Publicado por David Brazier el 13 de marzo de 2017 en el grupo "Buddhism"
Continuación del comentario de la recopilación “Fe y Práctica”.
TEXTO
Así, todos los obstáculos se convierten en impedimentos para la fe no siendo que experimentemos contrici
Read more…(Publicado por David Brazier el 15 de marzo de 2017 en el grupo de “Budismo”)
La forma en la que a veces se presenta el Budismo Tierra Pura suena un tanto monoteísta. No es sorprendente dado que todos conocemos las formas convencionales del discurs
Read more…Commentary upon Summary of Faith and Practice (part 6)
TEXT
with body, speech and mind
COMMENTARY
This phrase occurs a great many times in Buddhist texts. Clearly it means “in all ways”. “Body” refers to behaviour. The body exists in the material wor
Publicado por David Brazier el 17 de marzo de 2018 en “Discusiones budistas”
Los pensamientos y sentimientos negativos son un calvario para la vida humana. Son la contrapartida del gran don que es la imaginación. Una persona me insulta de alguna mane
Negative thoughts and feelings are a bane of human life. They are the downside of the great gift of imagination. A person insults one in some way and one finds oneself riling with unwanted emotions. Thoughts of vengance, or bitterness, or guilt, or m
I am at Vajra’s. Here the day starts with meditation. I sit. How does one meditate? I have been doing it for decades. I must have sat thousands of hours now - but how really should one meditate? I feel even more ignorant now than when I started all t
Read more…Summary of Faith & Practice Commentary
TEXT: the method of opening oneself to Amitabha's grace
COMMENTARY:
The Buddha has vowed to receive whoever turns to him in faith and calls his name. There are many ways of calling the name. Literally, we can sa
Read more…Continuing commentary upon Summary of Faith and Practice
TEXT: Dwelling in this settled faith
COMMENTARY
Settled faith is anshin. An-shin literally means "the heart-mind at peace". We can speak of different modes or dimensions of faith and anshin is
Read more…The bell master is responsible for the meditation hall and, in the liturgy, works with the celebrant. The celebrant may specify exactly what is going to happen or may take it as it comes. The bell master fills in the gaps and keeps everything flowing
Read more…Authenticity & Freedom
I have been reading some existentialism. One of the key concepts in existentialism is authenticity. This goes with another key idea, which is freedom. These ideas reached a high pitch in the work of Sartre who had lived through
Commentary on the Summary of Faith & Practice (part 5)
TEXT (is) the practice of Nien Fo
COMMENTARY
Nien means mindfulness. It also means an impulse of mind. The Japanese form is “nen” which becomes “nem-” in terms like nembutsu. Fo means Buddha.
Read more…The most famous classic of Chan Buddhism (Chinese Zen) is the Platform Sutra 六祖壇經. The sutra presents the teachings of Huineng 慧能 (638-713) [However, the text went through many revisions and the ten chapter edition that is currently taken as authorit
Read more…There is a strong tradition in Buddhism of reciting large numbers of mantras or other holy texts and invocations. These accumulate quantities of merit. Thus, some members of the Amida Shu undertake to recite a million nembutsu in the course of a year
Read more…When we read about Chinese or Japanese Buddhism we come across passages that say such things as that the master “eats when hungry, drinks when thirsty, sleeps when tired.” and the like. We might then think, “what is so different about that?” or we mi
Read more…A correspondent recently wrote to me as follows:
"When you talk to me about grief you never say stuff like 'This is all just a figment of your deluded conditioning. Grief isn’t real. Well, it’s only real in relative terms anyway. If you could just
Read more…A view that I encounter repeatedly in Buddhist circles is the notion that in order to be enlightened one needs to have a correct idea of… emptiness, interbeing, oneness, the real nature of Amida, nonduality… you name it.
One is told that when one full
The following is my understanding of the main thrust of early Buddhism.
If we start from the “three signs”, I read them as saying that all samskaras are impermanent and troublesome whereas all Dharmas are non-self. The meaning here is that self, (i.e
Read more…Publicado por David Brazier el 5 de septiembre de 2017 en el grupo “Budismo”
Esta es una lista de las diecisiete formas principales de condicionamiento que dan forma a nuestras vidas. Se incluyen los factores que tienden a mantenernos atrapados en
Read more…I recently read an article that argued that (a) there is no necessary relationship between meditation and mysticism and that (b) the purpose of meditation is purely the cultivation of positive moral traits. Given in support of this was the observatio
Read more…Commentary upon the Summary of Faith and Practice, part two.
Text: wishing to practise a religious life
A Foundation
The wish to practice a religious life is the foundation of meaning and happiness. Nowadays, many people have no idea about living a
