The significance of the Buddha’s response to Queen Vaidehi’s request In examining the literal meaning of the title of the Contemplation Sutra, we may have the
The scope of the environmental crisis may leave us feeling overwhelmed and helpless to do anything about it. According to Joanna Macy, it is necessary
A few chapters into the newly published Time to Stand Up, I joined the Sierra Club, one of America’s largest and oldest environmental groups. About halfway
Meditative practitioners are entitled to rebirth in the Pure Land In the Contemplation Sutra, Queen Vaidehi asks Shakyamuni Buddha to teach her how to meditate and
The Fourth Noble Truth is The Path that leads to the cessation of dukkha (“ill-being” or “suffering”). The Path is also called the Noble Eightfold Path of
Two teachings by two Buddhas—the dual objective of the Contemplation Sutra In his Commentary on the Contemplation Sutra, Master Shandao says: “Here, the objective of the Contemplation Sutra is
With respect to Buddhist teachers, which scenarios have you encountered? How much do you know about healthy versus unhealthy student-teacher relationships? Maybe you have had
It sometimes takes many years to understand the significance of life events. My journey into Buddhism began with an afternoon spent in an art museum
Few clichés are truer than “money can’t buy happiness.” This common idea has been the central thread of many Dharma talks to highlight the need
Three sages in the west appear in response to Shakyamuni Buddha’s promise From Shakyamuni Buddha’s reply to Queen Vaidehi’s three requests in the Contemplation Sutra, we
The first teaching I received on the Buddhist view was the First Noble Truth—the Truth of Suffering. During my first years of studying Buddhism, I
For all the attention paid to the First Noble Truth (often mistranslated as “Life is suffering”), one must remember that it only makes sense taken
