Monthly Archives: August 2014

namo guru shakyamuniye Those who, while walking, sitting, standing, or sleeping, recollect the moon-like Buddha, will always be in the Buddha’s presence, and will attain the vast nirvana. —Mipham Rinpoche

Everyday life demands a certain level of planning and goal-setting. After all, we need to secure shelter, food, and other necessities; provide for our dependents; and be able to practice generosity. As Buddhists, however, it is important to make sure … Continue reading →

Some sutras are not recognized by sectarian Buddhists as authoritative because they are not included in their own scriptural collections. But are only their own sutras authoritative? Or should what the Buddha taught be the authority? If they only accept … Continue reading →

The Buddha Shakyamuni instructed us to regard all phenomena as illusory appearances. He used many examples, like dreams, echoes, and mirages to illustrate the illusory nature of the phenomenal world. Dreams are particularly apt examples, because unlike mirages and echoes, … Continue reading →

We speak of a table as having a flat surface, legs, color, function, etc. —and yet, “table” is but the label we assign to the collection of the attributes of the table. In the same way, we say that a … Continue reading →

[Whataboutery = responding to criticism by accusing one’s opponents of similar or worse faults.] Like children in the playground, adults of every age, as well as communities and nations, justify our verbal and physical violence invoking the harm that others … Continue reading →

Although one may come across examples of authentic Buddhist masters who dress or speak unconventionally, there is no license in Buddhism for unethical behavior. Oriental or occidental ‘masters’ who claim their selfish and abusive behavior is a display of ‘skillful … Continue reading →