Category: by Ryusho 龍昇

Survey Says Researchers have shown that by noticing things you are grateful for increases your happiness. In a study done (Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003. 84(2), 377-389) it was shown that people who made a weekly accounting of the things they were grateful for during the week were happier than…

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Burnout Over the past several days I have written a lot about the idea of quitting one’s practice. Here at the temple I see a lot of folks come through the door. Of course some do so only as a class assignment, others are simply curious with no real interest in actually practicing. There are some though who actually do begin to come regularly and seem genuinely interested learning more and practicing Buddhism. So what…

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Wisdom Bodhisattva Kokuzo Day “I also see some sons of the Buddha Concentrating their minds, having wisdom, expounding the Dharma to the multitude with innumerable parables and similes, expounding the Dharma with joy, teaching other Bodhisattvas, defeating the army of Mara, and beating the drum of the Dharma.” (Lotus Sutra, Chapter I)

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Shouldering Hay “It is not difficult to shoulder a load of hay and stay unburned in the fire at the end of the kalpa of destruction.” (Lotus Sutra, Chapter XI) Can you imagine actually doing this? This has always stuck with me, the image of carrying a load of hay on my shoulder through a fire and staying unburned. I can’t imagine how it would be possible to do this. Not unless I had some…

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