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Beyond Yet Within
Sep. 20 | A[n ideal] monastic is a human who is separated from all and who is in harmony with all. – Evagrius Ponticus
The ‘Three Provisions’ For Accomplishing Everything
Sep. 20 | 设我得佛，十方众生， 至心信乐，欲生我国， 乃至十念，若不生者，不取正觉。 唯除五逆，诽谤正法。 – 释迦牟尼佛 《佛说无量寿经》 阿弥陀佛第十八大愿 If I, [Dharmākara Bodhisattva] attain...
One Hell Of An Act Of Compassion
Sep. 20 | Hell is absence of compassion by oneself and for oneself, by others and for others. – Shilashanti We may be surprised to hear how the Buddha[-to-be] first generated compassion in the hell realm. In one of his past lives the Buddha[-to-be] was born in...
Do Doctors Create Negative Karma By Healing?
Sep. 20 | Question: When a doctor heals a patient, does the doctor personally create negative karma, by not allowing the patient’s negative karma to ripen naturally? Answer: No. As the doctor’s intention is to restore the patient’s well-being,...
Nobler Brotherhood For ‘A Better Tomorrow 2018’
Sep. 20 | ‘A Better Tomorrow 2018’ (英雄本色 2018) almost seems like exploration on what brotherhood (or sisterhood) means, in both the actual brotherly sense, and the non-sibling, sometimes gangster brotherly sense. Surely, it means loyalty, to...
Greed Haiku
Sep. 13 | If not much needs to be spent, why make too much? If not much needs to be saved, give those with too little.
How Can We Handle Our Jealousy?
Sep. 13 | Spiritual cultivation is but the actualisation of our pure potential and deactivation of our defiled habits. – Shilashanti When we see those worse off, such as the very poor and sick, we usually genuinely wish that they be free from suffering, to be...
There Is No Need To Be Depressed
Sep. 13 | The Buddha’s first teaching was a message with the greatest hope – telling us that all beings have Buddha-nature. – Shilashanti There is Buddha-nature in every sentient being‘s mind, no matter how many negative actions living beings...
Why Does The Bad Happen To The Good?
Sep. 13 | Question: Why do good things happens to bad people, and bad things happen to good people? Answer: The question has two wrong premises – that only good things happen to bad people, and that only bad things happen to good people. Of course, this cannot...
‘The Empty Hands’ Full Of Spirit
Sep. 13 | ‘The Empty Hands’ is the almost literal translation of the ‘way of empty hands’ (空手道), otherwise known as Karate-do. As strongly urged by a Karate expert father, his daughter was trained when much younger, to be a brown...
How To Have The Ultimately Blissful Reunion
Sep. 5 | 若有众生， 闻是说者， 应当发愿， 生彼国土。 – 释迦牟尼佛 (佛说阿弥陀经) If there are beings who hear this, they should vow to be born in that [Pure] Land. – Śākyamuni Buddha (Sūtra [In Which The] Buddha Speaks [Of]...
Pure Land Teachings Within Earliest Found Buddhist Scriptures (Before The Pāli Canon Formed)
Sep. 5 | We have the impression [through the earliest found sūtras]… that [the] Mahāyāna [tradition] was NOT distinct from [so-called] ‘mainstream’ Buddhism at this period [when these sūtras were being recorded], as it became [institutionalised...
How To Clean A Buddha Statue?
Sep. 5 | Question: How do I clean a Buddha statue? Answer: You can use a clean and dedicated cloth to wipe with some water. Take note that if there is paintwork on the statue, it might be wiped off. Thus, it is best to be gentle and to not use chemicals. To ensure...
