Text: For those having a karmic affinity with Amitabha Buddha
COMMENTARY
For Whom
This text and the religious path it describes are "for those who have an affinity". This implies that they are not for everybody. For sure, everybody has a path and i
Read more…THE OLDEST DUALISM
There is an idea, common in contemporary Buddhist circles, that unless we believe in fundamental human goodness all is lost. I used to think so myself long ago. It seemed to be a good way of opposing some other notions current in o
It is enough to live a simple life of faith, but don’t miss the openings when they come. We are all more free than we think. There are different modes of faith that enable one to pass the gateless gate.
Shinjin: This primarily refers to the times whe
Read more…An Interesting Question
The Tien Tai patriarch Chih-I (also spelt Zhiyi, 538-597), who lived a century before Shan Tao, was asked the following question. A bodhisattva is supposed to be unselfish and altruistic. Yet bodhisattvas go to the Pure Land.
Read more…A Perennial Question
The question of faith and works is a longstanding religious debate. It is one of the main divides between Protestants and Catholics, for instance. Protestants, in principle, believe that faith in God’s love should be sufficient w
Read more…A shrine is a sacred place where one can be in touch with the spirit of a sage or holy being. In Buddhism, the term shrine is used both for large temples dedicated to a Buddha, bodhisattva or other holy being as well as to the smallest home altar or
Read more…Aprile ha un atteggiamento,
non puoi predire il suo umore.
Stamattina una tiepida brezza ha spazzato sopra la terra.
Ero felice di essere accarezzato da esso,
quest'aria dal profondo sud,
forse persino dal Sahara.
Sono andato giù alla zona dei bambù
Rifletto su cosa dovrei fare della mia giornata.
Non c'è molto che è necessario in questa vita,
ma molto che può essere apprezzato.
La gente della città
tutti vivono come schiavi, mentre i padroni
scambiano insulti nelle sale della ricchezza e del po
I've been rereading Freud's Mourning and Melancholia, an essay that he wrote round about the time of the start of the First World War. I wrote these notes to sort it out in my own mind, but you might find them helpful.
Oceanic Oneness
In Freud’s theor
If there anyone I envy,
it’s old Diogenes, dog that he was
and I more a cat.
But… Oh to be in a world
where such naturalness
was possible!
I hope we have a few sparks in common.
Like that honest man, I am a citizen
of nowhere in particular.
Which polis? “Co
