Online Certificate Program: Humanistic Buddhism and Leadership at the University of the West! August 12, 2011

If you ever wanted to study Buddhism in a University setting at home, this is your opportunity. The University of the West is offering a way for even those at a distance to study Humanistic Buddhism. Please visit the link and sign up for the first class before August 16th! University of the West Online Certificate in Humanistic Buddhism and Leadership.

The program is designed for those who are interested in Buddhism and Buddhist leadership in practice. Buddhists, non-Buddhists, beginners and advanced students in Buddhism are welcome. The online course takes place both in real-time and under your own pace (synchronous and asychronous) in the University of the West campus or online.

For those who are at a distance or have conflicting scheduling, the class meetings will be made available via a live private video web conference.

SCHEDULE FOR CLASSES

Summer 2011 (Aug 16, 2011 ~ Oct 26, 2011)
HBL100 “Introduction to the Study of Buddhism”: Aug 16, 17, 18, 19, 23, 24, 25, 26
Lecturer: Dr. Lewis Lancaster

Fall 2011 (Oct 5, 2011 ~ Dec 21, 2011)
HBL200 “Introduction to Dunhuang Studies”: Oct 5, 12, 19, 26, Nov 2, 9, 16, 23
Lecturer: Dr. Darui Long

Spring 2012 (Jan 31, 2012 ~ Apr 20, 2012)
HBL250 “Buddhist Leadership in Practice”: Jan 31, Feb 7, 14, 21, 28, Mar 6, 13, 20
Lecturer: Dr. Ven. Jue Ji and Mr. Roger Lu

ENROLL NOW! University of the West Online Certificate in Humanistic Buddhism and Leadership.

Class size is limited
First class begins August 16, 2011

A Lil Ch’an: The Most Precious Gem of All July 26, 2011

One day Seth was sitting next to Meme on the bus. It was a long ride and he was bored of just looking out the window. He asked Meme to think of something to pass the time. He felt like the bus ride would never end.

Meme smiled and replied to her friend. Let me think of a riddle and you can figure out what it is:

“Some rarely think of me, while others attempt to measure me. Many have tried to hold on to me but simply cannot, and oh! How they miss me when I have flown.”

Meme laughed as Seth tried to figure out the riddle, and finally Seth urged Meme to tell him the answer.

“It is easy once you know that no matter what we do, this second, this very moment in our lives, whether we see it as mundane, uneventful or exciting and completely wonderful, it will not come again, and it is our precious and most priceless gem.”

Seth then yelled, “Time!” and smiled back at Meme.

A lil Ch’an: Heaven and Hell June 8, 2011

Meme had heard that the Venerable Master would be arriving in the temple, and she had a question to ask of him. She walked all the way to Fo Guang Shan and entered the gate of the monastery.

It took a moment or two for her to locate the Venerable Master in the gardens. She approached him and stood before him, bowed and asked, “can you explain, to me, the meaning of heaven and hell?”

The Master Venerable remained silent.

Meme wondered if he had not heard her and repeated the question again.

After a few more moments the Venerable Master said, “How can I tell someone as stupid as you what something means. It would only be a waste of time. Your clothes are worn and old. You look like a beggar. There is nothing that I wish to share with you.”

This made Meme quite upset. She had never had anyone say such awful things to her. Her mind was filled with ugly thoughts of herself and of the Venerable Master. She was about to turn and walk away when she heard the Venerable Master softly say, “that is hell.”

She looked at him realizing that somehow he knew what her mind had been thinking. He had clearly shown her where hell was all this time. Quickly her thoughts changed to one of admiration and respect for the Venerable Master who stood before her. Her mind stopped its chattering about bad things and instead her thoughts connected directly to her heart filled with complete compassion for him, and at that moment he looked at her and said, “and that my friend is heaven, the pureland that you seek.”

Life and Ch’an Workshop for Young Adults! Deadline: June 30, 2011 May 27, 2011

Fo Guang Shan Monastery in Taiwan will be having an International workshop for young adults ages 18-35. Activities will include lectures, meditation sessions, chanting and calligraphy along with visiting Buddhist sites in Taiwan. The workshop will last from August 5 to 11. Only 1,000 participants will be selected to attend so please go ahead and submit your application forms. The application forms can be obtained from http://www.fgs.org.tw/events/lifeedu/index_en.html along with additional information.

