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 […]
Amitabha
The Importance of Interreligious Dialogue and Goals for the Encounter: From the Buddhist Perspective
A speech given by Ven. Hin Hung, director of the Centre of Buddhist Studies at The University of Hong Kong, on 27 July 2017 at The University of Mysticism in Avila, Spain. Our world is rapidly changing. With the advances in science and technology, modern means of communication and transportation bring us closer together, but, […]
No Matter What
By Master Huijing; English translation by Jingtu No matter what, Amitabha’s Fundamental Vow Is like diamond, never changing. No matter what, Amitabha thinks of me Like a mother remembers her child, never abandoning it. No matter what, Amitabha is with me Every moment, never letting me go. No matter what, sinful sentient beings Need Amitabha and […]
Postcard from Raymond: Cosmic Lotus
What will I see when I leave this world? Will my “sight” even be the kind of visual “seeing” that I’ve known all my life? What will I hear when I have no auditory organs? What will I bring with me when I sigh farewell? Nothing. I will have nothing. I can take zilch, nada […]
Amitabha All Around Me
Massimo Claus Amitabha is to me the air I breathe, the sounds I hear, the colors I see, the music of the sea, the chant of a child. I saw Amitabha among the flowers of a cherry-tree and in my stupidity feeding my fears. Shandao is His hand approaching me, so I chant the Sacred […]
Guan Yin Temple: Flower Ornament and Pure Land Vistas
Raymond Lam “Pay respects to the Buddha first, then to me,” advised my preceptor once, when we visited him at his monastery, Guan Yin Temple. “Because we take refuge in the Buddha first, then in the Dharma, then in the Sangha.” He was implying that compared to the Buddha images of our temple, he was […]
Dark Night of the Sentient Being
Raymond Lam A while ago I read a post on Facebook, titled Dark Night, which was sharing a passage written by the pristine Pure Land master Ven. Jingzong. “In the silent wilds of the mountains, where there is a light from a window, there is vitality, even if the place is surrounded by abandoned graves. […]