Treasures We Do Not Seek – April 20, 2014 Dharma Talk

Good morning thank you for attending the temple this Easter morning. Even though Easter is not a Buddhist holiday there is much in the spirit of the holiday we can appreciate. Today I would like to share with you a connection I make with one part of the Easter story and the Lotus Sutra. As you know I work as a chaplain and in my work here in Charlotte I am frequently, almost entirely, called…

Continue reading

Becoming a Chaplain – Personal Journey #2

Before anyone thinks too highly of me I need to tell you not just what I did in caring for those young men; boys if you will. It is important to tell you who I was at that time. This was a very low point in my spiritual practice, having drifted away from a regular consistent daily devotion. I was also was filled to overflowing with anger. At the time I was not mature enough…

Continue reading

Becoming a Chaplain – Personal Journey #1

Today I am beginning a series of articles recounting my personal journey as a Chaplain. I am making a personal determination to post an article at least one time a week until I feel I have completed my objective. I hope you enjoy. Please feel free to comment. ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ In 1979 I lost my first friend to AIDS, several years before the disease had an actual name and before people really began to…

Continue reading

Views on Death and Life

On Death and Life The following is not intended to be a doctrinal thesis, or to be considered as any thing other than my personal views regarding death. I am asked this question probably more than any other single question. I have taken the time here to summarize my response to those questions. Within Buddhist thought there are many who view one life as a continuation of another specific life, yet at the core of…

Continue reading