#Buddhist masters

[buddhabeings]

Whatever problems there are in the world, Are created by the afflictions in our own minds. A mistaken attitude is a cause for the kleshas (mental states that cloud the mind and manifest in negative karmas), Yet the pattern of our thoughts can be refined. As we have seen, the very root of samsara is the concept of self and our habit of clinging to our identification with an “ego.”

~ Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

[livingwellnessblog]

Tantra: Tilopa’s Song of Mahamudra

Explore the profound world of Tantra and the teachings of Tilopa, an Indian Buddhist monk in the tantric Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Delve into the essence of Mahamudra, a set of spiritual practices that accelerate the path to Buddhahood.

Tantra The Supreme Understanding Tantra:  The Supreme Understanding Introduction Tilopa’s Song of Mahamudra A deep and insightful look into the underlying ideas of Tantra. Walking the road to enlightenment by embodying the full acceptance of all that is. A commentary on Tilopa’s marvelous song.    Tilopa, was an Indian Buddhist monk in the tantric Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.  He…

[journeytothewestresearch]

Buddhist Deities Exiled From the Western Heaven

My new article examines the reasons why three Buddhist deities from Ming-Qing vernacular Chinese literature are exiled from the Western Heaven.

Master Golden Cicada (Jinchan zi, 金蟬子) (a.k.a. Tripitaka, Tang Sanzang, 唐三藏) from Journey to the West (Xiyouji, 西遊記, 1592) - a Buddha disciple who is caught sleeping during the Tathagata's sermon.

Miao Jixiang (妙吉祥) from Journey to the South (Nanyouji, 南遊記, c. 1570s-1580s) - A Buddha disciple who kills a belligerent sage on the grounds of the Thunderclap Monastery.

 Great Peng, the Golden-Winged King of Illumination (Dapeng jinchi mingwang, 大鵬金翅明王) from The Complete Vernacular Biography of Yue Fei (Shuo Yue quanzhuan, 說岳全傳, 1684) - An avian dharma protector who kills a stellar-spirit for farting during the Tathagata's lecture.

The article analyzes them together and notes parallels, even with concepts from Greek philosophy.

The motif might serve as a good idea for writers wanting to create an OC with an interesting backstory. I have, for example, previously used it to suggest a fictional origin for Sun Wukong as a hot-tempered Bodhisattva (see the 06-16-23 update here).

[hanatatami]

Love at first sight (taste?)

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Wild Woman riding a Unicorn, 1475 by a German artist known as Master of the Amsterdam Cabinet

* * * *

So What Is the Take-Away Point About the Unicorn?

Everyone wants to use happiness as a fix for problems, yet happiness is its own, very big thing, and it is selling happiness short to make it a fix for problems. To be happy is to experience life not as a series of struggles but as a gift, one that has no known limit. This doesn’t mean ignoring your difficulties: it means not assuming that they are what you think they are. If you throw away everything you believe about your difficulties you will notice that many of them disappear and the rest become interesting.

When you get the hang of being more interested in life than in agreeing with your thoughts, then you will get the life you get. And you will be able to have as much happiness as you want with almost no effort whatsoever. When you stop believing your thoughts, you look around just for you, just because it is interesting to look around. Some people call that enlightenment. But you won’t call it that. You’ll be too interested in the new view. And you’ll notice that wherever you look there will be nothing but those damned unicorns.

– John Tarrant

Note: This article was first published under the title, The Paradox of Happiness, in Shambhala Sun, January 2004.

[commonplacebuddhism]

Bibliography

All the Buddhist books I have taken notes from, with links if they are available free online. Updated 11/15/24.

After the Ecstasy, the Laundry: How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path by Jack Kornfield

Awakening the Buddha Within: Eight Steps to Enlightenment: Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World by Lama Surya Das

Buddha's Brain: the Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love & Wisdom by Rick Hanson, Ph.D., and Richard Mendius, M.D.

Buddhish: A Guide to the 20 Most Important Buddhist Ideas For the Curious and Skeptical by C. Pierce Salguero

Buddhism Without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening by Stephen Batchelor

Dhammapada: The Sayings of the Buddha translated by Thomas Byrom, Shambhala Pocket Classics 1993 (There are A LOT of versions of this online, but not this particular edition)

Enlightenment is an accident: ancient wisdom and simple practices to make you accident prone by Tim Burkett

Happiness is Overrated: Simple Lessons on Finding Meaning in Each Moment by Cuong Lu

The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh

How to Raise an Ox: Zen practice as taught in Zen master Dogen's Shobogenzo by Francis Dojun Cook (2002)

How We Live is How We Die by Pema Chödrön

Illumination: a guide to the Buddhist method of no-method by Rebecca Li

Love for Imperfect Things by Haemin Sunim

"Living my vow," by Zenju Earthlyn Manuel in Lion's Roar, March 2021.

