Four Noble Truths: Insights from the Lotus Sutra Background: The Buddha, having awakened that extreme asceticism didn’t work, decided to seek the answer from within himself through meditation. At the Deer Park in Sarnath (known as Varanasi at that time) in India, he sat under the Bodhi tree for 49 […]
Yearly Archives: 2016
81 posts
Recently, the video of the laughing “Chewbacca Mom” went viral in social media, gaining millions of viewership in Youtube within a day. While this is spectacularly bizarre (a testament to the incredible power of social media), it has nevertheless brought back fond memories of my favourite movie – Star Wars. […]
Thích Nhất Hạnh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist. He was nominated for Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr. The term “Engaged Buddhism” was coined by him in his book Vietnam: Lotus in a Sea of Fire. Presently, he lives in Plum Village in the south of […]
The Essence of Chapter 2: Expedient Methods Why It is Not the Ten Factors Emphasized by Nichiren Buddhism While all chapters of the Lotus Sutra are equally enlightening, Chapter 2 is particularly illuminating. This is because the key teaching begins in Chapter 2 and the Buddha is essentially “revealing the […]
The Mayonnaise Jar When things in your life seem, almost too much to handle, When 24 Hours in a day is not enough, Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee. A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the […]
Six Paramitas Six Paramitas literally means Six Perfections; the six virtues that need to be continuously cultivated and perfected as part of a bodhisattva’s practice. The Sanskrit word “Paramita” means “perfection” or “completeness”. What are Six Paramitas? The Six Paramitas are Generosity, Discipline, Endurance, Diligence, Meditation, and Wisdom. #1 – […]
Among the ten great disciples of the Buddha, Katyayana was the greatest at debate. There was a time when he left the Buddha to go south to teach the Dharma in Rajagrha. One day, he sent one of his very young disciples back to Jetavana Monastery to see the Buddha. […]
Sitting on the Road to Save His Clan The Buddha promoted peace and opposed war. Once, King Virudhaka wanted to attack Kapilavastu. According to Indian tradition, if an army encountered a monk, the war had to be halted immediately. To protect his homeland, the Buddha sat quietly in the path […]
Mountain Top Two travellers went hiking to reach the mountains. When they were half-way, the beginner looked at the undergrowth and began to lament, “Where is the beautiful scenery which you were talking about all the time?” His experienced companion smiled and answered: “You’re in the centre of it. You […]
Four Virtues of the Buddha The Buddha embodies the four virtues, namely True Self, Eternity, Purity and Happiness, as expounded in Mahaparinirvana Sutra. These noble qualities are the true nature of Buddha’s life. Ordinary people like us can also embrace these qualities if we choose to embrace the Lotus Sutra […]
