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.…
The occurrence of a disease is closely related to one’s mental health, physical health, spiritual health, behavior, habits, living environment, and even the society and culture in which one lives. Harmonizing all of these elements and engaging in specific practices can help to bring about optimum health and prevent illness. Gaining awareness about the cause of illness and conducting our lives in a manner that nourishes and maintains long-term good health can drastically improve our overall well-being. The Buddha offers us several suggestions and practices that can serve as medicine for all aspects of our lives.
As we live, we must strive for a life of value. Buddhism is different from philosophy, for it does not only deal with knowledge and theory. Rather, Buddhism calls for devout faith, developed morality, and most importantly: spiritual practice. All we need is the right intention to begin any form of spiritual practice, whether it…
Greed is a basic disease of all sentient beings. In our realm, the desire realm (kamadhatu), the force and effects of greed can be felt especially strongly. Greed is based on ignorance and cannot function without it. The fundamental ignorance that enables greed to function is the belief in a self that exists separately and independently from other sentient beings. This belief leads to nothing but trouble and it can only lead to trouble. Once we believe we are separate, we begin to have desires, attachments and the false certainty that we can obtain advantages for ourselves without including the well-being of others.
Technological progress and advances in modern science have led to material improvements that have enhanced the quality of people’s lives on many levels. Yet, no matter how much we have progressed or how advanced our technology is, there still remain fundamental problems in life that science will never be able to solve. Two of the…