Happiness in 3, 2, 1
Have you ever had one of those times in life where you feel like happiness and peace just aren’t within your grasp? Or maybe these moments are few and far between? This post is all about finding happiness, especially when things are tough. The good news is happiness isn’t down the road. It isn’t out of our grasp. Happiness is here, but we have to learn how to find it. The even better news—it’s not as hard as you think.
Shin Buddhism Really Is Buddhist - Part 2
Discover Nagapriya and his path to Pure Land Buddhism. In part 2 of “GSS | Shin Buddhism Really Is Buddhist,” Nagapriya and Jon Sensei delve into Nagapriya's background and his journey to discovering Shinran. Throughout their conversation, Nagapriya shares his perspectives on Shinran, highlighting who he was both as a person and a practitioner. Tune in as these two esteemed practitioners explore the advantages of practice and the advancement along the Buddhist path.
Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters
This is the idea of interdependence taken to its logical conclusion. As Joseph Campbell says, we may not like it but this is just the way it is. Everything is the results of an infinite number of causes and conditions. Reality is infinitely deterministic. Every action or thought is conditioned, dependent on everything that has come before.
Connected Through Music
This talk will explore how we can find Buddhist values in our everyday lives, such as music. Can we find Buddhist values in contemporary music, such as in Hip Hop and R&B?
Shinran as an Innovative Pure Land Master (Part 3)
Shinran’s teachings are not just an important part of Buddhist history; they carry profound relevance for contemporary society. In a world that continues to grapple with issues of inequality, exclusion, and division, Shinran’s message of universal accessibility to awakening offers a beacon of hope and transformation.
Shinran as an Innovative Pure Land Master (Part 2)
Shinran recognized the importance of Eshinni not only as his wife but also as a fellow practitioner who was capable of achieving spiritual awakening. His decision to marry, and his public acknowledgment of Eshinni’s spiritual contributions, challenged traditional notions of gender roles in religion and established a progressive model for women’s involvement in the spiritual community.
Shinran as an Innovative Pure Land Master (Part 1)
Prior to Shinran, Pure Land practices were often reserved for monks and other elite religious practitioners, and the recitation of the nembutsu was considered a spiritual tool primarily for those with high levels of discipline and moral conduct. However, Shinran’s innovation was in his emphasis that spiritual awakening was accessible to all.
From Nightstand Buddhist to Everyday Buddhist
If you are seeking a spiritual path, you won’t get very far if you approach Buddhism as something that can be understood through words alone. That is because the most crucial aspects of Buddhism are not found in books.
Seeking Fulfillment on the Buddhist Path
In this Guest Speaker Series "Let This Be Known," Jim Pollard shares his personal insights on choosing to seek a more fulfilling life through a Buddhist path, and a few non-traditional learnings on traditional Shin Buddhist doctrine.
How Did We Get Here?
From a Buddhist perspective, I think of life as an infinite number of causes and conditions that leads to many results. But life doesn’t really feel this way. We think we are in control of the outcomes in our lives, but this control is imagined. When we look deeply at the events in our lives we begin to sense a flow within our very lives.
Shin Buddhism Really Is Buddhist - Part 1
Shin Buddhism is frequently regarded as a faith-based perspective within the larger context of Buddhism, which often leads to its under appreciation. Nagapriya connects Shin Buddhism with the wider Buddhist tradition. Join him in his exploration of how deeply Shin Buddhism is intertwined with Mahayana teachings and Buddhist practices.
Self-Inspection with the Solar Eclipse
In the past two decades, there has been interest in the scientific study of “Awe”. It’s defined as a sense of wonder and amazement, triggered by a perception of vastness that leaves us feeling small in comparison. Experiencing such an amazing event as the total solar eclipse can inspire us all to find greater humility.
Introduce Yourself to Buddhism
Get ready to introduce (or reintroduce) yourself to the Buddhist teachings and gain new insights for applying the teachings to everyday life in the west.
One Who Has Heard Much (Part 3)
The symmetry of Ananda and Kasyapa is quite amazing. It is Ananda who asked about the light when he heard compassion through the words of the Buddha, and it is Kasyapa who smiled when he saw wisdom through the flower that the Buddha silently held in his hand.
One Who Has Heard Much (Part 2)
“Of all the monks, the Venerable Sariputta was Ananda’s closest friend. … Sariputta was the disciple who most resembled the Master, and with whom he could talk in the same way as with the Buddha”
One Who Has Heard Much (Part 1)
Of the great disciples of Siddhartha Gotama, the historical Buddha, Ananda played a unique and pivotal role within the early Sangha. Ananda was the Buddha’s personal attendant for 25 years. During this period, Ananda’s focus and practice was listening to the Buddha’s sermons. Among Buddha’s disciples, Ananda appears to be the least spiritually gifted and yet he was able to realize the most profound wisdom through merely listening to the Dharma.
Dogen's Other Power Practice
Yokoyama Sensei begins with a short, guided meditation and then introduces the practice of "just sitting." He talks about the idea of actualizing the Buddha Nature, which resides in all of us, an understanding of non-intention, and teachings on the everyday nature of Zen.
Buddhism and the Politics of Activism
There should be a willingness for us to hear the pros and cons of any conflict. In the wise words of Shotoku Taishi, “Their right is our wrong and our right is their wrong.” However, this does not mean that we should be afraid to speak out when we observe harmful acts being committed toward others or ourselves.
The Future of American Buddhism
What does the next generation of American Buddhists need to know? How can we assist them on their spiritual paths? In this GSS, Rev. Dr. Kenneth Tanaka addresses these questions and more as he delves into the unique characteristics of American Buddhism, particularly from the viewpoint of younger practitioners.
What is Amida Buddha? (Part 2)
We can see our emotions in the face of the Buddha and that can give us comfort knowing we are accepted as we are. Even the Buddha’s facial features are descriptive of people from many races, serving as a reminder that the possibility of becoming a Buddha is not limited to one people, but is possible for all people.