I am making this into a new discussion as it is somewhat at a tangent from the "Unmodernising Buddhism" theme.
Clearly Anapanasati and Satipatthana were teachings that were important to the Buddha. These were key items that he wanted disciples to ha
Read more…BUDDHIST MODERNISM
One reads a good deal these days about Buddhist modernism. This is a movement that began in South and South East Asia as a resistance to colonialism. Local Buddhists wanted to present their countries as “modern” and so injected a
Read more…CONTINUOUS AND PERMANENT
Nem or nen means mindfulness. It means that which occupies the mind. We all know that our minds are occupied with all kinds of matters. There are the practical matters of day to day life, the bigger and smaller decisions,
Read more…A little while ago I answered a knock on my door and found myself in conversation with two Jehovah’s Witnesses. I told them I was Buddhist. They immediately asked if I was a religious Buddhist or a philosophical Buddhist. I replied, without hesita
Read more…A CONTROVERSIAL ESSAY
Tao Sheng (360-434) was an important figure in the history of Chinese religion. He was a younger contemporary of Kumarajiva and of Hui Yuan and he spent time with both of them as well as at his home temple further to the east. H
Read more…The Smaller Pureland Sutra
Thus did I hear
Once the Buddha at Shravasti dwelt
In the Jeta Anathapindika garden
Together with a multitude of friars
One thousand two hundred and fifty
Who were arhats every one
As was recognised by all.
Amongst the
Read more…FAMOUS WORDS
Buddhist sutras generally begin with these words. Hearing is very important in Buddhism. In fact, the essence of Buddhism is to hear the Dharma.
These words can be taken in a simplistic way and quickly passed over or they can be refle
Read more…In reading Buddhist and Daoist materials, a significant problem for Western readers is the fact that there is a difference of value attached to quite basic things. Thus, in the West, full is good, empty is bad. An optimist sees the glass as half fu
Read more…The core element in Pureland Buddhist practice is nembutsu. Nembutsu means being with the Buddha. Buddhists “take refuge” in being with the Buddha. It’s as simple as that. This is why Buddhists have Buddha statues, so that they keep in mind being
Read more…Brexit is coming. The government have decided that the best bet for UK survival in the coming times of economic crisis will be to hang onto American coat tails rather than club together with Europeans to withstand the hurricane when it comes.
I won
Read more…Hui Yuan of Mount Lu (334-416) was a famous Chinese Buddhist monk, founder of Pureland Buddhism in China..
Mount Lu
Mount Lu is in the centre of China, just south of the Yangtse River, nowadays close to the city of Jiujiang. The area is a national
Read more…This morning as we had a delicious drawn out breakfast here in Petach Tikwa near Tal Aviv, a massive thunder storm developed lashing the building with wind and rain. Vimala shared with us a story from the Talmud that has provoked many different inte
Read more…Feelings
changeable as the weather.
Namo Amida Bu -
the silver lining
in every cloud.
Working and resting,
like a turning wheel.
Namo Amida Bu,
the hub,
is always reliable.
Life is long
Life is short
Namo Amida Bu.
The Dharma
is indestructible.
G
Read more…WHAT IS IT FOR?
For simplicity, we could say that sex functions at three levels. The primary function of sex is reproduction. Here the motive for courting and then having sex is to beget a baby. If that were all there were to it, then presumably h
Read more…My mother, Irene Brazier (1922-2004), was a lover of gardens. In her life she made many and admired many more. She believed in the harmony that arises when people work in co-operation with natural forces. She was a practical woman. Work was important
Read more…
For some people, I notice, Amidism is close to being a monotheism. We come from a culture where monotheism has dominated for a couple of thousand years and wars have been fought over which is the correct monotheistic deity and even over fine points
This is a piece I wrote in August 2012
Somebody showed me a piece of writing about how counselling and Buddhism relate to one another that suggests that counselling is only really appropriate for people who have not yet discovered the true Dharma pat
Read more…Based on a talk given at Quaker Concern for Animals, May 2005
by David Brazier (aka Dharmavidya)
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THREE LEVELS
Buddhism offers a religious vision at three levels. At the ultim
Read more…Creating a new forest in Scotland
Forest is a key issue in sustaining life on Earth. At this time, forests are being destroyed i
Read more…