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Precept 1: I will undertake the training of life affirming action. In all possible circumstances I
So why don’t we say, “I will not kill” like most other Buddhists? Does this mean we should all be vegetarians? What about mosquitos and...
What am I Supposed to be Teaching You?
The honorific we use as monks is “teacher” - and this crosses many traditions, in Thai and SE Asian Buddhism - Ajahn, in Ch’an - Shi, in...
Mourning and Impermanence
During a recent teaching on Impermanence I was asked by one of the attendees what Buddhism had to offer in terms of comfort for those in...
Reclaiming Religion
I recently read an article criticizing the view of Buddhism as a religion. This is an attitude shared by many so called Secular...
The Failure of Western Buddhism
Why are people in the West not flocking to Western Buddhists sanghas and instead giving more attention to Traditional Buddhism - whether...
Feeding Hungry Ghosts
I recently read an article about a Buddhist ceremony in a cemetery in San Diego for the Feast of the Hungry Ghosts and it got me thinking...
Taking Refuge
So what are these "Refuges" we take to call ourselves Buddhists? What do they mean? In Pragmatic Buddhism we phrase the Refuges this...
The Ethics of the Bodhisattva Vow
We’ve been having discussions in the Order about what defines Buddhist ethics. Unlike many other religions Buddhism doesn’t have a set...
Jus' Sittin'
We’re often told that zazen is “just sitting”, but with caveats. In an article in the Winter 2014 “Tricycle” journal author Barry Magrid...
Permanent Impermanence
Scientists are now saying that the Universe is running down, heading toward its inevitable passing away. Buddhists aren’t surprised. ...
