A Buddhist Practice to Change Our Destiny
In 2014, I self-published a memoir titled Never Give Up: Buddhism, Family & Schizophrenia. It is now nine years later, and while the challenges haven’t ended for me yet, I have a sequel in the works. My sequel is another…
The Five Cardinal Sins
In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law or a law of God.[1] Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, shameful, harmful, or alienating might be…
Under the Moon
Don’t mind me, I’m out getting lost under the moon, watching bats wheel and vultures go to bed and listening to whippoorwills and starsong. Don’t seek me, I’m dancing with sunset, studying the shapes of clouds and leaves, serenading violets…
Ancestors
My ancestors lived in Europe. With their families and their foibles. In centuries past, they did unimaginable deeds. My ancestors were European. Some from the East, Some from the West. They held unusual beliefs, and refused to be free. They…
Every Person Is A Unique Treasure
Cherry, Plum, Peach, Damson Buddhism has long taught that each person is a treasure with something unique to contribute to the world. This is the message of the Buddhist principle, “cherry, plum, peach, damson.” Nichiren Daishonin uses the fruit’s flowers…
The Pink Lotus Flower
The [Pink] Lotus Flower, Nelumbo nucifera, also known as the “sacred lotus” or the “Indian lotus,” is often confused with true water lilies of the genus Nymphaea, in particular N. caerulea, the “blue lotus.” However, the lotus flower has historical, cultural and spiritual…
Education in the 21st Century
The dream of sin. According to data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), as of the academic year 2016-2017, there are a total of 4,360 higher education institutions in the U.S., including both colleges and universities. Of the…
The Kalpa of Decrease
Some are beyond redemption The present age [of the Latter Day of the Law] is such that neither the non-Buddhist scriptures, the Hinayana sutras, the Mahayana sutras, nor the one vehicle of the Lotus Sutra has any effect….The extremity of…
The Dragon King’s Daughter
The Difficulty of Encountering the Lotus Sutra Moreover, it is extremely difficult to meet a person who expounds this sutra exactly as the sutra directs. It is even more difficult than for a one-eyed turtle to find a piece of…
On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime
On Attaining Buddhahood In This Lifetime This letter was written to Toki Jōnin in the seventh year of Kenchō (1255), two years after Nichiren Daishonin established his teaching of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Myoho-renge-kyo is the title of the Lotus Sutra, but to the…
