There has been a lot of discussion about the 5 Contemplations on the OI1 discussion group lately. In the previous article I reported on some issues my dharma brothers were having and compared two versions of the 5 Contemplations with each other. One of the principle areas of discussion was related to the second contemplation, […]
The Three Jewels
February 2, 2014 by
Every Buddhist practitioner takes refuge in the Three Jewels. The Three Jewels are The Buddha, The Dharma, and The Sangha. The Buddha What does it mean to take refuge in the Buddha? When we take refuge in the Buddha, we aspire to awaken the seeds of joy, happiness, peace, and serenity in our lives and […]
Martin Luther King And Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh Were Friends
January 21, 2014 by
These words of wisdom were spoken by Dr. Martin Luther King. They come on January 20, 2014, Martin Luther King Day in the United States. It is well known that Dr. Martin Luther King and Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh were friends. In fact, Dr. King nominated Thich Nhat Hanh (known as Thay by his […]
The Perfection Of Ethics
October 21, 2013 by
In the previous post, The Perfection of Generosity, we learned that the perfection of ethics was one of the paramitas taught by the Buddha. The paramitas are practices that take us to the other shore from ill-being to well-being. A common translation of the Sanskrit word, paramita, is perfection or completeness, as was stated previously. […]
Pearl Of Wisdom
June 13, 2013 by
This pearl of wisdom was written by Tao-hsuan in the early part of the seventh century. He was an important Chinese Buddhist scholar and the founder of the Lu-Tsung disciplinary school of Chinese Buddhism. One of the major teachings of the Buddha was written down as the Vinaya, which are the rules of conduct monastics living […]
Many Types of Mindfulness Meditation
May 17, 2013 by
In this article, I am going to review Dr. Philippe Goldin‘s Google Talk from March 1, 2008. I have already posted the video as Meditation Practices: How Do They Affect The Brain? My purpose in this article is to extract one of the slides from the video and expand on it from the point of view […]
What Is The Difference Between Ill-being And Well-being?
May 16, 2013 by
Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (affectionately known as Thay to his followers) talks about the four noble truths of the Buddha in a way that is easy to understand. He uses the concepts of ill-being and well-being. What is the difference between ill-being and well-being? He teaches that the first noble truth is the fact of […]
Mindful Eating Helps Lose Weight
March 27, 2013 by
A recent article on the Science Daily website indicated that mindful eating helps lose weight. A study at the Ohio State University showed that “mindful eating equals traditional education in lowering weight and blood sugar” for diabetes patients. The report states, Eating mindfully, or consuming food in response to physical cues of hunger and fullness, […]
The Art Of Suffering
March 14, 2013 by
Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh gave a dharma talk on Sunday, March 10 in Plum Village, France in Upper Hamlet. The topic of his talk was the art of suffering. He said that we have many books on the art of happiness and we need a book on the art of suffering. We know that we cannot avoid […]
Comments On The Bodhisattva Vows
Yesterday, I presented the Vows of the Bodhisattvas in two versions. One of the versions was from the San Francisco Zen Center and their founder, Zen Master Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. It goes like this: Beings are numberless. I vow to awaken with them. Delusions are inexhaustible. I vow to end them. Dharma gates are boundless. […]
Share this:
Like this: