With the start of a new year for Buddhists, the Russian President offered a happy new year message which reads, in part:“The tradition of celebrating Sagaalgan (Buddhist New Year) has deep historical roots and for many centuries has united peoples that follow Buddhism. It is important that the Russian Buddhist community carefully preserves the priceless spiritual and moral heritage of their ancestors, their indigenous traditions and pays constant attention to the educational, awareness-raising and charitable work, cares about strengthening family values, upbringing of younger generation and contributes to the development of interfaith and interethnic dialogue, strengthens peace and concord in society.”
Roshi Joan Halifax, a Buddhist teacher who heads the Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, NM., wanted to educate herself about American racism so she volunteered to to work as a chaplain in the US prison system, specifically death row. Here's what she discovered:
"As a white person, you’re not even aware that you’re swimming in the waters of racism. You have to step out, do what the Zen Buddhist Roshi Bernie Glassman calls, “taking a plunge.” You’ve got to put yourself in environments where the kind of suffering that you’re not even aware of becomes obvious to you. That was one of the reasons why I went into the prison system and worked as a volunteer on death row. I’d never thought much about our prison industrial system, but soon recognized that actually it’s a class and caste system based on race and economic factors. It’s unlikely you’d find many rich white men in these systems because they can buy their way out. Going into that system, you recognize how much rage there is—no matter what side of the equation you are looking at—but you also recognize how the roots of the rage are based on our social perspectives, values, and institutions." This year, the first day of the Lunar New Year falls on Friday, Feb. 16, and is the Year of the Dog which lasts through Feb. 4, 2019. Previous Years of the Dog were 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006; the next is 2030.
If you were born in a Dog year, here are some character traits which you'll likely recognize in yourself or someone you know who was born in the Year of the Dog:
On the negative side, Dog year people can tend to resist change. Once they've made a commitment, they stick with it even if it no longer serves them. Adapting to changing circumstances is a challenge for them. Lori Read, author of Chinese Horoscopes, summarizes the character of Dog Year individuals this way: "Of all the animals in the Chinese Zodiac (there are 12 of them), Dogs are the least materialistic for they are unselfish individuals who care more about people than they do about money or success." Karma is like seeds planted in our unconscious mind where it can hibernate, hidden in us. Eventually, karma blossoms in its consequences, for good or ill. Karma can take the form of physical symptoms, emotions, or memories. - Tulku Thondop
Research indicates that flu shots aren't particularly helpful in warding off the illness. Some examples include:
This is the way of Buddhism – to seek our own enlightenment and find our own answers to the meaning of life. - Pat Allwright
Someone seeking Buddhist teachings can be overwhelmed about where to begin. There is Tibetan Buddhism which is quite different from Zen Buddhism. Then, there is the Thailand Forest Tradition of Buddhism which is quite unlike the Japanese Nichiren Chanting Buddhism.
Why are there so many varieties of Buddhism is a good and honest question. Basically, it's because Buddhism is a living organism which adapts to time, culture, and social needs. Here's how Buddhist author Pat Allwright explains it: "The teachings (of the Buddha) were added to or modified, according to the culture and understanding of the people. This is only natural since Buddhism is not a religion of dogma, but of action. It is a practical philosophy which relates to the time and place." If you seek enlightenment outside yourself any discipline or good deed will be meaningless. For example, a poor man cannot earn a penny just by counting his neighbor’s wealth, even if he does so night and day. - Pat Allwright
In every difficult situation, we have the option of living proactively and positively, regardless of the troubles and trails which come our way. - Victor M. Parachin
I am deeply grateful for being a human being on planet Earth. - Robertson Work
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Victor M. Parachin ...is aVedic educator, yoga instructor, Buddhist meditation teacher and author of a dozen books. Buy his books at amazon or your local bookstore. Archives
May 2024
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