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Tag: dharma talk

  • 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…

  • “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,…

  • Why did the Shin Buddhist  cross the road? To get to the Other Shore.

    —Shinran-shōnin (never said that)  Higan literally means the “Other Shore” and in Jōdo Shinshū Hongwanji tradition refers to the Pure Land of Amida Buddha, Sukhavati—the Realm of Ultimate Bliss, Nirvana, Supreme Enlightenment, and Oneness with Amida. In Japanese tradition, Higan marks the seasonal equinoxes. Higan is also referred to as o-higan, using the honorific prefix…

  • BAT IN A BIRD NEST

    In the Children’s Dharma Story Time on October 24, 2021, Barkley the Dog and Lucy the Lady Bug shared the classic book, Stellaluna, by Janell Cannon, a book I fondly remember reading to our son. Stellaluna teaches a profound lesson about harmony: living together despite our differences.   Stellaluna is a fruit bat, who is…

  • Living the Life of Ingratitude

    Living the Life of Ingratitude Lacking even small love and small compassion, I cannot hope to benefit sentient beings. Were it not for the ship of Amida’s Vow, How could I cross the ocean of painful existence? —Shinran Shōnin, Gutoku’s Hymns of Lament and Reflection, CWS I, page  In today’s Dharma Story Time, the wonderful…