WHAT IS NEMBUTSU?

The word 'Nembutsu' is Japanese and is made up of Nen and Butsu. Nen means ‘mindfulness’. Butsu means ‘Buddha’. So nembutsu is mindfulness of Buddha. However, it has come to mean not merely a mental act but also a verbal one. Thus all formulae of ref

FOOLISH BEINGS OF WAYWARD PASSION

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

VOW BODY OF BUDDHA

Summary of Faith & Practice Part 30

TEXT: we would be as the vow-body of Buddha

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

THE LAND OF LOVE & BLISS

TEXT: without which we would already perceive the land of love and bliss


Perception of the land is a foundational religious experience. Religious form is substantially grounded in it and much of it can be considered to be a kind of theatrical re-

LEARNING FROM KARMIC OBSTACLES

TEXT: By our daily difficulty in the preceptual life, we awaken to the presence of the myriad karmic obstacles

The preceptual life refers to the attempt to live according to the moral precepts and karmic obstacles refers to the complications and mess

DHARMA TRANSCENDS WORLDLY RULES

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

TO DIE IN A CAVE LIKE MILAREPA

I have recently read an interview with the Buddhist nun Tenzin Palmo who is well known in Buddhist circles for having spent more than twenty years in retreat in the Himalayas practising tantra, living in a cave house in a valley that is cut off for n

DEFICIENCY

The Class on Summary of Faith & Practice

TEXT: “… how deficient we are by comparison”

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

Buddhist bases for responding to crimes motivated by hate

GRADUAL & SUDDEN: OPEN THE TIN CAN

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

ENCOUNTER WITH KOREAN ZEN

Fourteen months ago I had a debate with Zen Master Jeok Myeong in Korea. It illustrates different ways of seeing and teaching the Dharma...

I spent the afternoon with Master Jeok Myeong who is the Seon master of Bongam Sa. He is 78 years old and has

A NEW YEAR & AN OLD PIECE OF WOOD

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

THE MEANS OF TRAINING ARE THOUSANDFOLD

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

The distinctive role of religion in society

The Buddhist perspective    Acharya Modgala Duguid

Short talk given at an Interfaith discussion event at the Nehru centre London 23/09/2016

The Buddha, as the son of a king, led a very protected early life, mostly within the walls of his own privileg

FAITH AND GRACE

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

ITS NOT ABOUT SEEINGS THINGS AS THEY ARE

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

QUANTUM BUDDHA

It is quite common in Buddhist circles these days to hear the following assertions:

1. everything affects everything else, at least minimally, in one way or another

therefore

2. everything is interdependent

and

3. interdependent co-arising is the fundamen

DELINEATED BY THE PRECEPTS

Commentary on Summary of Faith and Practice

Part 27 "Delineated by the Precepts" from the sentence "The Buddha Body is delineated by the precepts"

To delineate is to loosely define. It is to create a sketch or outline that indicates the shape or n

The Buddha Body

AWESOME POWER

“Sometimes you get to see just how little you’re actually in charge of." 

~ Anne Lamott

Modern mankind, particularly urban dwellers, can be under the illusion that they have cheated or transcended nature and have power over the elements. In our well