Awakening Attitude
I enjoy perusing the newsletters of other temples to get new ideas for activities, and I look forward to reading the dharma messages written by various ministers. It’s deeply inspiring, though, to come across wisdom shared by other members of the sangha. Who can deny the strength of personal testimonials?
The following piece was written by Ricky Schlesinger, President of Vista Buddhist Temple for the past few years. Let me mention that though Vista BT does not have its own resident minister (it is served by OCBC ministers), the sangha is steadily growing and it is thriving, says Ricky, thanks to such attributes as “a proactive Buddhist education program … and welcoming environment.” I’ve visited VBT a few times and I can attest to that. Though smaller than SFVHBT, it does remind me of us. And, like us, there are always funds to be raised and volunteers sought after.
We usually sigh at this thought, so Ricky’s reflection below is a refreshing wake-up call to all of us:
Wow. Just as our toban “duties” were purposely designed to allow all members to feel that this is “my temple,” everything we do is a common wish and even celebration of getting to share in the dharma and care for our temple. The next time I feel inclined to complain about being tired or some little thing, I’ll try to remember how very grateful I really am to get to walk the dharma path, living in the Nembutsu with you. Namo Amida Butsu.
Gassho,
Rev. Patricia Usuki