ORDER OF THE WILD GOOSE

   

    `Ordugh Cadhan is Gaelic and translates Order (`Ordugh) Wild Goose (Cadhan).  It is the name of the order of secular monks created by Brother Thomas Faulkenbury and Brother John Chiaromonte, one a Bishop of the RCC and the other a former Bishop and Taoiseach of the RCC.

    The wild goose was a symbol for the ancient Celtic Christian Church.  The free flight of the wild goose was reminiscent of Jesus' comment on the Holy Spirit:  "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes.  So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." (John 3:8)

    Cadhan monks are on a wild goose chase ~ a following of the Holy Spirit ~ down paths of ecumenicity and tolerance, across the skies of God's universal message into the heart of God's presence and work in all religions of love and compassion.

    We are Christ-centered because He is our foundation and our personal point of reference.  But we are not restricted by the boundaries of Christianity nor any other institutional religion.  We can, have, and will find truths in other religions, East and West.  While we believe that Jesus Christ is the Incarnate Word of God, we do not believe that God has been silent with regards to people outside the Judeo-Christian world.

    We are definitely un-orthodox and most likely heretical from the viewpoint of mainstream Christianity.  Defining orthodoxy and declaring what is heresy are the purview of religions and the cause of much bloodshed and killing.  We prefer spirituality over religion.  We endeavor to follow the Wild Goose; not hunt it and kill it as religions do the Spirit of their founders.

    The orientation of the Order is eclectic and esoteric...  a mixture of Wisdom Christianity, Zen Buddhism, and Advaita Hinduism.  The focus is multifaceted and ever-changing yet anchored in several precepts.

Wild Goose Precepts

 

THE CADHAN PRECEPTS

(Precepts are meant as directions, or a rule of action or conduct.  They are, simply, teachings we hold to be true.)These precepts are used by the Order of St. Josaphat and The Order of the Wild Goose

 

    Refuge in Christ, Buddha, and Krishna (Refuge in God)

    Refuge in the Gospel, the Dharma, and the Gita (Refuge in His Truth and Teachings)

    Refuge in the Order, the Sangha, and the Ashram (Refuge in the community of like-believing people)

 

    Love God with your whole heart, mind, strength, and will. (The four yogas or disciplines: bhakti or devotion, jinana or

        study,hatha or meditation, and karma or deeds)

    Love others as you love yourself.

    Do unto others as you would have them do to you.

    Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you.

    The Spirit of God inhabits all sentient beings.

 

    Life outside the Spirit of God is suffering.

    Suffering is caused by desires contrary to the Spirit of God.

    The cessation of suffering is possible.

    The extinction of desires contrary to the Spirit of God leads to the cessation of suffering.

    Suffering is ultimately overcome by self-sacrifice; that is, by giving of yourself to others.

 

    The path to Nirvana, the Kingdom of Heaven, and Samadhi consists of:

        Knowing there is only One God, called by many names;

        Holding a right view of the nature of reality;

        Placing no thing before the One God;

        Honoring the names of the One God;

        Setting aside time for devotion to the One God; stilling the mind;

        Contemplating the divine virtues (lovingkindness, compassion, sympathetic joy)

        Respecting parents, venerating ancestors, and remembering history;

        Not earning a living which is contrary to the Spirit of God or the path;

        Refraining from killing;

        Not engaging in adultery; holding right thought, free from sensuous desire, ill-will, and cruelty;

        Not stealing; not craving or desiring to possess what does not belong to you whether person or property;

        Not bearing false witness; abstaining from harsh, vulgar words, words delivered in anger, slurs,

           gossip, and idle chatter;

        Developing compassionate motivations.

 

Being a Cadhan monk is not about belonging to a specific religion or denomination.  It is not about living in a monastery or separated from the world.  It is not about taking vows or wearing a particular habit or robes.

 

Being a Cadhan monk is a matter of having a monastic heart; that is, living simply and humbly in the ever-presence of the One God and following His Spirit, which is already within you.