Category: concentration

Specific Versus General – Part 2 – Sangha Building – Dharma Talk – October 21, 2019

“Thereupon the World-Honored One said to Gautami (a woman): ‘Why do you look at me so anxiously? You do not think that I assured you of your future attainment of Anuttara-samyak-sam-bodhi because I did not mention you by name, do you? Gautami! I have already said that I assured all the Sravakas of their future attainment of [Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. Now you wish to know my assurance of your attainment [of Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi].’” Lotus Sutra Chapter XIII To…

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Name of Buddha – Part 9a – September 18, 2019

Mystical Buddha The Lotus Sutra is a unity, it is as Nichiren teaches a collection of individual characters each of which is a Buddha.  When all these individual characters are strung together in unity it becomes the Lotus Sutra, it also becomes the name of the Eternal Buddha, or the mystical name of Buddha.  The characters are finite and infinite at the same time. There are a definite required number of characters, not one less…

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Righting the Ship – Sangha Building – Dharma Talk – September 18, 2019

Righting the Ship – Sangha Building Sometimes even with our best intentions and our most skillful actions situations arise which affect the entire Sangha in a negative and potentially harmful way.  What I am mostly thinking of in this moment as I write this is about harmful behaviors either from a group of members, single individuals, or leadership including the priest or lay-leader of the Sangha. There needs to be a way to manage these…

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Exile and Banishment – Sangha Building – Dharma Talk – September 17, 2019

Exile and Banishment – Sangha Building These two words and the many synonyms of these words may seem to be contrary to some of my posts about Sangha Building.  In past posts I’ve written specifically about actions I believe the Sangha should embrace.  These two words and this post will address some of the complicated reasons which may impact and affect the nature of individuals who wish to approach the Sangha. People are exiled and…

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