For the very first time, I became genuinely apprehensive of a Dharma class being oversized due to space constraints and shortage of chairs. This is called a ‘good problem’ and I have to agree. When I first started publicising the fifth run of the ‘Introduction to Pure Land Buddhism: Understanding Amituofo Via [...]

Pic: Sign for ‘Homage to (or refuge in) Amitabha Buddha (Amituofo)’ in Taoyuan
Another still and well-meaning ubiquitous sign,
to remind fleeting passers-by to be mindful of Buddha…
but how many are mindful of what his name means?
More and more I hope!
Namo Amituofo!

Next Taiwan Adventure:
http://moonpointer.com/new/2010/06/taiwan-adventure-6-oh-my-buddha
Previous Taiwan Adventure:
http://moonpointer.com/new/2010/06/taiwan-adventure-4-a-makeshift-bridge

On how to find one’s Guru?
You just need to keep your mind and heart open
and learn the Dharma
from whoever you can.
Everyone who is
able to benefit us with the Dharma
is like our Guru
in the moment.
With this approach,
coupled with a questioning mind,
you will encounter many Gurus,
unless you wish to settle with one later.

(My [...]

From ‘A Spacious Path to Freedom: Practical Instructions on the Union of Mahamudra & Atiyoga’ by Karma Chagme, Commentary by Gyatrul Rinpoche, Translated by B. Alan Wallace:
(This excerpt continues from the excerpt at http://thedailyenlightenment.com/enewsletter/43.php)
[Teachings from Machik Labdron (11th century Tibetan Buddhist yogini, emanation of Yeshe Tsogyel)]: There is a Tibetan aphorism that it [...]

click to enlarge

Register @ http://kmspks.org/forms/amituofo_class.doc

I lost a good idea…
It just slipped my mind,
as suddenly as it arrived.
The very next thought…
that it may never return
terrifies me absolutely.
The thoughts after this…
are even more terrifying
that the previous…
What if…
I pine ‘endlessly’ for a thought
that isn’t there anymore…
What if…
this happens
on my deathbed?
What if…
this disturbs me so badly,
that my last [...]

Q: Where is the mind? How does it multi-task?
A: The mind is where you put it to. E.g. If you think of your fingers typing, your mind is there then. Multi-tasking is an illusion. We can only do one thing mindfully at a time, though we can train to do many things quickly and some [...]

A friend once asked me
to never forget her,
to remember to ’save’ her,
to lead her to Pure Land,
should I reach there first.
I didn’t promise her
because me being mindful of her
cannot bring her to Pure Land,
while it is her mindfulness of Amituofo [Amitabha Buddha]
that can lead her to Pure Land.
Amituofo is already her best friend,
instead of me,
whether [...]

‘The Serpent and the Rainbow’, which is supposedly based on a true story (By Wade Davis) tells of a terrifying Haitian semi-scientific and semi-voodoo drug, that can induce a fake death syndrome, where the ‘deceased’ is seen to be thoroughly dead medically, who is not so at all. One might then be buried alive, but [...]

(Picture: A Buddhist making lamp offerings at a Tibetan temple near Mayadevi Temple)
May we always be mindful of Amita Buddha.
May we always aspire to swiftly become Buddhas.
Next India Adventure: Coming Soon
Previous India Adventure: http://moonpointer.com/new/2010/01/india-adventures-10-a-different-christmas-cheer