Practice and our best efforts

There is sometimes less to be said and more to be done.  Buddhists are really action oriented. We don't talk a lot we do.  All these are truisms.  Some of us aspire to Buddhahood not sainthood.  If you are not seeking enlightenment then you need to check your intent in practicing Buddhism.  Compassion begins with you, if you are cussing up someone then that is a signal you failed big time, reboot and start over.

We have to make our best efforts every moment.  No time to think about it, wish for it or plan for it.  Life is fleeting and we do not have much of it left.  I like real stuff not triteness or quotes from Buddha's teachings to battle with another over who is right and who is wrong.  There is neither, individual's karma and their efforts in this life matter only to them in treading the Path.

I do not mind reading about other's journey's for it can serve as dharma teaching and another's life lessons can inspire and support Buddha's teachings. I do mind when writers put down any of the Triple Jewels which are the Buddha, the Dharma (his teachings) and the Sangha (past and present living Sangha).  Most of the failed monks and nuns have become famous writers based upon their slamming of the Sangha.

And that's just not the way to be, refuting your former life as a monk is understandably your own situation for it didn't work for you but it really is too much to read that we don't need Sangha or that they have outlived their usefulness or are a part of an ancient unfair out of touch system of living.  All these failed monks should be shivering in their bones out of fear of karmic retribution over their slander.  For they are committing the worst kind of offense.  Being failed monks they chose to become experts and speak for Buddhism in the West.  After 20-30 years of doing just that all the while slandering the Triple Jewel to an unsuspecting readership they have set forth wrong dharma in print and in word and now on YouTube!

Practice as best you can and keep your faith in the Triple Jewel for it will support your practice.  I do see people progress in a less rigid, less self-imposed puritanical standards and embrace their own efforts to learn a sutra or master some dharma method that they enjoy while others see their practice deepen and mature.  Enjoy your practice don't dread it, if it's not enjoyable just try something else that would interest you.  Buddhism is not boring there are 84,000 dharma doors to enter through!

Keep to those practices that uphold the Triple Jewel and walk away and throw away anything that does not! Do be aware of the standard teachings to avoid fakes and money grubbers.    Buddhanet  has all the traditions and some really good comparison charts in their study section.  That's a good place to start to be familiar with what is universally accepted in Buddhism today.

Stop Tibetan Sangha suicides ACT Now

http://www.change.org/petitions/sangha-in-tibet-stop-suicides

10 away from completing this petition please sign or share it!

Appeal to the Tibetan Sangha the Maha Sangha within Tibet to take very public steps to end this crime! Stop the needless deaths! Stop the abuse by Tibetans who are clearly not interested in the Triple Jewel by recruiting, harming, killing and encouraging the disintegration and degradation of the Tibetan Sangha! It is very unusual for a country known for their history of Buddhist adepts and advanced practitioners to be silent on this matter! In any other country this would generate a very quick and public response by the Maha Sangha. It's hypocritical for Tibetan Buddhists to support this when they are all about compassion and promoting the well-being of all living beings even worms in a construction site! So how come the silence, in our Sangha meetings silence is approval, does this mean the Tibetan Sangha in Tibet approves by it silence? Amituofo! I can't believe that it would! So let me print out this petition soon. See more awful stories by a pro-suicide site.

More at dossiertibet.it

History of Buddhism and mental health in USA and overseas

This is not a complete list but it is a start on mental health and Buddhism today.

China religious reforms from their leaders perspective

Religious, Spiritual, Pastoral & Cultural Care south devon healthcare

1992 NIIH report on Vietnamese mental health experiences

NAMI national minority mental health awareness 2010
History of Buddhism in America

Health and Health Care of Korean American Elderly

Buddhist Ethics from buddhanet.net

CCHP: Laos and mental health seattle, wa

Cambodian pdf a segment states monks came to offer mental health services

A Buddhist approach to mental illness interview by Lama Yeshe FPMT

Buddhism, Medicine, and Mental Health blia article

dharma studio wishmaking

Recently observing some disatisfaction over my undone projects, meaning the space taking ones.  I have longed for more space, specifically a studio and living space separately.  I have lots of Buddhist art projects to prepare and it just doesn't work much in my one room anymore.  Wishing for a solution like an invitation to larger sangha community that would allow me studio space.  I'd still be translating and adding my artistic bent and education background in a unified effort to make more dharma accessible in english.

Packrat

Packrat on Amazon

I've forgotton about my amazon seller account. I posted 20 books I need to get rid of and raise funds for education.

Sangha Walks new digital project proposed

Film & Video

Funding Goal

$1,000 - $5,000

Project Description

Sangha Walks: Collections from Buddhist monastics residing in the USA our untold stories. Ven. Hong Yang a bhikshuni a member of the traditional 2-part Sangha (bhikshu, the monks; bhikshuni, the nuns) documents the stories and experiences from other sanghans across the USA. This collection will be the first from the actual Buddhist monks and nuns in the USA, many are Americans, many are foreigners, all are significantly impacting our US history. Make this project possible by funding one year collection process of film, print, documents from large monasteries, small temples, tiny hermitages, forest dwellers and all have history and wish offer help to all who ask. Our history in the USA is now about 170 years undocumented.

