A personal blog by a graying (mostly Anglo with light African-American roots) gay left leaning liberal progressive married college-educated Buddhist Baha'i BBC/NPR-listening Professor Emeritus now following the Dharma in Minas Gerais, Brasil.
A true awakening would expand the awareness of those impacted by our thought, speech, and bodily action to include not only other people but all beings we recognize as living—plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria—and even those existences we consider nonliving—rocks, water, and sunlight.
Jan Chozen Bays, “What the Buddha Taught About Sexual Harassment”
Tricycle’s Buddhism & Ecology Summit April 22–24, 2025
Join us from April 22–24, 2025, for Tricycle’s Buddhism & Ecology Summit: Experiencing Interconnectedness in the Natural World, a series of conversations with Buddhist teachers, writers, and environmental activists. This is a donation-based event sponsored by The BESS Family Foundation.
However the seed is planted, in that way the fruit is gathered. Good things come from doing good deeds; bad things come from doing bad deeds. (SN 11.10) What is the purpose of a mirror? For the purpose of reflection. So too bodily action is to be done with repeated reflection. (MN 61)
When you have done an action with the body, reflect upon that same bodily action thus: “Has this action I have done with the body led to the affliction of another?” If, upon reflection, you know that it has, then tell someone you trust about it and undertake a commitment not to do it again. If you know it has not, then be content and feel happy about it. (MN 61)
Reflection
While contemplative practice emphasizes remaining in the present moment, there is also value in the skillful use of memory. Reflecting upon past actions is one form of this, when you can review whether you have acted appropriately or not in the past. When you admit your mistakes, you can undertake a commitment to act differently in the future. It is a way of openly acknowledging that you have learned from your mistakes.
Daily Practice
It is healthy to be truthful with yourself about actions you have done in the past that may have caused harm. A sure way to get such deeds out of the shadows and into the light is to share them openly with someone you trust. It is not that the other person will absolve you in some way, but by bringing things into the open you unburden yourself. Try admitting a misdeed to a good friend and see how it makes you feel. It will lighten the load.
Tomorrow: Abstaining from Harming Living Beings One week from today: Reflecting upon Verbal Action
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Tricycle’s Buddhism & Ecology Summit April 22–24, 2025
Join us from April 22–24, 2025, for Tricycle’s Buddhism & Ecology Summit: Experiencing Interconnectedness in the Natural World, a series of conversations with Buddhist teachers, writers, and environmental activists. This is a donation-based event sponsored by The BESS Family Foundation.
One of the core principles in Mahayana Buddhism is bodhicitta, the wish for the awakening of all beings. Bodhicitta is the state of mind developed by a bodhisattva, who vows to liberate all beings, wishing for awakening only as a means of doing so.
Why wish to liberate others and not just ourselves? Because attachment to the ego, or self, is the root of suffering. Cultivating love and compassion for others, on the other hand, is the path to relieve suffering. “Buddhism emphasizes love’s beneficial power. Because its nature is joy and because it always brings about happiness and well-being, to love is the most meritorious action,” says Karma Trinlay Rinpoche, one of the first Westerners to have received the traditional Tibetan Buddhist education offered to tulkus (reincarnate masters).
This week’s Three Teachings reviews the basics of bodhicitta and why this altruistic intention is such an important part of Mahayana Buddhism.
In this thorough description of bodhicitta, Karma Trinlay Rinpoche explains why bodhicitta is essential, the difference between ultimate and relative bodhicitta, and the link between love and compassion.
The late professor and author Francis Dojun Cook focuses on the cascading effect of bodhicitta as a motivation to motivate others, which, in turn, motivates others, and so on.