Dharmavidya's Discussions (1009)

Sort by

PROPHESY

Naked we come into this world and naked we depart. All the sages remind us. Little Jesus in his manger received gifts from the Magi, but what use were the gifts to him, one might ask. Perhaps the Magi brought treasures from his previous incarnation w

Read more…

TANGERINE


The friendly teller of healing tales
holds out a hand, hoists the sails,
temptation is a tender touch,
take a slice, but not too much.
Sages, ages, pirates and souls,
bananas and oranges, roasting hot coals,
wear your best, the tangerine,
say it soft, but s

Read more…

CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

We are once again at the festive mid-winter season. Throughout history and probably pre-history too, people have celebrated this time as the turning point of the year. The shortest day is just past. From now on the days will get longer as the planet

Read more…

AMERICA WITHDRAWS

The news today that the Trump administration is to withdraw all US troops from Syria and half of its contingent from Afghanistan is of great importance. This is the first president for a very long time to take the view that the USA does not have to p

Read more…

SILENT ILLUMINATION

There is a form of Zen or Chan meditation that is called silent illumination. It has been said that illumination simply means awareness and that this method is, therefore, that of sitting still in complete awareness, simply allowing life to pass by.

Read more…

THE HYPNOTIC SELF


Self is an intervening fantasy that masks reality. What does this mean?

Perhaps one eats too much chocolate. One feels a bit sick. One learns not to eat so much of it at one go. Simple.

However, what may happen is that after eating too much chocolate

Read more…

THREE JEWELS ON THREE PLANES

The Three Jewels are the heart of Buddhism. The three are the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. They are the foundation and core of the Buddhist religion. When one becomes a Buddhist one takes refuge in the Three Jewels. So what are they and what do

Read more…

BODHI DAY

On December 8 we celebrate the anniversary of the enlightenment of Shakyamuni Buddha. Let us reflect a little upon this.

Siddhartha Gotama was somebody who threw himself into things. In his early life he evidently was a sensitive lad given to reflect

Read more…

DO NOT CRITICISE, ACCEPT EVERYTHING

There is a wonderful text that records the saying of the Desert Fathers or Abba. The Abba were hermits who lived in the desert of North Africa in the early Christian period. The stories are of a similar genre to the Buddhist stories of enlightenment

Read more…

EKA IS NUMBER ONE

INTRODUCTION
The notion of oneness can mean many things. Here I wish to advance one particular Buddhist significance of the term.
Eka means one. Ekagata thus means to go singly. In the Rhinoceros Discourse, the Buddha says, "The wise person, valuing

Read more…

VEHICLE AND SKILFUL MEANS

Religion as a Vehicle
The Sanskrit word yana means vehicle. Buddhism is broadly divided into yanas. A yana may encompass a variety of denominations, orders or sects. Different yanas are characterised by some common broad orientation, so the term can

Read more…

WHAT'S WRONG WITH GRIEF COUNSELLING?

I was recently reviewing the work of one of my students and she brought my attention to a body of  literature on research into bereavement counselling. The general drift of the findings suggested that bereavement counselling is ineffective and can ev

Read more…

TODAY'S SNOW COVERS YESTERDAY'S TRACKS

Today's snow covers yesterdays tracks.
Success or failure, triumph or wreck.
The waning moon shall later wax.
Time continues her endless trek.

We who follow or go ahead
make war and peace, then rest and sigh.
We have no time to bury the dead,
the undertak

Read more…

MEDITATION WITH NEMBUTSU: Part One

Meditation is a natural expression of spiritual liberation. When we are swimming in grace, the heart lifts and sings. In following the Dharma one is filled with joy and gratitude that Buddha’s appear in the world. The traditional way to express this

Read more…