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…
“Walk like the wind, stand like a pine, sit like a bell, and rest like a bow.” This basic etiquette not only applies to Buddhists; everyone should practice it as well in daily living. When we first meet a person, we can tell the level of his/her education and cultivation by his/her manners. We know…
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…
The Forty-Eight Vows of Amitabha Buddha as recorded in the Larger Sutra of Immeasurable Life. [1] If I should attain Buddhahood, yet there would be hell beings, hungry ghosts, or animals in my land, may I not attain perfect enlightenment. [2] If I should attain Buddhahood, yet humans and heavenly beings in my land would…
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.…