It is election season - recent general election in Netherlands, Thursday past local elections in UK, tomorrow presidential election in France, and a general election campaign under way in Britain. Germany goes to the polls in the autumn. And we are s
Read more…QUESTION: What does Pureland Buddhism say about God, if anything? Are there just Buddhas who are enlightened but no need / place for God? Are they the same thing?
SHORT ANSWER: Nothing about God with a capital G. Some gods might be Buddhas.
LONGER AN
Read more…Are we on a cusp of history between nationalism and internationalism? The idea of a nation-state rests upon a community of cultural and racial identity among the people occupying a defined piece of land under a single governmental/bureaucratic admini
Read more…Chapter Nine
持而盈之不盈其己；
揣而锐之不可长保；
金玉满堂莫之能守；
富贵而骄，自遗其咎。
功遂身退，天之道。
Hold to an excess of non-excessiveness, this is not about self.
Hide the sharpness that cannot last long.
When gold and jade fill the hall, nobody can guard them..
Fame and fortune m
Read more…The two most common trees at Eleusis are oak and may (hawthorne). At this time of year the white may flowers stand out against the background of fresh sprouting oak leaves.
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Read more…After some hot days that dried the soil out completely we are now plunged into a cold snap. It is actually deluging down hail as I write and a very cold night is forecast. This is not great weather either for plants or folk. I tried planting a few to
Read more…Depending upon what happens in two weeks time, Yesterday could prove to have been a turning point in the history of Europe, even of the world. Yesterday, in an unexpected electoral stunt, Marine Le Pen seriously wrong-footed Emmanuel Macron by turnin
Read more…The USA is currently considering its budget for the next six months. The proposed plan increases spending on the military (already the highest in the world by a wide margin) and security and cuts spending on almost everything else. Less is going to b
Read more…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…QUESTION: Can you explain "Buddha Nature"?
SHORT ANSWER: Buddha nature is no nature.
ANSWER: Buddha nature is no nature. Different writers use the concept in different ways, so to elucidate it one needs to clarify which Buddha nature concept one is r
Read more…In the news today, Donald Trump has gone back on what he previously said about China being a currency manipulator and also gone back on his comments about NATO being obsolete. Last week he changed his position on Syria. The "reset" toward detente wit
Read more…1. The G7 group reported a "successful meeting" at which they were unable to agree about anything. UK and US belligerence over Syria was not matched by other parties. US secretary of state is going to Moscow and "might get a meeting with Putin". Befo
Read more…TEXT: Amida will receive you and you may fear for nothing since all is completely assured
Continuing the commentary upon Summary of Faith and Practice
To be received and accepted as one is is the greatest wonder. To live in fear of rejection, althoug
Read more…I've been reading The Bacchae by Euripedes. It is the only extant play based on the rituals of Dionysus in which women went in groups into the hills and engaged in orgiastic activities under the influence of wine. The theme of the play is the punishm
Read more…Today's terrorist event in Sweden shows once again that no amount of security can prevent terrorism, especially if the perpetrator is willing to suffer or die in the attempt. The security forces no doubt do their best, but it is so easy to drive a ve
Read more…The unemployment rate in the USA is now officially under 5%. In UK much the same. According to classical economic theory both countries should be showing much stronger inflationary pressure at this level. The level in France, for instance, is about t
Read more…It is so difficult these days to know the truth about news events. Regarding the events in Syria in the last couple of days, I can't help asking myself a few questions. Did President Assad need this? Highly unlikely. Did President Trump need somethin
Read more…The book Anna Kerenina begins with the statement “All happy families resemble one another, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” In my observation, almost the opposite seems to be true. Happy people are each uniquely engaged in life whereas
Read more…I was recently engaged in a conversation in which the issue of "transparency" came up. There are two contexts in which this idea mainly has currency these days - political and psychological. In politics there is much concern about corruption and it i
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