An Auspicious Day

As we read in Bhaddekaratta Sutta, on one occasion while the Buddha was staying in Savatthi at Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's monastery, he told the monks that a disciple who has truly had an auspicious day is a disciple who does not chase after the past or place expectations on the future, but whatever quality is present, he/she clearly sees right there. The Buddha clarified that such a disciple does have a firm confidence, unshakable view regard to present qualities which means that he/she does not see the five aggregates as self, or self as possessing five aggregates, or five aggregates as in self, or self as in five aggregates.

Anguttara Nikaya. III,248

What Would the Buddha Think of the Mindfulness Movement?

Posted by Dr. Arnie Kozak

I am connecting with mindfulness colleagues on LinkedIn (thank you!) and I am impressed, no, flabbergasted by the amount of people who have embraced mindfulness, made it the central focus of their lives.

It is humbling. My one voice in a chorus of multitudes. I am no one special. I would say, though, that my interest in mindfulness predates the current bandwagon by decades. I am not sure if this really means anything other than there a lot of newcomers to the movement/revolution. New energy is likely good energy. Not inferior. Yet, there are cautions.

People nowadays think too much

By effort you will cross the raging flood,
By energy you will pass by sorrow......

People nowadays think too much.
There are too many things for them to get interested in,
but none of them lead to any true fulfillment ..... Ajahn Chah

What Happens After Now?

Being in the here and now is what mindfulness is all about. Yes and no, says Barry Boyce. It’s also about being aware of what’s inside and outside, past, present, and future. Once we steady our mind with mindfulness, our awareness shines a light on not just the present moment, but where we’ve come from and where we’re going.

By Barry Boyce | April 8, 2016

Many of us come to mindfulness seeking relief from the confusing jumble of thoughts that dominate our lives much of the time. So the first gift that mindfulness gives us—after we get accustomed to the shocking simplicity of sitting and doing nothing—is a little bit of peace. We’re no longer as tormented by our thoughts, since as we observe them come and go, no single thought seems to be a big deal anymore. It’s like being at a laundromat watching the clothes tumble in a big dryer. We don’t have to tumble along with the clothes; we can just watch them fall through space.

Readings of the Vessantara Jataka

Edited by Steven Collins 

Columbia University Press (2016)

The Vessantara Jataka tells the story of Prince Vessantara, who attained the Perfection of Generosity by giving away his fortune, his children, and his wife. Vessantara was the penultimate rebirth as a human of the future Gotama Buddha, and his extreme charity has been represented and reinterpreted in texts, sermons, rituals, and art throughout South and Southeast Asia and beyond. This anthology features well-respected anthropologists, textual scholars in religious and Buddhist studies, and art historians, who engage in sophisticated readings of the text and its ethics of giving, understanding of attachment and nonattachment, depiction of the trickster, and unique performative qualities. They reveal the story to be as brilliantly layered as a Homeric epic or Shakespearean play, with aspects of tragedy, comedy, melodrama, and utopian fantasy intertwined to problematize and scrutinize Theravada Buddhism's cherished virtues.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Steven Collins is Chester D. Tripp Professor in the Humanities at the University of Chicago, where he teaches in the Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations and in the Divinity School. His books includeSelfless Persons: Imagery and Thought in Theravada Buddhism andNirvana and Other Buddhist Felicities: Utopias of the Pali Imaginaire.

Thirty men washing one man’s feet! - Phra Ajahn Sumedho

“Another experience I learned from was the custom of washing the feet of the senior monks when they returned from the almsround. After they walked barefoot through the village and rice paddies, their feet would be muddy. There were foot baths outside the dining hall. When Ajahn Chah would come, all the monks - maybe twenty or thirty of them - would rush out and wash Ajahn Chah’s feet.

Handling a cult situation by Upasaka HL Wai

Excerpts here ...

'Accept situation calmly - One of the very first experiences one gets after realizing that they have been duped by a religious cult is the feeling of being a dope. ... '

Reflection on Food .....

This food I take not for play,
not for fattening.
not for beautifying,
not for intoxication,
But only for the continuation
and nourishment of this body.
For keeping it unharmed,
for helping it to lead a pure life.
Thinking, I shall destroy hunger,
Thus will I be free from bodily troubles and live at ease.........

How not to add to pain and suffering?