Activities:

(1) Topic Lectures: EQ Management, Environmental and Spiritual Preservation, Counseling

(2) Life Experiences: Humanistic Living Ch’an, Exploration of the Mind

(3) Spiritual Experience: Meditation, Chanting, Sutra Transcribing

(4) Visiting Buddhist sites in Taiwan

(4) Target Audience: Young Adults worldwide, ages 18 to 35

Number of Participants: 1,000 outstanding and talented youths worldwide

Registration Fee: FREE (Food and accommodation, seminar, transportation, and tour fees will be sponsored by the organizers throughout the duration of the seminar.)
Registration Deadline: June 30, 2011

Registration Requirements:

• E-mail completed registration form along with letters of recommendation from applicant’s education institute, professor, or Fo Guang Shan departments to the co-organizer, and please call to confirm registration.
• Admission list will be posted on the official website on July 5.

Make Your Own Mala! May 25, 2011

I made the mala, to the left, out of coral along with clear white crystal for marker beads. Instead of the usual tassel, I just placed the guru bead on it and Spring helped me knot it. She did the two leaves at the end. I think it is a Chinese along with a Tibetan mala. There are some malas that do not have the marker beads but instead all the beads are exactly the same.  The mala is not used for decorative purposes. A mantra is decided on for the mala and used just for that particular mala. When meditating with your mala, you repeat the mantra for each bead.

The instructions that follow came from a Mala workshop at the Peace Cafe in Atlanta. The person who taught the workshop was a nun from the Kadampa tradition.

(Of course, instead of using fishing line, you can use any strong thread that is available. The mala Spring helped me with was threaded using a type of Chinese thread that she purchased in Hong Kong and allowed the beautiful leaves to be weaved at the end. I prefer the leaves rather then the tassel at the end, but it is up to you, and if you know how to weave leaves.)

Materials:

• 104 beads
• 4 marker beads
• 1 Guru bead
• 30-40lb fishing line
• embroidery string
• wire brush
• scissors
• sewing needle
• clear finger nail polish
• stopper bead (or something that performs the function)

Making a Mala:

• Select beads and count them out (a bowl helps).
• Cut fishing line the length of your arms and put the stopper bead on one end.
• Begin adding beads with six, then a marker bead at the seventh point. Then add 13 more, and a marker bead at the 21st point, 66 beads, a marker bead (at 21 from the other side), 13 beads, a marker bead (7 from the other side), and 6 more beads. Then you will add the Guru bead and pull both ends of the fishing line through it.

Don’t knot it yet!

Making a tassel:

• Wrap embroidery string around three fingers 24 times, leaving 12 inches hanging.
• Tie mala fishing line around embroidery string using 2 double knots.
• Paint knot with finger polish and cut excess fishing line.
• Wrap extra embroidery string around the bottom of the loop tightly 6 times.
• Use needle to thread long end through 3-4 times bringing string up through the center the last time.
• Cut loop and comb fringe with wire brush.

Note: For a smaller mala, use 21 beads total.

The Legend of Amitabha Buddha April 18, 2011

Far away in the western direction, there is a beautiful country named the Land of Ultimate Bliss. It is the home of Amitabha Buddha, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva.

Why is it called the Land of Ultimate Bliss? It is because the people there enjoy infinite bliss. It is developed by Amitabha Buddha.

In one of His past lives, Amitabha Buddha was once a King named King Shi Rao. King Shi Rao regarded the World Emancipation Buddha (“Shi Jian Zi Zai Wang Ru Lai”) as His teacher. After the King had listened to the Buddha’s sermon of the Dharma, he decided to forego the throne and renounced his kingdom to be a monk.

The monastic name of King Shi Rao was Fa Zang Bhikkhu. One day, he told the Buddha, he wanted to build the most blissful and wonderful world.

Therefore, the Buddha used His supernatural power to present all the beautiful worlds in the universe for Fa Zang Bhikkhu’s reference.

Fa Zang Bhikkhu combined all the advantages of the worlds and made forty eight great vows to build the Land of Ultimate Bliss. Fa Zang has become the present Amitabha Buddha.

The ground of the Land of Ultimate Bliss is the most beautiful color that reflects the pure Buddha nature. It is a wondrous gold. The flowers and birds preach the Dharma and the place is filled with peaceful and harmonious sounds. Besides, there are also lotus ponds with beautiful lotus flowers. The people of the Land of Ultimate Bliss are all born from the lotus flowers. When they eat, they just need only to feel hungry and all kinds of food will appear before them.

Under the guidance of Amitabha Buddha, all its citizens stay in harmony and happiness. Any man or woman, old or young, will be in the Land of Ultimate Bliss as long as he or she does good deeds, speaks good words and thinks good thoughts, and recites the name of Amitabha Buddha.

We hope that everybody can go to the Land of Ultimate Bliss to be a good student of Amitabha Buddha and have a blissful and happy life.

copyrighted, Fo Guang Publications Sdn., Bhd.

