Honen Shonin has been one of the ancestral teachers most important to me. I love his humanity. He talks about how he learnt Buddhism and learnt that pure contempation depended upon pure moral conduct and that wisdom depended on pure contemplation. he
The term ‘vow’ here is a translation of the Japanese term ‘gan’. It could also be rendered as ‘prayer’ or ‘deep intention’. ‘Vow’ is perhaps too strong and ‘prayer’ too
As the Network of Buddhist Organisations UK representative on the Faith community Forum where faith leaders meet to discuss issues. The focus last week was on dealing with hate crime. I was asked to give a short presentation on Buddhist bases for
A very common idea about Buddhism is the notion that what is required is for one to come to see things as they truly are. We all know that different people see things differently. I have recently read a couple of novels by Iris Murdoch. One of the pa
It is the beginning of the Jewish new year. It begins with a month of repentance. This is rather like the Buddhist idea of always beginning anew. Beginnings are dedicated to Vajrasattva who is the bodhisattva of purity. It is a common idea that thin
During the last couple of days I’ve been corresponding with a couple of the students taking the Introduction to Pureland Buddhism course on Amida Academy on the subject of creativity, specifically, their own creative endeavours.
The reason that we have social rules is to restrain those who create trouble. However, when we have Dharma, such rules are not needed. This was the basic message of the text called On Why Monks Do Not Bow Down Before Kings (沙門不敬王者論) written by Lu Sha
The sense of 'deficiency' is an important basis for rigour in spiritual practice as well as being a foundation for faith in the saving grace. These two aspects of t
What is Buddhist ‘training’? I have written on the dangers of misunderstanding this term before. Here I would like to try to say a little more, since this is an important issue for all of us and especially for those who have made a full time commitme
I was asked a question about faith 10 years ago and this was my reply. It still stands:
For me faith has grown out of the feeling of confidence that the Buddha’s teachings have truly been a source of refuge. They have made such a difference to my lif
In religion we talk a lot about light. Seeing the light, enlightenment, the light of Buddha, the Buddha of infinite light, light brighter than the sun and the moon, and so on.
Yet light stands out in relation to darkness. It is just as important to ta
TEXT: Thus we know in experience that we are foolish beings of wayward passion.
COMMENTARY: The expression “foolish beings of wayward passion” refers to our bombu nature. As human beings dwelling in samsara we are prone to many errors, both practical a
We can talk about gradual cultivation and sudden enlightenment in terms of practice and experience, but we can also use these categories to understand the different ways in which the Dharma is presented. Way back in Tibetan history, for instance, the