Why should I sit with a sangha on a Sunday? |
It's on Olympic near 14th Street in Santa Monica with free street parking. After a guided sit in a spacious, sparkling clean room of wooden floors in good company, there are introductions, a Dharma talk, and then open discussion. It's well attended in person and online via Zoom (by donation).
Who needs a guide to spiritual awakening? |
Now, "refuge" is a terrible translation of sarana, which really means "guide" or "guidance." When Early Buddhists and Theravada tradition practitioners today repeat the lines
- Buddham saranam gacchami. "I go for guidance to the Buddha."
- Dhamman saranam gacchami. "I go for guidance to the Dharma."
- Sanghan saranam gacchami. "I go for guidance to the Sangha."
American Col. Henry Steel Olcott stamp |
Olcott emphasized how misleading it was to use "refuge" when language, linguistic, and Buddhist philosophy all clearly pointed toward "guidance."
I thought the Buddha would do magic? - No. |
Who is the Buddha? It for us at this time is the historical figure of Siddhartha Gautama, who became the Buddha Gautama, the "Awakened One," more than 26 centuries ago. He awakened under the bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, Bihar (Enlightenment Grove, Vihara, names based on what happened to him there).
No one saves us but ourselves,
No one can and no one may;
We ourselves must walk the Path;
Buddhas only point the Way.
Does Gisele Bundchen have insight? Probably not because her biggest fan did not see fit to teach the world and help us. But Gisele does have an app. |
- CONTINUED IN PART II
- Disclosure Project: Dharma Buddhist Meditation
- WhatsApp: chat.WhatsApp.com/D5zsBZlmGel5mR9ctzEknP
- Dhr. Seven, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Jen Bradford, Wisdom Quarterly; Eileen Ybarra (guided meditation instruction), Insight Los Angeles (insightla.org)
No comments:
Post a Comment