Original story in Chinese by Prof. Lee Chack-fan; retold by Raymond Lam No one knew Old Man Bai’s given name. Nor did he actually turn up to this year’s graduation ceremony, so it was all a bit awkward when it was his turn to be honored by the school assembly. Draped in his fancy academic […]
Author: Teahouse
Kyoto’s Incredible Treasures: Roaming from Buddhist Temples to Shinto Shrines
On 25 and 26 March, I made a short visit to Kyoto, a city home to many atmospheric gardens, traditional teahouses, Buddhist temples, and Shinto shrines of wondrous ambience and architectural beauty. Behind the seemingly similar designs of the temples and shrines are a diverse constellation of Buddhist and Shinto religious practices.
The Pitfall of Moral Outrage
Lately, a discussion I have had among many friends, both online and off, has been about how deeply engaged in the world we can be as Buddhists. Did the Buddha espouse a philosophy of world-denial and escape? Or was his teaching aimed at creating greater engagement through understanding and compassion? Over the last couple years, […]
Vanity and Substance
Master Jingzong; English translation by Foying, edited by Jingxin Everything we do is basically done for one of two purposes–to massage our ego or to accomplish something of substance. The former is mere vanity while the latter has real benefits. We must not pursue both purposes entirely for ourselves, leaving others empty-handed. If substance is what we […]
Hong Kong’s Buddhists Plug into the Belt and Road Initiative
By Arun Kumar Yadav Over the past few years, several major Buddhist institutions in Hong Kong, including the famous Chan monastery of Po Lin, have expressed their interest in participating in China’s monumental Belt and Road Initiative. Another such group is the Institute of Maitreya Studies, a non-governmental organization based in Hong Kong. On its […]
A Ladybug on Carpet: Lessons on Ignorance and Responsibility
Almost every week I go to a Zen meditation group near my apartment. This group meets in the beautiful sanctuary of a large Unitarian Universalist church. Our small handful of practitioners, usually 5-10, join in a circle just in front of the main stage. We chant a liturgy, meditate, walk, meditate, and then have tea […]
Dharma Dispatch, 16-27 April 2018: Prayers on the Korean Peninsula, Chinese IPOs, and Ambedkar Memorial
Good morning! Before the landmark meeting between South Korean president Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, which led to the official ending of the Korean War, Buddhist organizations met in South Korea to pray for peace, stability, and unification on the Korean Peninsula. On 12 April, 400 Buddhist nuns from 12 countries, including South […]
A Message from Master Shandao
A text about “embrace and transform by the Name in the form of light” cited from In Praise of the Rite of Rebirth: Amitabha Buddha made a profound, weighty vow to embrace all beings of the ten directions with his light and transform them with his name, in the event that they have faith in […]
Women as Spiritual Partners in Vajrayana Buddhism
From the perspective of Vajrayana, if a woman has a strong aspiration and the necessary karmic prerequisites to overcome the instinctive need for procreation, her capacity for higher awareness is greater than that of a man. But even if she does choose to be a mother, she still has a chance to use her karmic […]
The Forever Beggar
Original story in Chinese by Prof. Lee Chack-fan; retold by Raymond Lam There is a bustling street somewhere, far removed from our eyes and limited perceptions. Beside this road stand cafés that never close their doors and shops that stay open even when their owners have long since moved on. Spirits—strange things we don’t quite […]