(Please click on the image and print out your coloring sheet. )

A Call For Guam Artists Ages 4-15! April 11, 2011

This month Fo Guang Shan of Guam is sponsoring an art contest for all the children in our community on the island of Guam. If you know of a child who loves art, please encourage him/her to participate. The temple will also provide you with your first piece of drawing paper if you do not have one. Drop by or call for entry details. Prizes range from cash to art supplies and a showing of all the entries in the temple. After the contest is over here, the entries will travel to California and then on to the main temple in Taiwan to participate in each of their contests. Please call  for additional details regarding the contest that is happening right now in Guam! The contact person for the contest is Randall Workman at 686-6988 or Su Ching Huang at 989-9137.

A Call for All Young Artists! Ages 4 to 15

Draw What You Have Discovered By Practicing The Three Acts of Goodness:

Do Good Deeds, Speak Good Words, Think Good Thoughts

A lil Ch’an: The Moon March 28, 2011

Meme had just moved into an unfurnished apartment and was on her way home. She lived a very simple life. She noticed as she approached that the door was standing wide open. There was a person inside who was looking around to find something to steal.

Meme looked at him and said, “You must have really needed something to break into my home.” “You should not leave without anything. Please take my clothes as a gift.”

The thief was surprised. He took the clothes and left.

Meme sat naked except for her underwear looking out from the balcony just admiring the moon. “Poor person, ” she thought, “I wish that I could have given him this beautiful moon.”

(If each person could only discover his/her intrinsic nature that shines within us all like the moon, no one would degrade another or degrade himself.)

Practice the Three Acts of Goodness – Pure Minds Radiate! December 6, 2010

A Call for All Young Artists! Ages 4 to 15

Draw What You Have Discovered By Practicing The Three Acts of Goodness:

Do Good Deeds, Speak Good Words, Think Good Thoughts

Fo Guang Yuan Art Gallery announces its 2011 Eighth International Young Artist Award. Cash awards will be given for the following categories: Buddha’s Light Award (1 winner per category): NT$5000, a certificate and one Award-winning Artwork Collection album, Distinction Award (1 winner per category): NT$3,000, a certificate, and one award-winning Artwork Collection album, Outstanding Award (1 winner per category): NT$2,000, a certificate, and one award winning Artwork Collection album, Excellence Award (20 winners per category): NT$1,000, a certificate, and one Award winning artwork collection album, Honorary Mention: a certificate and one Award Winning Artwork Collection album, Aesthetics Contribution Award (school with the most number of winners): one trophy. This exhibition is open to any student ages 4 to 15. Deadline for Entries: June 30^th, 2011.  Teachers, parents, guardians, please review entry requirements before submitting artwork. The submission guidelines are downloadable at: http://www.fgs.org.tw/fgsart/index.html. You can drop off entries at your local Fo Guang Shan in Guam or call for more info at 671-637-8678. Fo Guang Shan Guam (physical address): 158 Boman Street, Barrigada, Guam, USA; (mailing address): PO Box 21027, Barrigada, Guam 96921 USA

August 15th: Conclusion of Emperor Liang Repentance Service August 17, 2010

If you were unable to attend the Emperor Liang Repentance services, we hope that you can plan to attend next year. Everyone celebrated, together, on Monday night by attending a dinner at Classic Diner along with our Venerable and the two visiting Venerables and Monk who came from the main temple in Taiwan. They assisted with the Emperor Liang Repentance Services.

I was only able to attend the last repentance service on Sunday. At the end of each service, the monk delighted the entire congregation with his teaching stories. Spring told me one of the stories that made an impression on her. I hope you enjoy reading it too.

It is the story of two monks who attended Ananda. Each morning one or the other monk went to beg for alms. It was a long walk since there was not a surrounding village. The houses were far apart, and the one monk made it finally to a farm. When he approached, the woman who owned the farm ran out of her house and started shouting to him, “go away! There is nothing here for you! Leave!”

The monk did not know what to do and turned and left to go back to the temple empty handed. Ananda, seeing that the monk had returned with nothing, told him that there was still food from the previous day and it could be shared and no one would go hungry that day.

The next day, the second monk went out to beg for alms. He too approached the same farm but was greeted happily and given armloads of food and also given two large watermelons to take back to the temple.

When the second monk returned, the first monk wondered why when he went that he was chased from the property.

He was troubled and asked Ananda why the woman had treated him so differently. Ananda told the first monk that it happened many centuries ago when the two monks were traveling together on the road. As they walked, they passed a dead cat. The one monk held his nose and complained about the horrible smell while the other monk bowed and tenderly gave the percepts to the departed cat.

——–

Which monk is which and who do you think is the cat?

If anyone has another story to share that the monk told during the services, just leave a comment to this post.