About the Author
Hello, this blog is about my life as a father, Buddhist and Japanophile / Koreaphile. Any useful information I can pass along will hopefully make the Internets a better place. Thanks for reading!
Category Archives: Jodo Shu
Beginner Buddhism Part Eight: Example Home Service
Speaking of home services, I coincidentally uploaded another small video I made: This wasn’t what I originally planned for lesson eight, but decided to do this instead. Lesson nine will cover Buddhist deities. This was just a short, somewhat generic … Continue reading
Nembutsu as Self-Reflection
From time to time, when life gets me really flustered or frustrated, or I am just frustrated with myself, I use my special rosary from Kamakura, and recite a full cycle (about 1080 times) of the nembutsu (the Buddha’s name). … Continue reading
Japanese Buddhism in the Community
I was inspired by a couple stories from the Japan Times about Buddhist priests in Japan from a few weeks ago. But first a brief explanation of Buddhist clergy in Japan. Usually, the term “monk” in Buddhism or bhikkhu implies … Continue reading
Nembutsu Postcards
Not too long ago, I found these postcards hidden in my pilgrimage book. I think I received them when read “Johnl” and I visited a small Jodo Shu temple in the Meguro ward of Tokyo. Last year, Japan celebrated the … Continue reading
Buddhism: Try To Suck Less
The title for this blog post was inspired by some excellent advice from AJATT on learning a foreign language, and not giving up. Early in January he posted a couple bits of advice on Twitter:1 Keep learning and you’ll eventually … Continue reading
Retreat Day 3: Staying Focused, Sort Of
Question: When evil thoughts keep arising within the mind, what ought one do? [Honen's] Answer: The only thing to do is to repeat the Nembutsu. –Honen’s Catechism, quoted from Honen The Buddhist Saint After my efforts on the first day … Continue reading
A Time For Retreat
Today I said goodbye to my wife and daughter who are going to Japan a week ahead of me (I have to stay behind for work, etc). As always, it’s hard to say goodbye to my daughter. She is a … Continue reading
Buddhist Sabbath, American Style!
Buddhist practice is a subject that interests many Buddhist converts a lot. Afterall, you’ve converted so now what do you do? I’ve been Buddhist off and on since I was 16, but I only took it seriously since 2005, and … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Jodo Shu, Religion
3 Comments
Finding That Precious Middle Way
This is kind of an impromptu post. I spent the night watching videos on Youtube. Of course, you can’t just watch one video on Youtube, you start seeing related videos, links etc. So, by the end of the night, I … Continue reading
Who’s Who in Buddhism, part 7: Amitabha Buddha
One of the most prominent figures in Mahayana Buddhism, especially East Asian Buddhism is Amitabha Buddha, the Buddha of Infinite Light. This Buddha is often called by names like Amida Nyorai (阿弥陀如来) in Japan or Amita Bul (아미타불) in Korean. … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Hosso, Jodo Shinshu, Jodo Shu, Religion, Shingon, Tendai
13 Comments
