacher."
When you know for yourselves that,
"These qualities are unskillful;
these qualities are blameworthy;
these qualities are criticized by the wise;
these qualities, when adopted and carried out,
lead to harm and to suffering"
— then you should abandon them.
When you know for yourselves that,
"These qualities are skillful;
these qualities are blameless;
these qualities are praised by the wise;
these qualities, when adopted and carried out,
lead to welfare and to happiness"
— then you should enter and remain in them.

Kalama Sutta: To the Kalamas (AN 3.66).
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

Dear Reader,

This collection of commentaries, indexed to readings from the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL), is intended to support your spiritual growth by enriching Biblical wisdom with wisdom from the Sutta Pitaka of Theravada Buddhism and the lamrim ("stepwise path") and lojong ("mind transformation") practices of Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism.

I began this project in late December of 2022, following the general availability of the ChatGPT chatbot interface to the GPT-3 Large Language Model (LLM) of OpenAI. Currently, I am using a purpose-built customized version of ChatGPT called "Spiritual Elder", specifically oriented toward spiritual growth.

A word to the wise: Don't try this at home, kids – unless you have access to reliable sources to check for misquotes and misattributions, good subject knowledge to catch incorrect statements, and editorial skills to correct redundancies, non sequiturs, etc. Don't rely solely on a chatbot - no matter how many parameters its Large Language Model has - for spiritual guidance. Rely on science, the teachings of the great masters, and your own critical and emotional intelligence.

Jim Christensen