1. What Buddhists Believe

    Comment December 5, 2017

    By Venerable K. Sri Dhammananda Maha Thera

    The Moon and Religious Observances

    The outstanding events in the life of the Buddha took place on full moon days.

    Many people would like to know the religious significance of the full moon and new moon days. To Buddhists, there is a special religious significance especially on full day because certain important and outstanding events connected with the life of Lord Buddha took place on full moon days. The Buddha was born on a full moon day. His renunciation took place on a full moon day. His Enlightenment, the delivery of His first sermon, His passing away into Nibbana and many other important events associated with His life-span of eighty years, occurred on full moon days.

    Buddhists all over the world have a high regard for full moon days. They celebrate this day with religious fervor by observing precepts, practising meditation and by keeping away from the sensual worldly life. On this day they direct their attention to spiritual development. Apart from Buddhists, it is understood that other co-religionists also believe that there is some religious significance related to the various phases of the moon. They also observe certain religious disciplines such as fasting and praying on full moon days.

    Ancient belief in India says that the moon is the controller of the water, and circulating through the universe, sustaining all living creatures, is the counterpart on earth of the liquor heaven, ‘amrta’the drink of the gods. Dew and rain become vegetable sap, sap becomes the milk of cow, and the milk is then converted into blood. Amrta water, sap, milk and blood, represent but different states of the one elixir. The vessel or cup of this immortal fluid is the moon. Continue reading →

  2. Virtue appears from good deeds

    Comment December 5, 2017

    Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue. ~Buddha

  3. An outline of the Metta Bhavana

    Comment December 1, 2017

    In the Metta Bhavana practice we’re cultivating love, or friendliness, or lovingkindness.

    Eventually we want to become like an emotional bonfire: a steady blaze of emotional warmth that will embrace any sentient being that we become aware of. This is an attainable goal for every human being. All it takes is time and some persistent effort.

    The practice is in five stages. We cultivate Metta for:
    • Ourselves
    • A good friend
    • A “neutral” person — someone we don’t have any strong feelings for
    • A “difficult” person — someone we have conflicts with or feelings of ill will towards
    • All sentient beings (ambitious, huh!)

    You may notice that there’s a progression in the stages. It’s easiest for us to cultivate lovingkindness for ourselves and for our friends. It’s a bit more difficult to do this for people we don’t know well. And it really goes against the grain to cultivate lovingkindness for someone we’re in conflict with. Lastly, we cultivate lovingkindness for everyone in the world: i.e. all friends, people we don’t know, and people we’re in conflict with — plus ourselves of course.

    We’ll learn these stages one at a time. We suggest that you practice one stage for a while before moving on to the others.

    Source: http://www.wildmind.org

     

  4. Kindness and Compassion

    Comment December 1, 2017

    Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn’t anyone who doesn’t appreciate kindness and compassion. ~Dalai Lama

  5. Friends

    Comment December 1, 2017

    A friend is someone we turn to when our spirits need a lift.
    A friend is someone we treasure for our friendship is a gift.
    A friend is someone who fills our lives with beauty, joy, and grace.
    And makes the whole world we live in a better and happier place.

    ~Jean Kyler McManus

     

     

     

  8. The Falling Leaves

    Comment November 29, 2017

    Today, as I rode by,
    I saw the brown leaves dropping from their tree
    In a still afternoon,
    When no wind whirled them whistling to the sky,
    But thickly, silently,
    They fell, like snowflakes wiping out the noon;
    And wandered slowly thence
    For thinking of a gallant multitude
    Which now all withering lay,
    Slain by no wind of age or pestilence,
    But in their beauty strewed
    Like snowflakes falling on the Flemish clay.

    By Margaret Postgate Cole
    November 1915
    Source: Margaret Postgate’s Poems (1918)

  10. A good-natured smile

    Comment November 22, 2017

    A gentle word, a kind look, a good-natured smile can work wonders and accomplish miracles. ~William Hazlitt

Live & Die for Buddhism

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Me & Grandma

My Reflection

This site is a tribute to Buddhism. Buddhism has given me a tremendous inspiration to be who and where I am today. Although I came to America at a very young age, however, I never once forget who I am and where I came from. One thing I know for sure is I was born as a Buddhist, live as a Buddhist and will leave this earth as a Buddhist. I do not believe in superstition. I only believe in karma.

A Handful of Leaves

A Handful of Leaves

Tipitaka: The pali canon (Readings in Theravada Buddhism). A vast body of literature in English translation the texts add up to several thousand printed pages. Most -- but not all -- of the Canon has already been published in English over the years. Although only a small fraction of these texts are available here at Access to Insight, this collection can nonetheless be a very good place to start.

Major Differences

Major Differences in Buddhism

Major Differences in Buddhism: There is no almighty God in Buddhism. There is no one to hand out rewards or punishments on a supposedly Judgement Day ...read more

Problems we face today

jendhamuni pink scarfnature

Of the many problems we face today, some are natural calamities and must be accepted and faced with equanimity. Others, however, are of our own making, created by misunderstanding, and can be corrected...

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