Jodo Shinshu Buddhism
This was Part 2 of a three-part series of Dharma conversations on the Three Poisons (greed, anger, and delusion) that the Buddha identifies as the root cause of suffering.
To join us online via Zoom CLICK HERE to sign up for “Study Classes and Seminars.”
We welcome you to join us in person at the San Mateo Buddhist Temple for a series of Buddhist Education sessions about how the everyday practices of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism can support mindfulness and insight for newcomers and lifelong Sangha members alike.
To join us online via Zoom CLICK HERE to sign up for “Study Classes and Seminars.”
As temperatures warm and we prepare to welcome the arrival of Spring with our Ohigan Service on March 19, I am reminded of the following verse from Shinran Shonin’s Hymns of the Pure Land Masters:
Obstructions of karmic evil turn into virtues;
It is like the relation of ice and water:
The more the ice, the more the water;
The more the obstructions, the more the virtues.
(From Shinran Shonin’s Hymns of the Pure Land Masters, Hymn 40)
In the verse above, Shinran Shonin describes how, just as the warm spring temperatures melt ice into water, the warm light of the Buddha’s wisdom melts the hard obstructions in our minds into the flowing virtues of awakening. Greed turns into Generosity. Indulgence turns into Self-control. Anger turns into Patience. Laziness turns into Dedication. Distraction turns into Concentration. Delusion turns into Wisdom
Growing up in Minnesota, the springtimes of my childhood were filled with joy and wonder, as I experienced the warm sunlight melting away ice and snow, making way for blades of green grass to sprout up on the lawn. During the long winter, the cold of the snow and ice had turned the grass brown. The water of the melted snow and the warmth of the sun brought new life to the grass.
Continue reading “Ice Melts Into Water, Obstructions Melt Into Virtues”This week we will revisit the traditional story of the two-headed bird Garuda/Upagaruda, which illuminates the Buddha’s Second Noble Truth that anger and vengefulness arising from self-centered thinking cause suffering for ourselves and others.
Schedule
8:30 a.m. Shoshinge Sofu Chanting
9:00 a.m. Taiso Morning Exercise
9:30 a.m. Dharma Service
10:30 a.m. Dharma Discussion
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On August 7, 2020 the San Mateo Daily Journal carried an Op-Ed piece written by Rev. Adams sharing his reflections on the 75th Anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Click the link below to read the article: