No one can predict the time of one’s passing. More accurately, no one can predict when one dissolves into the bloom of a flower, or returns to the sky as a cloud that is beyond creation and destruction. It was therefore natural that the Hong Kong Buddhist community’s commemoration for Thich Nhat Hanh on the […]
Goodbye, Thay
In the early hours of the morning, the Hong Kong Buddhist community received the sad news of Thich Nhat Hanh’s passing at midnight on the 22nd of January, 2022. He was 95. I last saw him in 2013, on a Plum Village retreat in Thailand. As is typical of Plum Village, we happened to take […]
Conservation matters to China. It should be a core Chinese Buddhist concern
If one seeks to understand better the general direction of Buddhist priorities in China, clues can be found in the National Cultural Heritage Administration’s (NCHA) blueprint of preserving China’s ancient grottoes in early December last year. During the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–25), the NCHA released its own plan that would, by 2025, result in an […]
The Bodhi Stupa in Gelephu, Bhutan: A To-Be-Completed Structure of Beauty and Compassion
Stupa projects are often initiated by an aspiration or prophecy. A modern-day example of this is in Gelephu, a town (thromde) in Sarpang District, southern Bhutan. It shares a border with India, and one can cross into Bhutan here through Assam. It is a hub for Indo-Bhutanese trade, with a pleasant, moderate climate and rainy […]
What Is Life?
Translated by the Pure Land Translation Team; edited by Householder Fojin. From purelandbuddhism.org By Master Huijing In the Buddhist Parable Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha explained to us “What exactly is life?” with a famous metaphor. The metaphor is like this. On a lonely autumn evening, in the endless wilderness, a traveler hobbled on his way. Suddenly, […]
Let It Rain
I heard the crack of thunder as it whipped across the sky and prepared myself for the downpour to come. I was sitting cross-legged in a tiny wooden kuti that was nestled among the tall trees and rugged rocks on land that was part of a remote forest monastery in Northern Thailand. As I sat […]
Dr. Lyudmila Klasanova’s “Do You Want to Try? Yoga for Kids”
I am absolutely delighted to introduce a new book by our East Europe Correspondent, Lyudmila. This book is for children, but it is also a wonderful introduction for parents seeking an engaging and vivid way to introduce the ancient art of yoga to their kids. Yoga is in and of itself fun and fascinating, but […]
All Worldly Things Are Impermanent. When You Are Sad, Think of These Four Points
By Ping Seng Ye Cheng (Translated by the Pure Land School Translation Team; edited by Eddie Cao) We always hope that reciting Amitabha’s name enables us to live peacefully for the rest of our lives, embraced by his light, without mood swings. Once this life is over, our lotus flower in the Land of Bliss […]
A Laywoman’s Calling: A Vocation in Teaching and Livestreaming
Part One of Gotami’s journey I believe that now, more than ever, we need to talk about the Dharma, and to spread a message of hope for all the people who are suffering during this pandemic. The idea of talking about Dharma, however, came about by chance. By May 2020, I had started writing about […]
Rain Haiku
Haiku #1 Rain falls from the skyDies screaming on the windowListen to the sound Haiku #2 Rain falls from the skyDies screaming on the windowGives the grass a drink Haiku #3 Rain falls from the skyDies screaming on the windowIt’s a life well-lived Support Our Dharma Work