Keanu Reeves Gets Temporarily Ordained In Tibetan Himalayas

18 June 2016

"Focus on the now and you will never have to rush anything. Too many people don’t realize the power of the present time by spending it everywhere but in the present moment."

13 Buddhist Jokes That Will Enlighten Your Day

Buddhists are one of the least understood religions out there, not because of a disinterest in understanding it, but because of so much disinformation. Buddhist jokes actually help us understand Buddhism the way it should be. These are a few of my favorites.

“Contentment is the greatest wealth.”

The Buddha said at Dhammapada verse 204

Thus Buddhism, which teaches such contentment through selfless love: “Whatever you do, the door of my heart is open to you”, is all about wealth creation. The meaning of life is to generate such wealth. Contentment is your portfolio, selfless love are your shares, giving the most secure of investments with dividends literally “out of this world”, all guaranteed by the Chairman of the Reserve, the Buddha Himself.

Dhammapada Verses 328, 329, 330

Theravada Buddhist Council of Malaysia

Sace labhetha nipakaṃ sahāyaṃ
Saddhiṃ caraṃ sādhu vihāri dhīraṃ
Abhibhuyya sabbāni parissayāni
Careyya tenattamano satīmā.

If you gain a mature companion —
a fellow traveler, right-living, enlightened —
overcoming all dangers
go with him, gratified,
mindful.

No ce labhetha nipakaṃ sahāyaṃ
Saddhiṃ caraṃ sādhu vihāri dhīraṃ
Rājā'va raṭṭhaṃ vijitaṃ pahāya
Eko care mātaṅgaraññe'va nāgo.

If you don't gain a mature companion —
a fellow traveler, right-living, enlightened —
go alone
like a king renouncing his kingdom,
like the elephant in the Matanga wilds,
his herd.

Ekassa caritaṃ seyyo
Natthi bāle sahāyatā
Eko care na ca pāpāni kayirā
Appossukko mātaṅgaraññe'va nāgo.

Going alone is better,
there's no companionship with a fool.
Go alone,
doing no evil, at peace,
like the elephant in the Matanga wilds.

The Dalai Lama's Heart of Wisdom Teachings, Wisdom Publications (2005), p.54

"It is very important to understand that the core teachings of the Theravada tradition embodied in the Pali scriptures are the foundation of the Buddha's teachings. Beginning with these teachings, one can then draw on the insights contained in the detailed explanations of the Sanskrit Mahayana tradition. Finally, integrating techniques and perspectives from the Vajrayana texts can further enhance one's understanding. But without a foundation in the core teachings embodied in the Pali tradition, simply proclaiming oneself a follower of the Mahayana tradition is meaningless."

~ Dalai Lama, Essence of the Heart Sutra

Thana sutta, AN 5.57

"There are these five facts that one should reflect on often, whether one is a woman or a man, lay or ordained. Which five?

"'I am subject to aging, have not gone beyond aging.' This is the first fact that one should reflect on often, whether one is a woman or a man, lay or ordained.

"'I am subject to illness, have not gone beyond illness.' ...

"'I am subject to death, have not gone beyond death.' ...

"'I will grow different, separate from all that is dear and appealing to me.' ...

"'I am the owner of my actions, heir to my actions, born of my actions, related through my actions, and have my actions as my arbitrator. Whatever I do, for good or for evil, to that will I fall heir.' ...

"These are the five facts that one should reflect on often, whether one is a woman or a man, lay or ordained."

US Photographer Josh Bulriss on Searching for Lost Buddhas Across Asia

BY ROBERT MICHAEL POOLE | JUNE 15, 2016 

A Buddha of the Gal Vihara rock temple in Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka.

(Courtesy Josh Bulriss)

Photographer Josh Bulriss, from upstate New York, is on a mission. Torrential rain is flooding the ancient city of Polonnaruwa in Sri Lanka. But he has learned that persistence pays off, and upon reaching the 12th Century rock temple of Gal Vihara, soaked to the skin, he is in his element, capturing images of Buddha that have been carved in granite by Sinhalese sculptures some 800 years ago.