I’m seventy seven and in ill health. This affected my posture in meditation until I changed it. I then realised that my apparent reluctance to alter my position had been due to pride; having sat with a straight unsupported back, … Continue reading →
In the early morning quiet, with an aching body and befuddled mind, I get out of bed. Groping around, taking care of early morning matters, still half asleep and scarcely aware of anything – tears well up; how can I … Continue reading →
It is a basic human desire to seek happiness and satisfaction in our lives. The question we all face in life is how do we find this happiness and satisfaction? The way we answer that question is the way we … Continue reading →
Segaki enables a tenderness for life to emerge and this talk is about opening our hearts. Segaki is a time when we can call to mind and honour all who have died, particularly those who have died in difficult circumstances—and … Continue reading →
When conditions arise, no matter what the conditions are, they complete us. And then conditions change. Acceptance means that conditions change, completeness doesn’t. So although we say that heat or cold completes us, it is not that we were incomplete … Continue reading →
There are 11, long narrow red cloth banners, that are hung in a straight line, behind and above, the Segaki, (also known as The Feeding of the Hungry Ghosts) Altar. The names on the banners are written vertically, in black. … Continue reading →
Generosity, compassion, love, and merit—all aspects of the Bodhisattva Mind-Heart—are the distinctive attributes, or seals, of the Feeding of the Hungry Ghosts Ceremony (Segaki). I want to explore here the many ways these qualities are expressed in the ceremony: first, … Continue reading →
We seek Buddhism when we recognize that there is something seriously wrong with the direction we have taken in our search for satisfaction and happiness. Buddhism points us to deep truths that resonate in our hearts. We are drawn to … Continue reading →
Not long before his death, the Buddha taught his followers: “Be an island unto yourself; be your own refuge.” In this teaching, the Buddha invites us to take charge of our lives and not to depend on anyone else to … Continue reading →
Today is our Festival of Avalokiteshwara Bodhisattva and when we look around the hall, we find ourselves surrounded by all these lovely images of this Bodhisattva and encompassed by inspiring music and invocations. So I’d like to talk a bit … Continue reading →