In the Buddha’s teachings, there are four kinds of friends: friends who treat you like a flower, friends who act like a balance, friends who are like the mountains, and friends who are like the earth. Friends who treat you like a flower We all enjoy flowers, especially when they are fresh. We put them…
If we want to understand what the Dharma teaches us about building affinity and living in harmony with others, we must first understand the four great all-embracing virtues. The Buddha teaches that for us to realize our true capacity of connecting with and serving our fellow citizens, we have to first build a good rapport,…
Human beings are social animals; we cannot live apart from community. As Buddhists, we are told to seek the Dharma among the people, for the Dharma does not exist in some other world or far away place; the Dharma is here among us, embodied in each and every being. When we understand that human society…
We sometimes see signs on the highway warning: “Keep a safe distance.” Actually, it is not only in driving that we need to keep a distance. For safety reasons, any person and anything in the world needs to keep a distance. Take, for instance, the human body. Our eyes, nose, and mouth all need to…
When someone benefits us even a little,we should repay them with all our hearts.Even if someone is angry with us,we should always treat them well. — Upasakasila Sutra Gratitude Is Fundamental to Buddhism A natural outgrowth of heartfelt gratitude is the desire to repay others for the kind things they have done for us.…
Humans are “masters of the myriad creations of this earth” but are also the creators of problems. The arising of all problems in this world is related to humans, including today’s problems concerning environmental preservation. They also arise because of humanity’s selfishness, ignorance, and interruption of the harmony and natural cycles of the world, to…