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A multimillion-dollar complex for Buddhist events was opened to the public in northern Vietnam last week in, in celebration of the 701st death anniversary of Tran Nhan Tong who ruled Vietnam from 1278 to 1293 – an epoch of peace and prosperity for the country. He retired at the age of 50 in order to become an ordained Buddhist monk and spent the remainder of his life teaching.
The complex is the size of a football field and is made of concrete that simulates wood texture, with the design inspired by the architecture of nearby old-time structures. It will be used to honor the Emperor and as a center for meditation, teaching and retreat.
The complex is the size of a football field and is made of concrete that simulates wood texture, with the design inspired by the architecture of nearby old-time structures. It will be used to honor the Emperor and as a center for meditation, teaching and retreat.
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There is no such animal as a 'just war.' - Ben Salmon
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Thing are not meant to be loved but to b used wisely. People are to be loved, but there, too, we must be careful not to come to see people as possessions. - Eknath Easwaran
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Among Japanese Buddhists, when you ask someone 'how are you doing?' they will respond: Because of the efforts of others, I am doing well."
This is a great lesson in gratitude and about the inter-connectedness of life.
This is a great lesson in gratitude and about the inter-connectedness of life.
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Motivation is overrated. While it’s nice to be motivated, the people who really manage to get things done are those who find a way to work at whatever it is they’re interested in even when they don’t really feel like doing it. This goes for musicians, athletes, world-class chefs and all the rest. Discipline is being able to do things when you don’t want to do them. - Brad Warner
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The Religion News Service (RNS) is reporting that senior Buddhist monks along with the 83 year-old Dalai Lama are studying whether or not a new Dalai Lama should be reincarnated. Here are some of the concerns and issues prompting this study:
1. How to prevent Beijing from claiming that Tibet’s next spiritual leader will reincarnate in China.
2. This statement from the Dalai Lama himself: "“There is no guarantee that some stupid Dalai Lama won’t come next, who will disgrace himself or herself,” the Dalai Lama told BBC in 2014. “That would be very sad. So, much better that a centuries-old tradition should cease at the time of a quite popular Dalai Lama.” Here, the current Dalai Lama acknowledges there have been some very poor past Dalai Lamas much like the Catholic Church has had some immoral, incompetent Popes.
3. The possibility of electing or voting into office a new Dalai Lama from a select group of senior, established Buddhist monks.
1. How to prevent Beijing from claiming that Tibet’s next spiritual leader will reincarnate in China.
2. This statement from the Dalai Lama himself: "“There is no guarantee that some stupid Dalai Lama won’t come next, who will disgrace himself or herself,” the Dalai Lama told BBC in 2014. “That would be very sad. So, much better that a centuries-old tradition should cease at the time of a quite popular Dalai Lama.” Here, the current Dalai Lama acknowledges there have been some very poor past Dalai Lamas much like the Catholic Church has had some immoral, incompetent Popes.
3. The possibility of electing or voting into office a new Dalai Lama from a select group of senior, established Buddhist monks.
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Nearly 37 million U.S. adults practice yoga. More than 70 percent are women and 85 percent identify as white. But it’s not just that yoga is an incredibly homogenous white female culture; it’s also an astoundingly upper-class culture. As of 2017, more than 40 percent of yoga practitioners earned over $75,000 a year, and 25 percent over $100,000 annually. In other words, yoga studios are the new country clubs. As the 21st-century version of exclusive and elitist recreational spaces, these studios are often located next to a coffee shop, health food store, juice bar or a lifestyle boutique that sells Orientalist curios.
Those stats and statements are made by Rumya S. Putcha, Ph.D., in her article "The Trouble With Yoga."
Here stats are correct as is her concern. This is changing. Little by little people with limited discretionary income and people of color are making their way to yoga studios. Many centers don't turn people away due to lack of funds by offering work exchange opportunities, discounted class passes and even scholarships. Yet, there is more which needs to be done especially in finding effective ways of reaching under-served populations.
Those stats and statements are made by Rumya S. Putcha, Ph.D., in her article "The Trouble With Yoga."
Here stats are correct as is her concern. This is changing. Little by little people with limited discretionary income and people of color are making their way to yoga studios. Many centers don't turn people away due to lack of funds by offering work exchange opportunities, discounted class passes and even scholarships. Yet, there is more which needs to be done especially in finding effective ways of reaching under-served populations.
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Recently, I visited a new, premier donut operation. My partner and I each picked out a donut but, unlike my partner who enjoyed hers and ate all of it, I had two bites and stopped. "Don'ts aren't healthy!" a sad voice within me criticized.
The Buddha would not have approved of my act. Here's why.
After the Buddha gained what is called "enlightenment" he became the object of criticism from some ascetics. They considered him a fraud because he was no longer living an austere lifestyle. Some of the ancient texts indicate the Buddha was eating well, wore a fine robe while they, the ascetics existed on a few grains of rice and slept uncovered in the forests. Some of them even slept beds of nails.
Those ascetics asked the Buddha, “What kind of teacher and yogi are you? You are soft, weak, indulgent.”To which the Buddha replied, “I, too, have slept on nails; I’ve stood with my eyes open to the sun in the hot sands beside the Ganges. I’ve eaten so little food that you couldn’t fill one fingernail with the amount I ate each day. I became so thin I could feel my spine when I pressed on my stomach. Whatever ascetic practices under the sun human beings have done, I, too, have done. Through them all I have learned that fighting against oneself through such practices is not the way.”
The Buddha was big on moderation. It came to be called the middle way. Not too hard; not too easy.
So, the next time I visit a donut shop, I'm eating the whole donut and, possibly, ordering a second one to enjoy!
The Buddha would not have approved of my act. Here's why.
After the Buddha gained what is called "enlightenment" he became the object of criticism from some ascetics. They considered him a fraud because he was no longer living an austere lifestyle. Some of the ancient texts indicate the Buddha was eating well, wore a fine robe while they, the ascetics existed on a few grains of rice and slept uncovered in the forests. Some of them even slept beds of nails.
Those ascetics asked the Buddha, “What kind of teacher and yogi are you? You are soft, weak, indulgent.”To which the Buddha replied, “I, too, have slept on nails; I’ve stood with my eyes open to the sun in the hot sands beside the Ganges. I’ve eaten so little food that you couldn’t fill one fingernail with the amount I ate each day. I became so thin I could feel my spine when I pressed on my stomach. Whatever ascetic practices under the sun human beings have done, I, too, have done. Through them all I have learned that fighting against oneself through such practices is not the way.”
The Buddha was big on moderation. It came to be called the middle way. Not too hard; not too easy.
So, the next time I visit a donut shop, I'm eating the whole donut and, possibly, ordering a second one to enjoy!
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Breathing is closely connected to your state of mind. People who are tense or angry breath
rapidly and irregularly; those who are calm, loving and secure breathe smoothly.
- Eknath Easwaranp
rapidly and irregularly; those who are calm, loving and secure breathe smoothly.
- Eknath Easwaranp
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The first step toward being beautiful is to speak good words, do good deeds, and to have good thoughts. By following these three rules, let us all beautify our world! - Hsing Yun