Turning of the Wheel of Dharma
Turning of the Wheel of Dharma (Dharma Cakra Pravartana) – the process by which the Buddha’s teachings transform our minds
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Compassion – The Profound Stirring That Overcomes Passivity
Kindness calms. Compassion Propels. Compassion stirs us forward. It awakens within us a profound recognition.
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This Moment – The Delight in this Day of Excellence
The door to peace and wisdom that the Buddha showed is not in tomorrow and not after death. It is here, now, at this very moment. The present moment is the only way for us to be in contact with reality. The present, this moment, comes between the past and the future without abiding for even a moment. Yet, in this seemingly little moment is the expansive openness! This very moment opens up vast possibilities.
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The Way of Wholesome Living – Buddhism for Day to Day Life
The Buddha’s teachings are not only about Nirvana and Enlightenment. There is also a Way of Wholesome Living for those who haven’t set their aim on Nirvana. It is Buddhism for day to day life, for enhancing wellbeing and cultivating skills for this life.
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Dwelling as a Lamp unto Oneself – Attadipa sutta
“Therefore, Ānanda, dwell as a lamp unto yourself, refuge unto yourself, seeking no other refuge; With Dhamma as your lamp, Dhamma as your refuge, seeking no other refuge.” These words clearly show how the Way of the Tathagata is to be followed as a Way that goes beyond religion.
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The Fleeting Dreams of Reality – On the Nature of Dream and Reality
The solidity that we attribute to our existence is similar to the solidity that we attribute to dreams while we are in the dream. This article explores the empty nature of reality in experiential terms through parallels between dream state and waking state
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The Splendor of Transience – Lalitavistara Sutra on Impermanence
For someone who do not notice the dreamlike nature of life, impermanence of life can be a depressing fact. But, contemplating on impermanence in this way breaks open the cocoon of wrong view. Then, we can recognize the play of awareness in its full splendor and beauty, all through this life and beyond. In Lalitavistara Sutra Buddha points to this fact.
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Carefree Expanse – Careful Conduct
It is said that one should descend with the view from above and ascend with the conduct from below. It is equally important to maintain a view as vast and open like the sky, and to engage in conduct with precise regard for the cause and effect relations.
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Ploughing the Realm of Mind – Kasibharadvaja sutta
In kasibharadvaja sutta, the Buddha explains the way of cultivating mind by using the simile of ploughing the field. Like the farmer Bharadvaja, even today, people confuse meditation to be simply idling. This sutra shows how it should be as involved and engaged as farming.
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The Way of Making of Aspirations
Prayers in Buddhism are used as skilful means to attune the mind to the noble way and to soak oneself with the habits of noblest qualities such as discipline, altruism and equanimity. In Mahayana, prayers take a grand dimension of raising one’s aspirations to that of a Bodhisattva.
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