Acharya Sujatin (temple host)

Dharmavidya:

The term paravritti often gets translated by something that sounds rather grand such as a turning around in the seat of consciousness. This kind of translation is not wrong and I have used it myself, but I have to admit that it probably gives a false impression to most people. DT Sukuki translates the word as “revulsion”. This has…[Read more]

Dharmavidya:

Faith (shraddha) arises in the condition of dukkha, says Buddha in the Nidana Vagga in the Samyuta Nikaya. Dukkha is the circumstance of our being sensitive to living in a world of suffering, a world of birth and death. If we were not sentient in this way we would not need faith. A rock does not need faith because it does not mind.…[Read more]

Dharmavidya writes:

DON’T DRIFT INTO DISASTER

This is the first of a series of short essays in which I shall comment on the term paravritti which plays an important role in many Buddhist texts. The word is very close in meaning to “enlightenment”, but with distinctive implications which can give us some sense of important aspects of the spi…[Read more]

Today my practice includes gratitude for my Buddhist family – last week I stayed with Modgala in London for a few days and we spent an afternoon with Padma, too. Lots of delicious food and laughter. Namo Amida Bu

Dharmavidya writes:

PRAISE

In the Acchariya-abbhuta Sutta, the monks are discussing how wonderful the Buddha is when he comes into the hall, interrupting their chatter. He asks what they have been talking about and they tell him that they have been discussing his marvellous qualities. He then says, “So what are these wonderful characteristics o…[Read more]

Dharmavidya:

SIX VIJÑANA MIND MODEL
One of the ways to understand how conceptions of psychology have changed since the time of the Buddha is by looking at how the model of the mind has elaborated. In the earliest scriptures, the Buddha talks in terms of six vijñanas. These are the five senses plus “manovijñana”. Manovijñana is, as it were “the mi…[Read more]

Dharmavidya:

Zen is
“a special transmission outside the scriptures,
not founded upon words and letters.
pointing directly to the heart,
seeing into one’s own true nature,
attaining buddhahood.”

What does this mean? What does it not mean?

Commonly this is taken to mean that Zen rejects scriptures and even writing. However, Zen pract…[Read more]

Dharmavidya:

1. The correct attitude is to be willing to do whatever the Dharma requires, in whatever realm, in whatever aeon. Enlightenment means to see clearly what needs to be done. It is to walk the eightfold path and to know what that means. Yet, as bombu beings, we cannot fully know this. Our ideas are bound to be inadequate and coloured by…[Read more]

Dharmavidya:

Buddhism praises awareness, especially awareness of presently arisen states. There is a value in being aware of what is arising, being aware of what is persisting, what is fading away. Thus I might notice that a feeling of sadness is arising, or that sadness is persisting, or that the sadness is fading, or that happiness is arising,…[Read more]

Dharmavidya:

October 4th:

I have just come back from the conference of Buddhist teachers in Europe. While I was there I heard much discussion about secularisation and how it is necessary to secularise the Dharma in order to make it palatable to modern people. Personally, I am resistant to this idea. The Dharma is, in essence, a faith that lodges…[Read more]

Dharmavidya:

QUESTION: What is shunyata?

SHORT ANSWER: Shunyata is the completion of learning

LONGER ANSWER: The important thing is to have the Dharma in your heart. How does this come about? There could be a million different ways. Perhaps something happens in life that shakes one’s complacency. One sees this with many of the great figures – b…[Read more]

Dharmavidya:

Amida Shu is a form of Pureland Buddhism. It derives from a tradition of Buddhist teaching that started in India, matured in China and flowered in Japan. In all probability to derives mostly from teachings that Buddha gave to lay people. There is, therefore, relatively less emphasis upon renunciation, meditation and the monastic…[Read more]

https://mailchi.mp/37ce35b0edfe/amida-in-scotland-mid-september-newsletter

Dharmavidya:

THE GOAL

Most people have little or no idea about the goal of Buddhism. When I realised this, I published the book “Not Everything is Impermanent”. Most people said, “But I thought that Buddhism taught that everything is impermanent.” Only those who really knew Buddhism said, “Yes, of course, nirvana is not impermane…[Read more]

Dharmavidya, on his Eleusis network:

Dragons also take refuge in Amida Buddha. The dragons are proud of their role as defenders of the Dharma. They roar around on their motorbikes and scare off ghosts, demons and anyone who seems to represent a threat. However, all these threats only exist in the relative world of conditions. Amida is the Buddha…[Read more]

SHARING: SOME INITIAL POINTS

Recently I was involved in a discussion about “oneness”. Clearly, to some people in the Buddhist world, oneness is a big number. However, it is not always that clear what people mean by this idea and it may be that different people take it to have different implications. Nonetheless, this particular discussion hel…[Read more]

Dharmavidya writes:

This morning my homily to the dragons was on kindness. After all, dragons must learn kindness too and they have their special contribution. The Dharma is not just about kind folk remaining kind nor just nice people being nice. Buddha nature will always be so in any case. Nor is it about beings changing their nature, really. It…[Read more]