Juline Smit

Thank you Susthama. I agree our close relationships are fertile ground for practice, will it be children, partners or family. Through others we have the opportunity to see ourselves more honestly and truthfully but this can be very hard for the ego. Others hold up a mirror which is often uncomfortable to face. I need lots of grace, kindness…[Read more]

I love Naomi Shihab Nye’s poetry and especially the one you mentioned. Thank you Kaspa. There is something in the piece about allowing oneself to be moved by whatever is happening and trusting that from loss/grief, kindness can spring when we are tuned in to the love and grace of Amida.

Thank you Kaspa. NAB.

Thank you Susthama for reaching out and including the wider sangha. Means a lot.

NAB.

Wow! This has blown me away.  I have been reading the commentary and chanting the sutra in the morning over the last few days … can’t describe it in words but feels like I know it from somewhere.  What a gift, thank you Dharmavidya for your words.  I feel one can study the sutra and commentary for a life time and on rereading and reflecting st…[Read more]

Hi Adam,  thank you for sharing.  We all have different and adapted sides to ourselves – some wonderful, others harder to love and make sense of.  What I hear between the lines is that through reflecting on your own condition you have come to realise it is helpful (but still difficult) to be kind to yourself.  I agree – same for me!  I have also…[Read more]

I love it!

Thank you Dharmavidya. There is a lot in here to process. What stands out for me is the worldly pull, how things are in modern life and in contrast the spirit of Amida and our faith. A small part of me wants to fit in and belong but another resists conforming to a way of life I do not feel is healthy or helpful. Luckily with the Amida sangha…[Read more]

I just realised after reading this piece, Pureland chanting is very similar to Kirtan chanting. In Kirtan they talk about ‘call and response’ which is similar to Amida Buddha calling us and our chanting being the response.

At ease in goodness

A noble person does not do good because of willpower. She does it through a combination of, on the one hand, modesty about self, and, on the other hand, faith in a higher purpose, a higher meaning, in powers more potent than self-will. Such a person is not moral through gritted teeth. She is at ease in goodness.

—David B…[Read more]