May this new year, 2008 bring more peace, tolerance and happiness to people of all religions, philosophies and those who follow no religion. May this new year bring an end to all wars and strife in the world so that harmony will increase amongst all sentient beings. May we rededicate ourselves to our practice so that we will feel more stability and insight into our lives and help us not to be so swept away by our egos.It has been a memorable year for The Buddhist Blog and I want to thank all of you for making this blog possible. I am so appreciative of every single one of my readers and give thanks for the conversations that we have had. I have been touched deeply by you and It is my humble hope that I can continue to serve you and all the people I will meet in 2008. Please know that I am bowing before you all to honor the Buddha within you. I look forward to watching Buddhism evolve further into this new century and millennium. This is a perfect time to post a great quote regarding the beautiful fluidity of our faith. The Buddha warned against trying to anchor Buddhism and all Dharmas too firmly into one way of thinking or any one culture. This leads me to a wonderful quote on this matter:
To say that Buddhism is transitory, insubstantial and conditional is merely to restate its own understanding of the nature of things. Yet its teachings endlessly warn of the deeply engrained tendency to overlook this reality.... Instead of seeing a particular manifestation of the Dharma as a living spiritual tradition of possibilities contingent upon historical and cultural circumstances, one reifies it into an independently existent, self sufficient fact, resistant to change. Living continuity requires both change and constancy. Just as in the course of a human life, a person changes from a child to an adolescent to an adult while retaining a recognizable identity (both internally through memory and externally through recurring physical and behavioral traits), so does a spiritual tradition change through the course of its history while retaining a recognizable identity through a continuous affirmation of its axiomatic values. Thus Buddhism will retain its identity as a tradition as long as its practitioners continue to center their lives around the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha and affirm its basic tenets. But precisely how such commitment and affirmation are expressed in different times and places can differ wildly. The survival of Buddhism today is dependent on its continuing ability to adapt. - Stephen Batchelor, The Awakening of the West from Everyday Mind, a Tricycle book edited by Jean Smith
While remaining solidly upon the foundation of taking refuge in the Triple Gems, the Four Noble Truths and the Eight-fold Path let us rejoice in watching our beautiful faith blend with new cultures such as here in America. It is my wish that Buddhism will continue to influence my country in positive ways.
With a smile to you all, I will see you on the other side in 2008.
~Peace to all beings~
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