English Buddhist Hymns development in Malaysia: Messengers of Dharma (MOD)’s journey

Written by  Cedric Tan (Member of MOD) 17 October 2013

My initial exposure to English language Buddhist hymns was when I was five years old in Seck Kia Eenh Buddhist Temple in Melaka in 1970. Hymns sung were mostly devotional in nature written by American Buddhists of Japanese descent. The late Ven. Sumangalo who was a visiting monk between 1959 until his demise in 1963 was instrumental in introducing these songs to Malaysia and since Seck Kia Eenh was one of his frequent stops, these songs slowly grew popular with the youth. By the time the late Ven. Ananda Mangala became the resident monk in 1963, Buddhist songs were incorporated not only during Sunday morning service but also into Buddhist plays which he staged regularly.

Recycling, the Buddhist way

The Buddhist monks in the Buddha's time recycled their robes long before we talk about recycling. Sitting thus at one side, rajah Udena said this to venerable Ānanda,

Dhammapada 204

Hyon Gak sunim: “I have deep respect for Buddha Dharma and the Jogye Order,” denies severing ties with Korean Buddhism

by Emi Hayakawa, Buddhist True Network (BTN), August 2, 2016

Seoul, South Korea -- On July 28 2016, Harvard-educated American Zen Buddhist monk Hyon Gak sunim, the current abbot of Bulyee Seon Center in Germany, uploaded a strong message on his Facebook account outlining various problems besetting Korean Buddhism.

<< Hyon Gak sunim

The message caused controversy within Korean society as various media highlighted and further analyzed the issues raised, on top of his purported announcement that he will “sever ties” with Korean Buddhism.

During an exclusive phone interview with BTN (Buddhist True Network) on August 1st 2016, Hyon Gak sunim explained that his comment regarding “severing ties” with Korean Buddhism have been misinterpreted by the Korean media.  The venerable is currently residing outside of Korea, working in Germany and Greece to create a sangha to further propagate Korean Buddhism across the globe.

He further explained that as an American, and Korean being his second language, his use of Korean expressions could have factored into the misinterpretation. During his phone interview, Hyon Gak stated (in Korean), “How can I leave Korea? I cannot leave Korean Buddhism. I will not be able to sever ties with my works in helping the sattva. I express myself in English, and in my head I also express myself in English, and in that manner I express myself using the Korean language.”

Vipassana newsletter. july'91 - Sayagyi U Ba Khin

1. I have given you ANICCA as the Dhamma for refuge. For so long as you are with ANICCA, you are with me.

ANICCA when properly developed will solve almost all your problems.

It might not even be necessary for you to ask questions for answers.

As the appreciation of ANICCA grows, so will the veil of ignorance fade away.

When the way becomes clear for the Right Understanding, doubts and fears will disappear automatically.

You will then see things in the true perspective.

How I Fixed My Suicidal Thoughts, Panic Attacks And Depression With Meditation

By Jake Carney

When I was four years old, I experienced the most frightening, heart-pounding nightmares. These weren’t your typical nightmares of being chased by a gorilla or bear. These were deep, frightening nightmares that would shake me to my core. I would wake up sweating, out of breath, in absolute fear.

These nightmares, which are still hard to put into words today, were about things like contemplating infinity, trying to count the total number of grains of sand on the beach, infinite blackness and infinite depth. And when I would wake up, the thought of dying was always on my mind. Pretty heavy for a little four-year-old dude.

Never allow your knowledge to stand in the way of truth

Myanmar census data undercuts Buddhist hardliner claims

Channel News Asia, 21 Jul 2016

NAY PYI TAW, Myanmar -- Muslims make up just over two per cent of Myanmar's population, government census figures showed on Thursday (Jul 21), undercutting claims by Buddhist hardliners that Islam poses a threat to the dominance of their faith.

<< A Buddhist monk (L) walks by Myanmar Muslims (R) greeting one another outside the Narsapuri mosque to mark Eid al-Fitr in Yangon on Jul 7, 2016 as the country's Muslims celebrate the end of the Islamic holy fasting month of Ramadan. (Photo: AFP/Romeo Gacad)

Full details from the 2014 count, the first of its kind in decades, was withheld for almost a year to avoid stirring tensions in the Buddhist-majority nation ahead of elections that propelled Aung San Suu Kyi's pro-democracy party to power.

Letting go is your refuge

The Buddha told us to see the way things are and let go of our clinging to them. Take this feeling of letting go as your refuge -- Ajahn Chah

From nature lover to Buddhist priest · Shelley Fisher

By Tim Hauserman, Tahoe Weekly, July 27, 2016

Lake Tahoe, Nevada (USA) -- The Rev. Shelley Fisher of the Reno Buddhist Center became the first female Buddhist priest in Nevada when she was ordained in Japan in March 2015.

