Becoming a Chaplain – Personal Journey #3

After moving to Charlotte, NC with my partner after his retirement from the Navy I reconnected with my Buddhist practice in a deeper and more intentional way. Instead of the haphazard and inconsistent practice I had fallen into in California. In Nichiren Buddhism a practitioner is encouraged to recite portions of Chapter II and Chapter XVI on a daily basis as well as chant the Odaimoku or Sacred Title, Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. Throughout most…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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