Be Aware, Beware
What do you stress about? Money? Work? Possessions? Family? Relationships? Lack of time? As we’re often reminded, the Buddha-dharma, our teaching, is only helpful to us if we are mindful of it and apply it to all aspects of our …
Category: Ministers Message
-
-
Fasten Your Seatbelts – We’re in for a Bumpy Ride
When I began writing this message, I was flying back to Burbank from San Jose. Overnight the weather had turned from being unseasonably balmy to bringing a winter chill with strong gusts of wind and snow in the mountains. I …
-
Mind Your Tongue (and what to do when you can’t)
Everyone has opinions. In this electronic world, we’re bombarded by more clamour than ever before. Sometimes, it is the loudest voice or the most outrageous statement that gets heard—note the media focus on what gets said (or not said) by …
-
What’s in it for You?
If you choose to walk the path of the Buddha-dharma, you are interested in a teaching that is pertinent to the state of your life right now. If you are interested in responses to questions such as how life began …
-
Fear of Failure
“… some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something,unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all—in which case, you fail by default.” [J.K. Rowling, 2008 …
-
What Language is Buddhism?
Sometimes we come across foreign words in our teaching that, after repeated use, may not seem so foreign over time. Considering that we declare regularly that we take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, it is hoped …
-
Life’s Too Short
He abused me, he beat me, he defeated me, he robbed me—in those who harbour such thoughts hatred will never cease.
The world does not realize that one day we must all die; but those who realize it settle their …
-
To See the Buddha
The Getty Center recently offered a viewing of the video, “Buddhist Art: A Fragile Inheritance,” which focused on the efforts of various art and cultural institutes to restore centuries-old Buddhist cave art in various locations such as in Bhutan and …
-
Because I’m Not Grateful
…It had been a worrisome time. My mother-in-law had recently slipped while trying to help our dying dog, who was her constant companion for many years. Mom fell backward and suffered a bad gash on the back of her head
-
Our Next Minister
As I write this, we’re in the middle of Obon Festival season. There are advantages to holding ours at the end of June. For one thing, there’s a better chance that the weather won’t be as sweltering as it was …