lotusinthemud

Nasty Windows Virus coming your way?

Glad to be writing this on my lovely Powerbook - though I still use the Evesham desk top too. Of course I wouldn't open anything that looked like porn anyway.....

link

The light of compassion that grasps us....

Thanks to Jeff for posting this in response to a previous quotation :

"The light of compassion that grasps us illumines and protects us always;
The darkness of our ignorance is already broken through;
Still the clouds and mists of greed and desire, anger and hatred,
Cover as always the sky of true and real shinjin.
But though light of the sun is veiled by clouds and mists,
Beneath the clouds and mists there is brightness, not dark."

~ Shinran, from Shoshinge

Just as fog is dispelled by the strength of the sun.......

Just as fog is dispelled by the strength of the sun
and is dispelled no other way,
preconception is cleared by the strength of realization.
There's no other way of clearing preconceptions.
Experience them as baseless dreams.
Experience them as ephemeral bubbles.
Experience them as insubstantial rainbows.
Experience them as indivisible space.

-Milarepa, "Drinking the Mountain Stream"

We must begin by facing the reality of our living situations

We must work with our fears, frustrations, disappointments,
and irritations, the painful aspects of life. People complain
that Buddhism is an extremely gloomy religion because it
emphasizes suffering and misery. Usually religions speak of
beauty, song, ecstasy, bliss. But according to Buddha, we
must begin by seeing the experience of life as it is. We must
see the truth of suffering, the reality of dissatisfaction. We
cannot ignore it and attempt to examine only the glorious,
pleasurable aspects of life....So all sects and schools of
Buddhism agree that we must begin by facing the reality of
our living situations. We cannot begin by dreaming.

~ Chogyam Trungpa,  The Myth of Freedom and the Way of Meditation

Just how do monks and nuns celebrate Chinese New Year? Coming alive with colour

by Grace Chen, The Star, Jan 28, 2006

GRACE CHEN visits Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen monastery.

Jenjarom, Selangor (Malaysia) -- THE Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen monastery in Jenjarom, near Banting, Selangor, is a landscape of lanterns and flowers. In the gardens, the trees bend under the weight of pink cherry blossoms, and the tea trees have been sculpted into Bodhisattvas. At seven metres, they are a majestic sight.

The two million visitors expected will certainly be floored by the work done by the monks, nuns and volunteers on the monastery grounds. Pictures by Fo Guang Shan Dong Zen

As Venerable Man Dao comes to greet me, the first words to leap out of my mouth are: “Are those cherry blossoms for real?”

The 58-year-old nun laughs indulgently and explains that they are artificial. “But isn’t the effect spectacular?”

I nodded. 

“We set up these decorations so that people will feel the joy and confidence of Buddhism,” explains Man Dao.

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the sun when obscured by clouds

The mind is something more radiant than anything
else can be, but because counterfeits - passing
defilements - come and obscure it, it loses its radiance, 
like the sun when obscured by clouds. Don't go thinking
that the sun goes after the clouds. Instead, the clouds
come drifting along and obscure the sun.

-Ajaan Mun, "Heart Released"

Jan 24: Death Sentence

Here's a thought-provoking piece by Dharmavidya, who is teaching in Tallahassee at the moment:

Here in Tallahassee the news is of an execution tomorrow and another next week. It is strange and distressing to be in a country that still clings to human sacrifice. Some say it is a deterent, but if that really were so one would have to marvel at what the homicide rate would be here without it. The fact is that the US, as we all know, has one of the highest killing rates in the world and it seems much more credible to think that

Wave Motion

Walking through a Japanese garden, one truly feels the life force energy that is known as Hado. Hado isn't just present in Japan, but it is a concept that has existed in Japan for centuries. The two Japanese characters that make up the word Hado mean "wave" and "move" - perfect words to describe the energy vibrations that permeate all life. Hado is present in all things, animate and inanimate. It resides everywhere, even in the air and in people.

Looking Forward to Being Somewhere Else?

How much of your life do you spend
looking forward to being somewhere else?

-Matthew Flickstein, "Journey to the Center"

Sujatin - How much of your life have you actually lived? When you look back at your life - wouldn't you like to have actually been there?

Out of the mud

Mike, who takes wonderful photographs, has sent me these links:

the first, about the concept of the bodhisattva

and the second, about the importance of keeping precepts