In the pursuit of knowledge more and more Is accumulated
In the pursuit of the Tao more and more falls away
Lao Tzu
Colin Mallard played in bomb craters and bombed out buildings as a child in England during the Second World War. Perhaps this was the origin of his interest in peace. He attended University in Boston and was deeply involved in the Civil Rights and Anti War Movements of the 60s. In fact, the story of the sanctuary at Boston University’s Marsh Chapel, described in Stillpoint, was written from personal experience.
He worked for a number of years at an inner city church in Providence with the local black population and was harassed, threatened and beaten by the police. Later the church was firebombed and destroyed. (Click on the link below and see some interesting photos from that time. He’s the one with the large mustache.)
Some of his many jobs have included such esoteric skills as taxi driver, magician’s assistant, tree planter, mountain guide and a street counselor on Vancouver’s skid-road. Colin laughs, “Jack of all trades and master of none.”
He spent eleven years as a Unitarian minister. His interest in exploring spiritual matters took him into the ministry and out of it again.
For the next 20 years he worked as a psychologist. For some of that time he lived in Hawaii and worked with families in which children had been abused. The State of Hawaii believed the family was the best place to raise children and were prepared to provide the needed help. He taught parents effective communication and parenting kills, and helped them understand the sources of anger and conflict. It was during this time he wrote a first novel, a teaching story for his clients.
Behind it all was a consuming interest in the nature of peace and who or what we are as human beings. This led him to a lengthy study of Taoism, and Zen and, latterly, the Advaita Masters, Ramesh Balsekar and Dr. Jean Klein.
He has written a number of books on the subject of peace. Something to Ponder, reflections from Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, and Understanding, draw the reader into a deep exploration of life and how it works. A number of his books have won awards in such categories as Eastern Religion, General Fiction and Interior Design and Layout.
His latest novel Stillpoint uses fictional characters to bring to life the events that took place before, during and after the creation of the State of Israel. “If there is no awareness of what took place and what continues to this day, how can there be any real understanding?” Colin asks. “With deep understanding,” he continues, “shifts in behavior spontaneously take place and peace becomes a possibility.”
“Beliefs are not facts” he points out, “We may believe we can fly but gravity doesn’t care what we believe.”
Colin lives on Vancouver Island, where he writes and teaches about the wisdom and insights of Eastern Philosophy. He is also an avid soccer player and photographer.
The link below will take you to some images from the sixties. The Sanctuary at Boston University, Police brutality issues and the firebombing of the Church of the Mediator in Providence RI.
Click to view newspaper clippings of the sanctuary and Church of the Mediator.
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