Ohigan – Renewal – March 23, 2014 Dharma Talk

Good morning. Today is our first Lotus Sutra service since the Fall Equinox, our first service of Spring 2014. For those of us who live in the Carolinas the weather has been very delightful lately with mild temperatures and a lot of sunshine. Today the weather will be dramatically cooler and rain is supposed to start. While out walking my dog over the past few days I have had plenty of chances to stop and…

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Four Sufferings – Disease – March 18, 2014 Meditation

“The triple world is not peaceful. It is like the burning house. It is full of sufferings. It is dreadful. There are always the sufferings Of birth, old age, disease and death. They are like flames Raging endlessly.” Lotus Sutra, Chapter III In this installment I will cover the suffering of disease. Generally when we use the term disease we think first of sickness of the body. However, now you might perhaps be thinking of…

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Knowing The Past And Changing The Future – March 16, 2014 Dharma Talk

Good morning, thank you all for joining with me this morning to celebrate the Lotus Sutra and practice according to the instructions given to us by Nichiren Shonin. Continuing with my weekly reflections on the Lotus Sutra I offer you this from Chapter II. “All things are devoid of substantiality. The seed of Buddhahood comes from dependent origination.” Lotus Sutra, Chapter II Originally I had planned to go in a different direction reflecting on this…

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Buddhism and Money #6 – March 13, 2014

Essentially money is simply a means of exchange. You could think of it in terms of the middle-man between your means of earning and the things you buy. Money is the middle point between your working on a spreadsheet for your boss and the next vacation you take to some exotic location. Money in your pocket or bank account was once your work, your effort, your employment at whatever company or industry you work for.…

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