Nothing Holy About It: The Zen of Being Just Who You Are by Tim Burkett

Novice to Master: An Ongoing Lesson in the Extent of My Own Stupidity by Soto Morinaga

Opening to Oneness: A Practical & Philosophical Guide to the Zen Precepts by Nancy Mujo Baker

The Other Shore by Thich Nhat Hanh

Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior by Chögyam Trungpa

A Spiritual Renegade's Guide to the Good Life by Lama Marut

Start Here Now: An Open-Hearted Guide to the Path and Practice of Meditation by Susan Piver

The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down by Haemin Sunim

The Three Pillars of Zen: Teaching, Practice, and Enlightenment by Roshi Philip Kapleau (I read the 25th anniversary edition and this is the 1967 version)

Wake Up: How to Practice Zen Buddhism by Bonnie Myotai Treace

Walking the Way: 81 Zen Encounters with the Tao Te Ching by Robert Meikyo Rosenbaum

The Way of the Bodhisattva by Shantideva, revised translation and new preface by the Padmakara Translation Group (2006) (This is another one that is widely available online in other editions.)

When Things Don't Go Your Way: Zen Wisdom for Difficult Times by Haemin Sunim

Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment by Robert Wright

Zen and the Art of Anything by Hal W. French

Zen Beyond Mindfulness: Using Buddhist and Modern Psychology for Transformational Practice by Jules Shuzen Harris

Zen Flesh, Zen Bones by Paul Reps

Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki (Link goes to a book that is listed as the 2006 ed but it looks identical to my 2002 edition)

[raffaellopalandri]

Book of the Day - Why We Meditate

Today’s Book of the Day is Why We Meditate, written by Daniel Goleman and Tsoknyi Rinpoche in 2022 and published by Penguin Books. Daniel Goleman is one of the most relevant authors, psychologists, and science journalists of our age, having introduced the concept of Emotional Intelligence to the world in 1995. He was a science reporter for The New York Times, was twice nominated for the Pulitzer…

[airenyah]

now that i've turned thai drama into my bachelor thesis, the only question left is: how to turn thai drama into my master's thesis

[catsniffer420]

The Rubin Museum

[aerial-jace]

I was just given the opportunity to reaffirm my apostasy right on Good Friday and I'm relishing it.

[buddhismnow]

Morning Meditaton — Do you want to know Manjusri?

Morning Meditaton — Do you want to know Manjusri? https://wp.me/pFy3u-8l0

‘Do you want to know Manjusri? He is here right before your eyes functioning ceaselessly without change, This is the living Manjusri.’ Zen Master Rinzai Clouds above the trees. On our Twitter account, Buddhism Now @Buddhism_Now, most mornings we post a ‘morning meditation’ like the one above.  On the net, of course, it’s morning, afternoon, evening, or nighttime 😀 somewhere. Click here to…

[buddhabeings]

The Flower Sermon: The Moment Zen Was Born ☸️

One morning, Shakyamuni Buddha gathered His disciples for a discourse, but instead of speaking, He simply held up a single flower. The disciples looked at Him, puzzled, wondering what lesson He was trying to convey. But one disciple, Mahakashyapa, looked at the flower and smiled. In that moment, Shakyamuni Buddha saw his understanding and said, “I have the Treasure of True Wisdom, and I give it to Mahakashyapa.”

This silent gesture became known as The Flower Sermon, and it was immensely important for one reason: it showed that True Wisdom can be beyond words.

Sometimes, a simple smile or a glance at a flower is enough to see Reality as it is. This is the essence of Tathata - or “Suchness” - The Truth of Things just as they are, without labels, judgments, or concepts.

In Mahakashyapa’s smile, he grasped this “Suchness.” This wisdom couldn’t be captured in words; it was something to be directly felt and experienced. That smile became the origin of Zen Buddhism, a path that teaches us to see things clearly, without clinging to ideas or theories.

Shakyamuni Buddha's Silent Message via the Flower was a Direct Transmission, heart to heart, showing that Wisdom is something we feel deeply, not something we need to say.

The Flower Sermon reminds us that Silence is the truest expression of Wisdom. Instead of searching endlessly for answers, perhaps we only need to look at the world around us, quietly and fully, to find the understanding we seek.

🙏🙏🙏

[renegade-hierophant]

Just a chill Buddhist mantra to heal all of your ills 🙏

[somaiya-vidyavihar-university]

Pursue a Master’s in Buddhist Studies in India and explore Buddhist philosophy. Gain career-enhancing expertise with programs at Somaiya Vidyavihar University.

[marioluigimarioluigi]

Massed Prayer for Florian and Juliana go to Pasio

[errantabbot]

On Teachers, Maturation, and Debt

It’s a sad fact

that so few teachers

ever come to know their reach

or to see the maturation of their work;

they give of themselves

in service of a vision

known only to hope

to trust and to need;

perhaps they too recall

coming up short

and lately getting it together

thereby fueling their resolve;

how else could such a mission

of endless sewing without harvest

ever come into being

but by gratitude by knowing and debt?

~Sunyananda