“If you could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint,” said the American artist Edward Hopper. Here, Hopper emphasizes the importance of painting as a language. Art has a power to free humankind but who is it freeing? The context of the works not only remains in the audience’s hearts, but […]
Author: Teahouse
Who’s Qualified to Teach the Children?
From Master Jingzong Facebook; English translation by Foying, edited by Jingnian Are we qualified to educate a child, simply because we are adults? Are those who have teachers’ credentials competent enough to teach youngsters? Are more knowledgeable people capable of teaching kids? Aren’t children more innocent, honest and joyful than we are? Are they not more […]
Milarepa’s Exhibition 2017
Bodhgaya is a special place of power, in particular when it fills with the energy generated by practices and blessings. Earlier this year, during the Kalachakra 2017, walking from the hotel to the Kalachakra grounds, a leaflet on a market stall caught my attention. It advertised an exhibition being held at the Mahayana Hotel, on […]
The Middle Way in Love
The doctrine of the Middle Way (Skt. madhyama-pratipad, Tib. ume lam) is one of the fundamental teachings of Buddhism. According to Theravada Buddhism, the term “Middle Way” is used for the first time in Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, which is perceived as the first teaching that Buddha Shakyamuni delivered after his awakening. In this text the Buddha […]
A Message from Amitabha Buddha to All Sentient Beings
From On Love A Discourse by Dharma Master Huijing Pure Land Buddhism Amitabha-Recitation Society, December 23 and 27, 2015 The Sutra of Infinite Life and Splendor says: May sentient beings caught in the various realms of rebirth be reborn soon in my land, so they can enjoy peace and happiness. Exercising compassion constantly to save all beings, I will […]
What was Possible, and What is no Longer: A Buddhist Dimension in La Dolce Vita
It’s a classic moment in film, one of quite a few from Federico Fellini’s black and white cinematic masterpiece. The charismatic but emotionally lost gossip columnist Marcello Rubini, played by Marcello Mastroianni, is at the beach, holding his hands up in bemused resignation as he struggles and fails to discern the shouts of a young […]
Exploration and Freedom: Womanhood, Relationships, and Love
Making women’s issues more visible is not just about putting more females in positions of religious authority, like fully ordained bhikkhunis. It is about discussing and acting out ways of relating and loving that women feel liberated by and unleash everyone’s potential to provide fulfillment, satisfaction, and even enlightenment for others. When it comes to the […]
Master Huijing’s Dharma Words about the Purpose of Life
The purpose of life, put in a simple way, is “to aspire to be reborn in Amitabha’s Pure Land.” This is also the purpose of studying Buddhism, or, generally speaking, looking for answers of each of these questions: From where does a human being come? To where does he go after death? Which direction should […]
Setting aside Buddhist myths
Following the death of Buddhist teacher Michael Stone, a friend of his offered a poignant reflection on “the myth of the heroic self” for Tricycle magazine. There, Matthew Gindin asked: What are we to make of his tragic struggle and death, particularly in the light of his daily practice for many years of Dharma disciplines […]
Is Pure Land Buddhism a “Mystic” Tradition?
A groundbreaking conference between Teresian sisters and priests and Buddhist scholars and monastics has just concluded at the University of Mysticism in Avila, Spain. During our time here among new friends and Carmelite masters, I had the chance to visit many churches in the Old City (the UNESCO-listed complex behind the grand walled fortifications) and […]