<< The Revs. Shelley Fisher

She was joined in the traditional Tokudo Shin Buddhist ceremony by her husband the Rev. Matthew Fisher. It was the culmination of her spiritual journey that began when she moved to Olympic Valley at the age 11.

When her parents moved to the mountains to run a tennis camp, she would spend her free time wandering Shirley Canyon or playing in the Olympic Valley meadow.

Buddhist temples attacked in Sumatra

The Bangkok Post, Jul 30, 2016

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Indonesian authorities detained seven people in northern Sumatra island on Saturday on suspicion of attacking several Buddhist temples the previous night, officials said

A spokeswoman for North Sumatra provincial police said the seven had led a mob that damaged at least three temples and other property in the town of Tanjung Balai, near Indonesia's fourth-biggest city, Medan. No one was injured.

Indonesia is a Muslim-majority nation but has a sizable ethnic Chinese minority, many of whom are Buddhist. The country has a history of anti-Chinese violence, most recently in the late 1990s amid the political and economic crisis that brought down Suharto.

Taliban Thought They Destroyed This World’s Wonder. But Now This Ancient Giant Buddha Statues of Bamiyan Have Returned

Buddhism, News

The Taliban thought it had destroyed one of the world’s wonders, the monumental Buddha statues of the Bamiyan Valley. But the Buddhas shine again in the towering cutouts in the mountainside where they stood for centuries. They are back, thanks to 3-D light projection. And they look great.

THE ITCH ~ Ajahn Chah

"Blaming somebody else for your suffering is like having an itch on your head and scratching your bottom. Now you have two itches for the price of one"

A Buddhist Monk's 4-Year Quest For Awareness

By John Merfeld, WPR, July 21, 2016

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche Left His Monastery And Survived Alone In A Cave

Bodhgaya, India -- One morning in June 2011, residents of the Tergar Monastery in Bodhgaya, India, awoke to find that celebrated the master of Buddhist meditation, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, had vanished.

<< Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

He appeared to have packed nothing, but did leave behind a short letter to his followers. It said that he would be traveling "with no plans or fixed agenda, just an unswerving commitment to the path of awakening."

No one in his community saw him again for four and half years.

Rinpoche was already a major leader in the Buddhist world before embarking on his wandering retreat. He was the leader of a global meditation practice and had been formally recognized as a reincarnated 17th century lama. His mission, then and now, is to make meditation accessible to the modern world. After his years of retreat, he said that he returned as a different person.

Loving-kindness

Cults

'Cultism exists in almost every religion. Cults often come into being whenever there are charismatic leaders who claim to possess certain powers or profess direct communication with gods or deities and are therefore empowered to speak on their behalf. They allege that they have the power to heal the sick or reverse one's misfortunes. These leaders, preachers, monks, priests or even heads of corporations often have a wealth of knowledge, strong persuasive personalities, and are charming, manipulative and cunning. ...'

Searching for Dalits: A yatra (procession) by Buddhist monks taking BJP to Dalits across UP

The Indian Express, Jul 30, 2016

Ahead of Uttar Pradesh polls, a yatra (Sanskrit: 'journey', 'procession') by Buddhist monks across the state is perhaps the party’s biggest Dalit outreach at a time when it battles a backlash

New Delhi, India -- The Dhamma Chetna Yatra is on its way to Mathura. Suddenly, the first car of the convoy stops near Raya town. Former local BJP MLA Ajay Kumar Poiya steps down, signals the convoy to stop, and approaches a Buddhist monk in the car behind. “There’s an Ambedkar statue here. Let’s garland it,” Poiya says. Some 40 monks come out, pay tributes to the Dalit leader. Just three minutes, and the yatra moves on.

<<  A follower with a calendar containing photos of Buddha, Ambedkar and Modi at a village in Uttar Pardesh (Source: Express photo by Praveen Khanna)

It is not a planned stopover, but there’s no taking chances with B R Ambedkar’s statues. These monks have either garlanded or inaugurated some 800 statues of Ambedkar and Buddha in the last three months, since the yatra began on April 24. It’s only the half-way mark.

The establishment of a sima and bhikkhu ordination in Africa.

June 27 · Entebbe, Uganda

"Venerable Bhkkhus from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Mexico, India, Myanmar, USA, UK, Germany and other parts of the world establishing SIMA ground at the Uganda Buddhist Centre, Entebbe, Uganda. This was followed by ordination of some Ugandan and one Rwandan Buddhist follower"

Feeling wonderful to be able to a part of the historical even ever happen in the world Buddhist history, of Africa. For the first established the Sima (a boundary where Buddhist monks get the higher ordination), for the first time higher ordination of Buddhist monk in Africa.