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Tag: buddhism

  • Higan Reflections: Causes and Conditions

    Higan Reflections  In March, on the occasion of Shunki Higan, the Spring Equinox, when day and night are in exact balance, Jōdo Shinshū Hongwanji Buddhists put their busy lives on pause and reflect upon the people, causes, and conditions that brought them to the Path of Nembutsu, and Amida’s Vow to Save All. NamoAmidaButsu! “Such…

  • Buddhism and Leadership: Mindful, Selfless, Compassionate

    Buddhism and Leadership: Mindful, Selfless, Compassionate

    “To lead, be worth following.” —The Buddha (never said that) As a Buddhist, the essence of leadership is to truly understand that a leader is allowed to lead only because people choose to follow them. This shift in perspective away from our usual “self-centered” way of life to the realization: “I am here only because…

  • The Only Thing to Hate is “HATE” Itself

    May all beings be happy and well.May no harm or difficulties come to them.May they live in peace and harmony. —Gautama Buddha, Mettā Sutta, the Loving-Kindness Sutra Let’s put our hands together, bow our heads, and reflect for a moment on the lives lost, the anguish of the loved ones left behind, and the fear…

  • Right View: Seeing Reality-as-it-is, not Reality-as-My-Ego-Wants

    Gautama Buddha taught “Right View” as one of the Eightfold Path of the Noble Ones, which is the path of discipline followed by monks single-heartedly pursuing nirvana, the “extinguishing” of “thirst” (tanha or craving), awakening to the Truth, Reality-as-it-is, thus becoming a buddha, an “awakened being.”   In Jōdo Shinshū Hongwanji Teachings, Right View is…

  • When the Winds of Impermanence Blow…in Your Face!

    When the Winds of Impermanence Blow…in Your Face!

    Anicca, the Truth of Impermanence, is one of the Three Marks of Existence, the key Truths taught by Gautama Buddha, the historical Buddha who lived more than 2500 years ago. We all understand, in an abstract sense, all things arising from causes and conditions are anicca “inconstant,” “impermanent” or “all things change”, “nothing stays the…

  • Mahalo, Aunty A for Teaching Me the Vīrya Pāramitā !

    —The Pāramitā Perfection of Vīrya: Energy, Diligence, Vigor, and Sustained Effort— Visiting kupuna elders and temple sangha friends in the hospital, hospice, and home at the end of life is stressful yet profoundly meaningful. End-of-life can stretch out over weeks, months, and years but sometimes, end-of-life comes swiftly, suddenly, or unexpectedly.  In February 2025, my…

  • Be True to Yourself, Be NamoAmidaButsu! 

    “Saying the Name is in itself mindfulness; mindfulness is the nembutsu; the nembutsu is Namu-amida-butsu.” —Shinran-shōnin (1173-1263), Passages on the Pure Land Way Collected Works of Shinran, Vol. 1, p. 296 “Be true to yourself” is a fashionable expression of the philosophy of not worrying about pleasing other people, living up to someone else’s standards,…

  • “There’s Too Much Time”

    When I consider deeply the Vow of Amida, which arose from five kalpas of profound thought, I realize that it was entirely for the sake of myself alone! Then how I am filled with gratitude for the Primal Vow, in which Amida resolved to save me, though I am burdened with such heavy karma. Shinran…

  • “What can I do” during times of disaster?

    The practice of ‘o-mimai ‘ as an Expression of Caring (PHOTO CREDIT: Matthew Thayer / The Maui News / Associated Press) As the impact of the wildfires on Maui becomes clearer each day, the all-too-human response is to become overwhelmed emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually, to be frozen into the anxiety of inaction. We are horrified,…

  • Ondokusan: Now More Than Ever

    Ondokusan: Now More than Ever (Radio Broadcast: October 2, 2022 7:45 a.m. (HST) KZOO Honolulu. Copyright (c) 2022 Moiliili Hongwanji Mission) Aloha!  I would like to take a few moments this morning to explain the meaning and significance of the gatha Ondokusan because these words of Shinran speak to us now more than ever. Such…