"I'm Not Good Enough"

"Enlightenment? Sure, it'd be nice, but that'll never happen. Maybe for you, but not for me." How many times have we had that internal conversation with ourselves? Does it lead to practicing harder, just lazily practicing, or dropping the practice altogether? Is there a payoff for those many hours spent sitting on a cushion, working on kongans, chanting, and bowing? But maybe we even feel that even though we do all these things, that we don't deserve to be awakened anyway.

Min'Ui Maitri gives us examples of the Not too goof, the Bad, and the Downright Horrible from the Pali Canon, and what happened to them. No spoiler alert, you just have to watch for yourself and experience the talk.

"What the World Needs Now"

Where there is lovingkindness, there is no sufering. Where there is compassion, there is releae from suffering. Where there is sympatheitc joy, there is no self to be suffering. Where there is equanimity, there is the boundless ability to share love in all its forms with all beings. We always have the opportunity to shake off the shackles of greed, anger, and delusion. When we shake off the poisons and practice the Immeasurables, we act as Buddhas. When we act as Buddhas, we practice the Immeasurables.

Robert Koho Epstein gives the Dharma talk on June 21, 2023 at One Mind Zen.

"You, the Buddha, and 3 Pounds of Flax"

The monk asked Dòngshān, "What is Buddha?" Dòngshān answered, "Three pounds of flax."

The teacher asked the assembly, "What did Buddha have for breakfast?" The crowd all gave unacceptable answers.

What's in front of you? Phone? Laptop? TV screen?

What do you hear? Cars? The whir of a fan? Children playing?

What do you smell? Smoke from a Canadian fire? Food cooking?

What do you taste? An orange? Cup of coffee?

What do you feel? The cushion of the chair? The pain in your back?

What are you thinking about? What am I? Why am I reading this?

Buddha is all the above. So I ask you, "You, the Buddha, and 3 pounds of flax, same or different? Answer quickly!

Myeong Jin gives the Dharma talk on June 7, 2023.

Precepts - Situation, Relationship, and Function

There are five foundational Precepts that received by Buddhoist practitioners. In our Sangha, our Precepts come from the Bramajala Sutra as do all other Mahayana Sanghas. Our approach is to say what ethical behavior is in ddition to what not to do to live that life. For example, the First Precept is to "I vow to support all living creatures; refrain from killing." We also vow to respect the property of others, to regard all beings with dignity, to be truthful, and to maintain a clear mind.  If we can do these things, we don't have to be concerned so much with what not to. 

We take Precepts not to gain merit points, or to avoid negative outcomes only for ourselves. We do it for the sake of all beings. And with the sake of all beings in mind, we are also aware that depending on the situation, relationship, and function in a given setting, that "breaking" a Precept might also be correct action.

Here is Myeong Jin Eunsahn's Dharma talk from May 31, 2023.