Archive for 2008
Breathe, you are alive! Actually do we need to tell each other to breathe? The breath is automatic. Under most normal situations the breath is just a function of the living breathing person. We do not create or give thought to the fact that we are breathing. If you exert yourself or suffer lung disease you may be more aware of your breath. In meditation we take a look at the ordinary breath as a tool to calm our minds. Under normal condition we do not concentrate our minds upon our breath. It is a function of living. One very …
(Read More) Tags: anapanasati, Dharma Talks, mindfulness, samsara, vipassana
Vesak is the holiest day in Buddhism and a season of special holy significance to all Buddhists around the world. Vesak Full Moon is the holiest of all the full moon days. On this day we celebrate the birth, the Enlightenment, and the death of the Buddha.
The significance of which lies with the Buddha and his universal peace message to mankind.
Birth:
Temples will display a small image of the baby Buddha in front of the altar in a basin filled with water and decorated with flowers, allowing devotees to pour water over the statue; it is symbolic of …
(Read More) Tags: compassion, dharma talk, Dharma Talks, enlightenment, parinibbana
The military government in Burma is receiving an outpouring of emergency aid offers from the international community. The death toll from Saturday’s cyclone continues to rise. Foreign aid workers were told they could enter the country to assess needs and distribute supplies but now a full week after the devastating cyclone, the humanitarian aid workers are still waiting for visas. We must ask ourselves where is the effort by the government itself in helping the people of Burma. The delay in allowing foreign aid workers damages the already tarnished reputation of the Burmese government and its supporters the Chinese government…
(Read More) Tags: Burma, chinese, Dharma Talks, hatred, metta, monks, noble eightfold path, non-violence, peace, prayer, Thailand, tyranny
Houston, TX. April 25, 2008
All of us can feel anger. Likewise all of us can feel fear. We fear death. But death is inevitable. What is not inevitable is anger. Anger is the single most definable detriment to living beings everywhere. Anger and violence are branches of the same tree. They are like fire. Engage the anger and violence and you yourself are consumed.
The Buddha spoke of compassion and forgiveness, and how even words can be hurtful. We must ask ourselves what path we take. What are we to do with the emotions, fears, and anger we feel with regards to the people and monks of Tibet and Burma …
(Read More) Tags: anger, Burma, chinese, compassion, Current Events, Dharma Talks, fear, forgiveness, human rights, Tibet, violence
What is the purpose of life? All religions attempt to answer this question. Buddhism is no different. The only difference is the answer that Buddhism offers
“One thing I teach: suffering & the end of suffering. It is just I’ll and the ceasing of Ill that I proclaim.”
–The Buddha
The primary goal of most humans is to find a way to happiness. For the Buddhist faith the answer to the question, “What is the purpose of life?” is “To end suffering.” The Buddha teaches us is that human suffering is the result of attachment. We have been in a …
(Read More) Tags: dharma talk, four noble truths, happiness, impermamence, noble eightfold path, purpose, samsara, suffering