Project Rewards

Access to the collection once it's been documented in film and digital media with reduced prices for membership dependent on level of donation, tour fees, and eligiblity in the future board that would advise, fund, maintain, repair, and add to the collection. Handmade gifts for all Kickstarter donors in the value of $20.


Refinement of project:
Establish and create digital records in video and digital photos from the original items like historical ledgers, records of deeds, contruction photos, pictures from events, mememtos from travels, public works projects, charitable activities, education programs, brochures, cards, art items, clothing, service books, commentaries, translations into English, original religous items, reliquary items, burial services and plots, architecture, fabrics, military service, public office, council meetings, etc or other special projects from local and international news articles from Buddhist monks and nuns (Sangha) residing in the USA since the Chinese immigrants came to build our railroads. To get their cooperation would need site visits, collection of documenation, and considerable website presence.

Preparing for the Dragon Year of 2012

This is the most liberating time, the about-to-change- time of the upcoming Chinese New Year! And to think we lucky Buddhists get to have two new years that actually gives us time to finish our 'old' business and clean up our messes and tidy our homes in time for Chinese New Year if we get too busy for the calendar new year in December! Hah! 

I almost completed my sorting of all my old papers, had stuff from 90s in my college days!  Wow so far threw away 3 large garbage bags of paper, shredded and ready for the power plant to burn and recycle!

I've been able to finalize my health program for the year!!  Aging is the biggest culprit that I am facing.  Geese louise, I remember thinking when I was 35 that I felt 78! now I'm 51 and wonder if that means I feel like a 100!  So when I get to be 150 I can accurately say I know what 300 feels like!!!

Nearly nearly done a month later on editing!

The last phase in my editing of the Yogacara manuscript.  I am not done... I reported on facebook that I was done with the Chinese reformating and that's true! But it's taking me lots longer to edit the English, as I am backtracking my work and making it more readable to the non-Chinese reader.

I just want to get it on Kindle my first effort, but that will probably take me a week to format for that or longer!  Oh, well!

Since we got a big storm coming this afternoon, I guess I will be inside!

Foibled feelings good for me!

Well update on the feelings issue of guests. It turned out well got my daughter and her friend to pick up the girl while I prepared her bed and reviewed my pantry and goodies for her stay. She will be with us for a week while my daughter gets her college week going we both get her to her school next saturday.

They both are sticking to my daughters room and enjoying evenings with their friends, easy on me, while I edite my translation. They are good kids. I am learning more about my foilbled feelings! :)

Settling in unsettled existence

Just when I had my little world set on writing 12 hours a day and accepted that was my dharma role as a bhikshuni, I found an obstacle arising again.

Having annoyance after finding out my college daughter isn't diligent about getting her deadlines met for fall and a phone call from a needy high school boarder requires a 3 hour drive to pick her up from the airport and keep her a few days and take her to school for another 3 hours drive.

Daughter picked up on my feelings, and volunteered profusely thus embarrassing me about my reluctance and offered to find the girl a place to stay outside our home for those three or so days!

I'm chagrined. I need to change myself.

Sangha Walks

This is a Buddhist Bhikshuni blog, originally the idea came from my experiences of walking in lines to anywere me and my sisters were going, either to service or classes. This blog will introduce readers to monastics views and specialize in the Vinaya

Yep, I'm a Buddhist nun!

Amituofo!
Hope you all are doing well. I'm a Buddhist 佛教 nun, a bhikshuni 比丘尼, a dharma master 法師 from the Chinese Buddhist Mahayana tradition.  I left home a little over 10 years ago. I'm from Iowa, trained in a little temple in Chinatown of Brooklyn, NY!
My tonsure temple (the place where all people start when they wish to be examined and see if they are accepted and suitible for monastic life) is a traditional Chinese pure land temple. Most of the people there are from mainland China.  I have a tonsure master (a monk or nun of qualifying years as bhikshu or bhikshuni who accepts the person for beginning training as a sramanera/sramanerika or in the west like the Catholics call a novice).
I did my training immediately in the aftermath of Sept. 11th tragedy in 2001.  I stayed training at Xi Fang Temple in Brooklyn.  Due to the disaster I was sent to assist as a translator for the people who needed a mandarin speaker ( I wasn't trained, just did what I was asked to do as I was able to understand native speakers better than the ABCs who only learned their family dialect). I enjoyed this very busy time. And was transferred to Flushing to a second temple to help out there, then went to Taiwan to ordain at Yuan Heng Temple in Gaoshiung, Taiwan. It was in the winter in NYC and very humid there but pleasant mostly.
This ordination was the Triple Platform Ordination. That means classes were taken then the sramaneri vows were taken with 5 strip robes given, then more classes were taken and a bhikshuni ordination was performed with 7 strips robe and 9 strips robe worn above the 5 strips robe along with the alms bowl and the monastic staff.  Then more classes and the bodhisattva ordination was given and the option of receiving burns in rows of 3 burns was given; i received 3 rows of 3 by my own request and all who received rows were required to kneel to the karma acarya and request it.  We were told we could make our personal vows upon the receiving of the rows of burns, which I did do.
To help us repent and purify ourselves we had bowing repentance every night until we were to go to bed. This was good for us to do, I enjoyed this very much reciting Namo Shijiamouni Fo. for a couple of hours and half. Very nice practice for meditation and mind training.


More for later, have good evening.