A Fistful of Sand

Rohitassa Sutta, Dzogchen, and Pure Land Echoes In the  Rohitassa Sutta  (Saṁyutta Nikāya 2.26), the Buddha makes a revolutionary statement that challenges our assumptions about the world, suffering, and liberation: " In this very fathom-long body, with its perception and mind, I declare is the world, the origin of the world, the cessation of the world, and the path leading to the cessation of the world. " This “fathom-long body” — roughly the height of a person, from fingertip to fingertip — is not just the locus of personal identity. It is, in the Buddha’s words, the world itself. This is not a metaphor. It is a radical pointing out that the entirety of our suffering and the path to its end is found within our own mind-body system — perception, feeling, intention, consciousness. So, when people say we are in the Dharma Ending Age, that the world is falling apart, we may ask: What exactly is ending? Is the Dharma itself fading? Or is it our ability to see the Dharma that...

Art by Nembutsu Art Shinjin , often translated as "true entrusting" in the Pure Land tradition, is more than private faith; it is a radical inner liberation that resists external control. In a world governed by fear, manipulation, and power hierarchies, Shinjin affirms that salvation does not come from systems, authorities, or status—it arises from turning inward and entrusting fully in Amida Buddha’s boundless compassion. This simple, direct awakening undermines the authority of regimes that thrive on obedience, guilt, and conformity. Shinjin proclaims that liberation is freely given, not earned, and cannot be taken away. For the oppressed, this is an act of spiritual defiance: to entrust oneself to a Buddha beyond the reach of kings and tyrants. In Shinjin, one lives with dignity not granted by society but revealed through awakening. It says, “I am already saved,” and in doing so, breaks the illusion that worldly power holds the keys to worth or freedom. How does shinjin in...

Artist — Lim Chung Hee When we sit in meditation, thoughts arise. That’s not a problem—it’s natural. Thoughts, feelings, and sensations are the raw material of our practice. They are not interruptions; they are the very field in which mindfulness and insight develop. Often, a practitioner has a session that feels clear, balanced, even luminous. There may be a sense of accomplishment, ease, or emotional release. Then, perhaps the very next day, the mind shifts. A wave of negative emotions appears—anger, jealousy, anxiety, irritation, or despair. The contrast can be jarring:  “Yesterday I was calm. Today I feel poisoned.” And then comes the fork in the path. The Habitual Move: Projection For many, the default response is projection. Instead of meeting these inner states directly, we unconsciously look outward for a cause. The discomfort is disowned and relocated onto someone or something else:  “It’s because of her.” “He made me feel this way.” “They are the problem.” This is no...

“What more does the community of bhikkhus expect from me, Ananda? I have set forth the Dhamma without making any distinction of esoteric and exoteric doctrine; there is nothing, Ananda, with regard to the teachings that the Tathagata holds to the last with the closed fist of a teacher who keeps some things back.” —Mahāparinibbāna Sutta, Digha Nikāya 16                     A Note : Pāli is the language most likely used by the historical Buddha so, the                          author has opted to use Pāli terms in this article. The term  vipallāsa  sounds innocent enough. It sounds like you can walk into any ethnic restaurant and buy an entrée of vipallāsa and have a nice glass of red wine to wash it down with.  Yet to partake in vipallāsa is a very dangerous thing and bring years of pain and suffering into one’s life.  You see, a vipallāsa is ...

For the past three weeks we've been working with the Medicine Buddha Sadhana. Many people when entering into the Sadhana practice are looking for a magical remedy to their problems. That is not the point of the Medicine Buddha. The point is zeroing in on emptiness and so closer to nirvana. Physical healing becomes incidental. If it happens, well, that's wonderful, but understanding is more valuable - after all, everyone becomes ill, everyone dies. Nothing you can do will avoid these. This reminds me of an apocryphal story in which a man came to the Buddha and explained all of his problems and issues with life. He wanted the Buddha to help him make all of these problems and issues go away. The story goes, the Buddha listened quietly and told the man, "Dharma can help you with sixty-two problems and one it can never help you with. You have this sixty-third problem." "What is this sixty-third problem?" The man was astonished as if e were just g...

For the past 3 weeks the Hongaku Jōdo Sangha in Chicago has been going over the “Short Medicine Sadhana” with a fine tooth comb — not literally, of course. An in depth study of any of the writings or practices making claim to be one advocated or even stated, i.e., taught directly by Siddhartha Gotama, deserves particularly close scrutiny. Both Theravāda and Mahāyāna contain apocryphal sutras; indeed, Mahāyāna is saturated with them. We accept the teachings as being consistent with the intent and spirit of the historical Buddha’s message. We also accept that Dharma is Dharma and it really makes no matter who is teaching it, be it the most unscrupulous teacher imaginable or the noblest human being alive. Truth is truth and truth can be found in the most surprising places. The mature mind does not dismiss the teaching because they disapprove of the source. Today the Internet is saturated with “Fake Buddhist Quotes”. Do we simply dismiss the teaching behind simply because they are n...

The vipallasas are the distortion of views, perceptions and thoughts affected by either defilements or by the words of another. So my thoughts, perceptions and especially my views about what I am now writing is an example of how these vipallasas work, because a question I was asked influenced them. These four, O Monks, are distortions of perception, distortions of thought distortions of view...   Sensing no change in the changing, Sensing pleasure in suffering, Assuming "self" where there's no self, Sensing the un-lovely as lovely —   Gone astray with wrong views, beings Misperceive with distorted minds.   Bound in the bondage of Mara, Those people are far from safety. They're beings that go on flowing: Going again from death to birth.   But when in the world of darkness Buddhas arise to make things bright, They present this profound teaching Which brings suffering to an end.   When those with wisdom have heard this, They recuperate their righ...

Visit the Hongaku Jodo Website Click here to subscribe to our newsletter. People in Vain ________________________________________________ Quite often in the West we use the words “awakening” and “enlightenment interchangeably. This is a misinterpretation on our part. They are not synonyms but clearly represent two distinct stages on the Path. Awakening is often referred to as the “Great Awakening” in the Canons of both Pali and Mahayana. Awakening can be seen as a process, indeed it is the process leading to the attainment of Enlightenment.There are many degrees of Awakening and Enlightenment. Attaining the Enlightenment of the Arahants, Pratyekabuddha (Pali, paccekabuddha, literally "a lone buddha", "a buddha on their own" or "a private buddha" ), Bodhisattvas, and others. It need to be awake in order to see clearly. That clear seeing allows us to at least have the possibility of gaining Enlightenment. To experience a Great Awakenin...

Greed, Aversion, Delusion, Anger, Contempt, and Conceit I recently gave a Dhamma talk at a friends Sangha where I was asked the same question I am usually asked when I teach at Christian and secular events. It always seems that the same question arises, “Why are we here?” I then have to ask for clarification, “Do you mean what is the meaning of life or do you mean what was the cause of your birth?” The answer to the “meaning of life” question is always easy – there is no meaning inherent in life. You decide what meaning you believe you have to your life. This is the great secret of the universe. Philosophers, especially in the West have been pondering this question for thousands of years. Why waste your time pondering when all you have to do is open your eyes. The answer to the second question requires more thought. I don’t think many people are interested in the mechanism that brought us into existence at the time of our conception, if indeed, th...