Last month a member of our meditation group took part in a ceremony in the Buddha Hall at Shasta Abbey in which she solemnly vowed to live her life within the mandala of the Buddhist Precepts. The celebrant for the ceremony was Rev. Astor Douglas, assisting her were Rev. Master Shiko Rom, Rev. Master Jisho… Continue reading A Small Precepts Ceremony at Shasta Abbey by Andrea Spark
Author: Pam Johnson
The Writing on the Wall by Andrea Spark
In Buddhism, one of the Five Laws of Existence is the Law of the Dharma “Without fail evil is vanquished and good prevails.” Not long ago, we spent a chunk of intense time in Portland helping out our dear friend and Teacher, Rev. Master Meiko who is, as most of you know, the Prior of… Continue reading The Writing on the Wall by Andrea Spark
Just Sitting by Barry Magrid
“Just sitting means just that. That ‘just’ endlessly goes against the grain of our need to fix, transform, and improve ourselves. The paradox of our practice is that the most effective way of transformation is to leave ourselves alone. The more we let evrything be just what it is, the more we relax into an… Continue reading Just Sitting by Barry Magrid
Mind Watching at Segaki by Roger Groghan
A week of quiet intimacy, We respond to gongs, bells and knocks on wood. Speak only sutras and necessities. Move in meditation amongst ghosts and hells surrounded by power realms and heavens with no eternity We look for forms of wisdom and compassion on some middle path. What am I other than impermanence? Whilst chopping… Continue reading Mind Watching at Segaki by Roger Groghan
Buddhist Virtues by Atiśa Dipankara Shrijnana (980–1054 CE)
The greatest achievement is selflessness. The greatest worth is self-mastery. The greatest quality is seeking to serve others. The greatest precept is continual awareness. The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything. The greatest action is not conforming with the worlds ways. The greatest magic is transmuting the passions. The greatest generosity is non-attachment. The… Continue reading Buddhist Virtues by Atiśa Dipankara Shrijnana (980–1054 CE)
The Tea Ceremony by Thich Nhat Hanh
You must be completely awake in the present to enjoy the tea. Only in the awareness of the present, can your hands feel the pleasant warmth of the cup. Only in the present, can you savor the aroma, taste the sweetness, appreciate the delicacy. If you are ruminating about the past, or worrying about the… Continue reading The Tea Ceremony by Thich Nhat Hanh
Freeway Dana by Kim Woodward
I was driving home from an appointment in Sacramento. It was late afternoon and traffic was fairly heavy… not stop and go but pretty dense. I was conscious of how I was driving. Trying not to tailgate and also keeping pace with the traffic in my lane. I was feeling pretty Zen about it all,… Continue reading Freeway Dana by Kim Woodward
Car Karma by Kim Woodward
I was driving to town on the freeway a couple of weeks ago and got chopped by another driver. As chops go it wasn’t a really bad one… maybe a 6 on a scale of 1 to 10… but I noticed that little tightening I get in my diaphragm when irritation arises. And I noticed… Continue reading Car Karma by Kim Woodward
The Four Global Truths – Book Notes
by Milan Vodicka “Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be expected in a cosmic religion for the future: It transcends a personal God, avoids dogmas and theology; it covers both the natural and the spiritual, and it is based on a religious sense aspiring from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as… Continue reading The Four Global Truths – Book Notes
“It is not enough…”
Rev. Master Daishin Morgan; Journal of the OBC, Spring 1988, pg. 24 “It is not enough to hear and practice the teaching; we must, at the same time, know that our true nature and the Buddha are one. We must be willing to become Buddha with all the implications for our personal life that this… Continue reading “It is not enough…”