At San Francisco Zen Center, you know you are part of it if you become a voting member. When can you make decision s on the communi- ty? When can you vote? These are crucial issues. If we ask the Tibetan lam as, "What is the Buddhist sangha? What is the Buddhist community?" ...
which is Sanskrit for “circle” or “discoid object,” is a geometric design that holds a great deal of symbolism in Hindu and Buddhist cultures. Mandalas are believed to represent different aspects of the universe and are used as instruments of meditation and symbols of prayer most ...
Gautama spent 45 years traveling and teaching various kinds of people, including criminals, nobles, beggars and even cannibals. He gave sermons to his followers, forming a Buddhistsangha,a community of his followers. It is believed that Gautama died at the age of 80, allegedly due to old age...
Dharmais an important Hindu, Buddhist and yogic concept, referring to a law or principle which governs the universe. For an individual to live out their dharma is for them to act in accordance with this law. Dharma is considered to be one of the three jewels of Buddhism, alongsidesanghaand...
Pure Land is, in fact, Nirvana or Buddhahood – ultimate realisation of transcendence; in Buddhist terms “extinction of birth and death”. A Buddha is free of all attachment and aversion and has realised the true nature of things: wisdom and compassion. So it is that our goal does not ...
Sitting cross-legged, the Buddhist trainee considered the true meaning of the world and of human existence. In zazen the important point is to harmonize body, breathing, and mind. The half or full paryanka posture is used. Exhaling and inhaling settle to a calm rhythm. Breathing plays a ...
06.The Buddha is one of the few religious founders who taught that all could become perfect like Himself, by practising the teachings to liberation which He discovered. 07.The Buddha was the first in the world to systematically advocate the democratic process (in the Sangha community). ...
Yoga is a way of living life at its highest potential so that individual one unites with the entire existence of creation. The path we follow to feel this deepen experience is called Yoga. The term Yoga derived from Sanskrit root ‘Yuj’ around. It means ‘To Yoke’ or ‘To Connect.’...
is so as unless the Sangha members we take refuge in are of the Arya (Noble) Sangha, who consist of those who are enlightened to some extent, the ordinary and thus somewhat worldly Sangha is realistically imperfect, still a work in progress towards enlightenment. The tricky thing is that ...
Many moons ago a Buddhist friend who lives in Europe told me what her Dharma once told her group/Sangha "Beware of unhappy Buddhists...They are not really practicing, just being intellectual " Which also reminds me of this: The Dharma. Jeroen Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter...