Manitoba Buddhist Temple
39 Tecumseh St. R3E 0J8 Winnipeg, MB, Canada

We must abandon completely the notion of blaming the past for any kind of situation we're in and reverse our thinking and see that the past always flows back from the present. That now is the creative point of life. So you see it's like the idea of forgiving somebody, you change the meaning of the past by doing that... Also watch the flow of music. The melody as it is expressed is changed by notes that come later. Just as the meaning of a sentence... you wait till later to find out what the sentence means... The present is always changing the past. Alan Watts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1aVIqIqm0o Gotan-e message in Japanese from Rev. Chiemi Onikura Bly.

Clear water: no front no back anyway ... leave it to the wind- pampas grass 18th C. female Japanese haiku master Chiyo-ni

and Nanshigi and Fushigi Both have the same meaning, Beyond human thought Amida Buddha’s work to save all of us is beyond human thought, beyond conception, beyond the reach of conceptual thinking. Rev. Miki Nakura

"As one little candle lights another, so the light of Buddha's compassion will pass from one mind to another mind endlessly." Jodo Shinshu Seiten

A reminder... You are invited to attend a service for the Manitoba Buddhist Temple and all the Shotsuki services since March. Reverend Tatsuya Aoki will be officiating this special service using Zoom video conferencing. This means you can attend the service from the comfort of your home while keeping safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you do not know how to use Zoom this would be a great time to ask a family member or a friend to assist you with getting on-line.... The service will be held this Sunday Nov 22nd starting at 11:00 am. Central time. The service will last approximately 30 minutes followed by an open mic discussion with Rev. Aoki. You will need to register in advance to attend the service. Click on this link to register. clip_image004https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAtce2vpz8sEt2Fdig7NDq16LRXjEIXKDRX If you have any questions about how to register please contact Rev. Aoki at [email protected]

"Of course, Buddhist Dharma is accessible and available to all sentient beings, without exception and, since every sentient being already possesses Buddha nature, all without exception have the capacity and potential of becoming fully enlightened beings." Jan Willis - Dharma Has No Color

"...It is therefore no accident that the nembutsu, of all possible ways of showing thanks, is the foremost expression of gratitude to the Buddha. The reason is that the nembutsu embodies both the means and the rationale for showing gratitude - because in it the believer is united with the Buddha." Jodo Shinshu - James C. Dobbins

"See how you are changing even now -... as the Buddha, like a rising sun, races across the world to claim you as his own true daughter." Sundari (from The First Free Women: Poems of the Early Buddhist Nuns) See more

"Seeking to fill the void That wasn't there... seeking not finding...... Not recognizing that what I sought was there all along." Thich Nu Tinh Quang

"Of these Six Perfections, wisdom (prajna) is the most important since it is the brain and heart. Wisdom serves as the source of our motivation, energy, and understanding for carrying out the other five Perfections. If the source is flawed, we cannot be effective." Rev. Kenneth Kenshin Tanaka

"When you walk, arrive with every step. That is walking meditation. There's nothing else to it." How To Walk - Thich Nhat Hanh

"If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace. If you let go completely, you will have complete peace." Ajahn Chah, Forest Buddhist Master, Thailand

"Just existing I exist... Snow drifting down" Issa

Stage of joy: The first of the ten bodhisattva stages; one attains this stage by awakening the undefiled wisdom. For Shinran, those of entrusting heart who are assured of their birth in the Pure Land are compared to those in the stage of joy.

"Our whole attitude toward life is altered when we open ourselves to the bodhisattva vow. It means that our spiritual progress unfolds for the sake of others. Yes, we benefit ourselves, but the ultimate intent is to prepare ourselves so that we can really be of benefit to others." Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo - Into The Heart of Life

https://www.youtube.com/watch

Socho Aoki has organized a lecture series for all members of the Canadian kyodan. The first lecture will be given by Rev. Henry Adams of San Mateo Buddhist Temple on December 19th and entitled "Waking Up to Peace of Mind in the Age of Conflict and Distorted Views". Registration is required, using the following link. There is also a QR code. https://us02web.zoom.us//tZEqduGhqz4oGtyCGO7fAou6u8XTX2i4n... The next lecture in the series will be given by Dr. Jeff Wilson Sensei on February 27th. Mark your calendars! --

https://www.everydaybuddhist.org/ A most interesting site to visit: they offer a number of classes, many of them are free, for newcomers to Buddhism and those more familiar with Jodo Shinshu Buddhism. Check it out!

"Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself." Rumi

"....Whatever you have to do to get through life is fine, sums it up nicely. What is important is that you make the nembutsu the way of asking your living self what it is doing as a whole." The Buddha's Call to Awaken - Monshu Koshin Ohtani

"When we look our worries in the eye, the light of truth deeply reveals us to ourselves, opening the possibility for spiritual maturity." Lady Takeko Kujo 'Leaves of My Heart'

Regarding the splendour of Nirvana, Vasubandhu wrote: "When I consider the features of that world, I see that.....it is infinite, like space, vast and boundless."

We're pleased to share two companion articles on how Jodo Shin Buddhists are engaging with political movements like #BlackLivesMatter. Dr. Miyaji explains the historical context of Jodo Shin ethics, and Landon Yamaoka reflects on racial justice. https://buff.ly/37yPoTc

Big news from our friends at the Toronto Buddhist Church

"But whoever has gone for refuge to the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, sees with thorough understanding the four noble truths:... pain, the arising of pain, the overcoming of pain, and the noble eightfold path leading to the stilling of pain." The Dhammapada (190 and 191)

"The recitation which is the cause of salvation for Shinran is not practised by individuals for their own salvation. The practice that brings salvation is that performed by the Buddha, and it is heard by the beings in the universe. As a result of their hearing that name and through the illumination of Amida Buddha's light, the inner cause of faith is aroused." Shinran's Gospel of Pure Grace - Alfred Bloom