Venerable Master Hsuan Hua
On July 13, 2014, Venerable Ajahn Sumedho visited the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas to meet with the CTTB monastics and give a Dharma talk [The talk was webcasted live and is available for viewing at this link.]. Ajahn Sumedho has been a Bhikshu for 47 years and has played a pivotal role in nurturing [...]
How does a verse communicate all of its meanings to us? With midterm break just beginning, I'll be spending the week contemplating and reciting Guan Yin's name. In some sense I feel that for every session I have to reorient myself to practice, and of course, exactly what this means is different every time. Luckily, my recent classes have been providing a lot of food for thought. [...]
The act of seeking, at this subtle level, is directly related to one of the twelve links in the Buddha’s teaching on dependent origination. The tenth link is called bhava in Sanskrit. In English, it is translated as becoming or continuation. The way in which seeking is related to this link is through its involvement in moving the mind’s attention away from the present and into the future. When we seek, we are always seeking after something in the future, because of the fact that in the present we feel discontent. [...]
Back in 2003, I first came across the original BTTS (Buddhist Text Translation Society) version of the Shurangama Sutra, which was available online. That sutra and its commentary had a profound effect on my view of the Dharma. In Master Hsuan Hua’s commentary, there were a few of his teachings that influenced me the most [...]
After the Buddhist Global Relief (BGR) Walk to Feed the Hungry in South Bay CA, I was invited to spend time with Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi at his residence in Chuang Yen Monastery, Carmel, NY. There were BGR meetings about to take place and were interested in having more Buddhist monastics involved in their programs. I [...]
[This is the second of a series of posts reflecting on how I found myself drawn to monasticism despite (or perhaps because of) my upbringing in the Bay Area and providing insight into how the relatively secular environment in which I grew up prompted me to look deeper into the meaning of life.] [Audio clip: [...]
Just like that, we’re off to a new academic year at DRBU! During Orientation last week, keynote speaker Dharma Master Heng Chih invited participants to ponder the following verse by the Venerable Master. 不生煩惱莫疑心 總要管己少管人 多認不是莫爭理 安然清淨智慧生 — 宣化上人 By putting afflictions and doubts to rest, By watching ourselves more and others less, By admitting [...]
In reading essays on Master Hua’s life, I came across this quote: “The Master was always open, direct, and totally honest with everyone in every situation. He treated everyone equally, from the President of the United States to little children.” It makes me reflect: Am I honest? Do I say what I mean? Well, I [...]