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We cannot attain true peace of mind merely by seeking our own salvation while remaining indifferent to the welfare of others. - Philip Kapleau
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It’s remarkable the number of people who consider themselves Buddhist practitioners who have no problem going online and using really abusive language toward the current president, disregarding all the ideas from the tradition about right speech and equanimity. Why is it that we’re able to disregard those beliefs so easily? It’s this sense of righteous indignation that allows the anger to erupt, the belief that I am right. - Mindy Newman
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Phunstok is a Tibetan Buddhist monk from India who has been stranded in the small community of Hopkinsville, KY due to Covid 19. The monk, who was scheduled to return to India in May 2020, had to delay his plans because of travel restrictions. Phunstok has been visiting Hopkinsville (population 31,577) since 2009.
That year he met Dr. Ken Casey, a philosophy professor at Hopkinsville Community College, who was visiting India. Casey invited Phunstok to lecture at the community college. The monk has since become a yearly lecturer at the college and visitor to Kentucky. He has been using his extended stay in Kentucky as a retreat saying: “All this time in Kentucky is a retreat for me. It’s a good place to retreat. There’s a lot of trees, a lot of birds. Also, so many nice people.”
That year he met Dr. Ken Casey, a philosophy professor at Hopkinsville Community College, who was visiting India. Casey invited Phunstok to lecture at the community college. The monk has since become a yearly lecturer at the college and visitor to Kentucky. He has been using his extended stay in Kentucky as a retreat saying: “All this time in Kentucky is a retreat for me. It’s a good place to retreat. There’s a lot of trees, a lot of birds. Also, so many nice people.”
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Suffering comes from our chronic psychological restlessness, which resists life as it is.
- Anam Thubten
- Anam Thubten
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Denial is a major obstacle to happiness. It is the mindset that does not recognize the reality of a given situation, and thus fails to meet it with an appropriate response. - Glenn Mullin
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"Yes, the best, the highest possible reward, the grand prize to end all prizes. mediation, in whatever form, makes us more alert, aware, and clear - especially about oneself, whoever or whatever that is. That alertness, combines with wise contemplation will lead to inneer freedom, the ultimate prize." - Ajahn Sumano
(public domain photo from www.pixabay.com)
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Apathy is the opposite of joyous energy. When we have joyous effort, all works, both spiritual and mundane, are easily and quickly fulfilled. On the other hand, when laziness and apathy set in, we are not able to accomplish either. - Glenn H. Mullin
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The Buddhist Film Foundation, which presents, preserves and promotes Buddhist films from around the world, will launch the Buddhist Film Channel (BFC), a streaming platform devoted exclusively to Buddhist and mindfulness cinema later this year. Already the organization has obtained licenses for 100 titles and will continue to add new films monthly, including feature films, shorts, television shows, video talks, and interviews. The content will be available on a pay-per-view basis as rentals or download-to-own. Everything will be in English or with English subtitles at first; a special fund has been established to cover the costs of adding subtitles in the most common Asian and European languages.
(source: www.tricycle.org)
(source: www.tricycle.org)
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As revered Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh approaches his 94th birthday (October 11th), his Plum Village Community released an update on him. (He is affectionately known as 'Thay" by his community)
“Thay’s health is still very variable, with times when he is weak and other times when he is stronger. Although his spirit remains bright and strong, in the last month or so, Thay’s body has been notably weaker and he has lost his appetite.”
Thich Nhat Hanh returned to his homeland in October 2018 from Thailand, where he had been convalescing since late December 2016, following a severe stroke in 2014. The celebrated Zen master said in a letter to his disciples at the time that he had decided to live the remainder of his life at his root monastery, Tu Hieu Temple, in the central Vietnamese city of Hue, where he was ordained as a novice monk at the age of 16.
Plum Village said that since retiring to Tu Hieu, Thay had been able to spend time visiting the temple grounds and joining the monastic community there for walking meditation, attending ceremonies and festivals, and interacting with visiting students and well-wishers from all over the world. Since the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tu Hieu has been closed to the public, with precautions in place to protect the health of the celebrated Dharma teacher.
“As Thay’s disciples, we are responsible for ensuring [that] Thay has every support he needs for body and spirit, and ensuring that all provisions for his care are adapted to the current COVID situation,” said Plum Village. “At present, there is a quarantine in place before anyone can enter Vietnam, and another quarantine upon arrival in Hue. Since many of Thay’s senior disciples have been serving and teaching in other countries over the last two years, it is our wish that some of those close to him can be present with Thay for his upcoming birthday on 11 October. We are grateful that they have been given permission to enter the country during the pandemic.”
(sources: www.plumvillage.org and www.buddhistdoor.net)
“Thay’s health is still very variable, with times when he is weak and other times when he is stronger. Although his spirit remains bright and strong, in the last month or so, Thay’s body has been notably weaker and he has lost his appetite.”
Thich Nhat Hanh returned to his homeland in October 2018 from Thailand, where he had been convalescing since late December 2016, following a severe stroke in 2014. The celebrated Zen master said in a letter to his disciples at the time that he had decided to live the remainder of his life at his root monastery, Tu Hieu Temple, in the central Vietnamese city of Hue, where he was ordained as a novice monk at the age of 16.
Plum Village said that since retiring to Tu Hieu, Thay had been able to spend time visiting the temple grounds and joining the monastic community there for walking meditation, attending ceremonies and festivals, and interacting with visiting students and well-wishers from all over the world. Since the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tu Hieu has been closed to the public, with precautions in place to protect the health of the celebrated Dharma teacher.
“As Thay’s disciples, we are responsible for ensuring [that] Thay has every support he needs for body and spirit, and ensuring that all provisions for his care are adapted to the current COVID situation,” said Plum Village. “At present, there is a quarantine in place before anyone can enter Vietnam, and another quarantine upon arrival in Hue. Since many of Thay’s senior disciples have been serving and teaching in other countries over the last two years, it is our wish that some of those close to him can be present with Thay for his upcoming birthday on 11 October. We are grateful that they have been given permission to enter the country during the pandemic.”
(sources: www.plumvillage.org and www.buddhistdoor.net)
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I am no stranger to failures, I just never let them defeat me. - Master Jih-Chang