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The University of New England College of Dental Medicine offered free care in February to the local community of Cambodian Buddhist monks in Buxton, Maine, a rural town some 20 kilometers west of the city of Portland, and 170 kilometers north of Boston. Until now the monks, who earn no income, have had little access to dental care.
“Finally, there is no more pain,” said Phally Prakk, a monk at Buxton’s Wat Samaki Buddhist temple, after the 25 February extraction of an aching molar at the University of New England’s Oral Health Center. “I’ve had this going on for years, and this was really needed.”
The monks and other Cambodians settled in and around Portland are primarily refugees who fled their war-torn home in the 1970s. In 1984, some 800 Cambodians formed together to create the non-profit organization called Watt Samaki, or “Unity Temple.” At the time they had no building, but soon found a property in Portland to call home.
Dr. Jon Ryder, dean of the college, said that providing the monks with oral health services fell in line with the mission of improving the health of people and communities, particularly in rural areas. “Our mission is to improve the health of Northern New England, as well as rural and underserved areas, while shaping the future of dentistry through excellence in education, discovery, and service,” Ryder said. “It makes sense to us that we prioritize new Mainers as part of that.”
“Finally, there is no more pain,” said Phally Prakk, a monk at Buxton’s Wat Samaki Buddhist temple, after the 25 February extraction of an aching molar at the University of New England’s Oral Health Center. “I’ve had this going on for years, and this was really needed.”
The monks and other Cambodians settled in and around Portland are primarily refugees who fled their war-torn home in the 1970s. In 1984, some 800 Cambodians formed together to create the non-profit organization called Watt Samaki, or “Unity Temple.” At the time they had no building, but soon found a property in Portland to call home.
Dr. Jon Ryder, dean of the college, said that providing the monks with oral health services fell in line with the mission of improving the health of people and communities, particularly in rural areas. “Our mission is to improve the health of Northern New England, as well as rural and underserved areas, while shaping the future of dentistry through excellence in education, discovery, and service,” Ryder said. “It makes sense to us that we prioritize new Mainers as part of that.”
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Life, though full of woe, holds also sources of happiness and joy, unknown
to most. Let us teach people to seek and to find real joy within themselves
and to rejoice with the joy of others! Let us teach them to unfold their joy
to ever sublimer heights! Noble and sublime joy is not foreign to the Teach-
ing of the Enlightened One. Wrongly, the Buddha’s Teaching is sometimes
considered to be a doctrine diffusing melancholy. Far from it: the Dham-
ma leads step by step to an ever purer and loftier happiness.
—Nyanaponika Thera
to most. Let us teach people to seek and to find real joy within themselves
and to rejoice with the joy of others! Let us teach them to unfold their joy
to ever sublimer heights! Noble and sublime joy is not foreign to the Teach-
ing of the Enlightened One. Wrongly, the Buddha’s Teaching is sometimes
considered to be a doctrine diffusing melancholy. Far from it: the Dham-
ma leads step by step to an ever purer and loftier happiness.
—Nyanaponika Thera
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There is far more love available to us in any given moment than we might be aware. And there is much, much more love in our hearts than we as adults have been conditioned to believe is appropriate to express. - Kate Johnson
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"Eastern philosophies are much older than those in the West. Their teaching were chanted before writing systems were even devised. There has never been a war in the name of Buddhism or Taoism. With such an impressive record it makes sense to study Eastern philosophies more closely and apply them to current problems. Eastern philosophies have excelled in character building. Most of what they teach does not contradict or interfere with any religion. Practicing yoga, studying Buddha's Noble Truths and Eight-fold Path, reflecting on Zen koans - all are non-denomination. In fact, an atheist can be a Buddhist, yogi or Zen master."
- Frank MacHovec, in his book Light From The East
- Frank MacHovec, in his book Light From The East
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"I’ve never met anyone who did. People with beautiful bodies or faces frequently love their gift from nature (although the opposite can be true—the most beautiful people physically can also shun themselves out of insecurity or fear of being seen as vain). The mind is the hardest part of ourselves to love because we feel trapped inside it—not all the time but in those moments when trouble breaks in. Fear has a way of roaming the mind at will. Depression darkens the mind; anger makes it erupt in uncontrollable turmoil." - Deepak Chopra
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Tibetan Buddhist master Drom Tonpa (1005-1064) was asked the best way to follow a spiritual path. His answer is highly insightful and relevant for today: "The masses have their heads on backwards. If you want to get things right, first look at how they think and behave, and consider going the opposite way."
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There was a thought at the beginning of capitalism that if everyone worked for their own benefit, it would benefit all. I think we can say with certainty that we've experimented with that idea and it has been a resounding failure. - Lama Tsomo
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Everything we do sets off a wave pattern that spreads slowly into all directions. Whenever we harm or insult another, that person carries a karmic tension in the mind which waits for an object on which to unleash itself. - Glenn H. Mullin
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Buddhism regards the human world as a training ground for the enlightenment process. Living begins take rebirth here in order to learn and evolve. - Glenn H. Mullin
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Food and Wine magazine recently published an article on the history of "fake" meat which is plant based. While vegetarian meats are not thriving in the West, that is a recently acquired taste which is growing due to more people adopting a vegetarian diet. The Food and Wine article reports this history of vegetarian options for pork, chicken, fish, beef:
- Faux meat was first intended for those transitioning from meat to a vegetarianism;
- Vegetarianism was formally adopted by Chinese sects of Buddhism in the 6th century, upon an edict by Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty who urged monastics to stop eating meat;
- By the 13th century, faux meat emerged as a specialty offered to guests visiting monasteries;
- Faux "animals" came to be offered by those who practiced ancient folk religions which required the sacrifice of animals to appease deities;
- Though vegetarian meat is now offered buy large Western companies and could be considered "cultural appropriation" Asians are pleased with this feeling that it doesn't matter who created it, as long as it's saving animals. The goal is the same.