Category Archives: BUDDHISM

Walk in Gratitude and Be Happy

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Gratitude Redo

I stood in front of about 60 people, all off whom were, in one way or another, affected by Parkinson’s disease—a chronic, progressive neurological disorder for which there is no cure—and said that Parkinson’s disease (PD) can be a great teacher and friend. It got  awkward.

I realize now that not everyone is ready to hear that. And that is OK. PD sucks. Cancer sucks. Alzheimer’s suck’s.  Illness Sucks. We all have our unique way of  coping when life delivers it’s blows. There is no right way or wrong way. But until there is a cure for our suffering, we have no choice but to embrace reality-as-it-is and live life to the fullest.

So, if you were at my talk and wanted to slap me upside the head, I don’t blame you. But I invite you to read on as I try to make the case for living well, today, with PD, or any illness. Or complete health—because sometimes it’s you healthy, charmed life livers who really.need the slap upside the head! Continue reading →

When You Are Grateful You are Happy

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a gift is something given freely, that is to say
it is not earned or bought or brought about in any way
a gift is also something of value; something to value

every moment is a given moment
every moment is a gift, given freely
it is not earned or bought, or brought about in any way

there is no way of assuring that you will be given another moment
awareness that this moment could be the last moment given
makes another moment the most valuable gift that could ever be given

this moment, with all the opportunity that it contains, is such a gift
if we didn’t have this present moment
we would not have the opportunity to do anything; to experience anything

every moment is a gift given freely over and over and over again
if you miss the opportunity of this moment
another moment is given to us, freely

the real gift within this gift of this moment
is the opportunity to do something with it
and the great thing is, this gift is given freely
each and every moment

when you realize this you walk in gratitude
grateful for each moment
when you’re grateful you are not fearful
when you’re grateful you come from a place of enough
when you’re grateful you can enjoy the difference between people
when you are grateful you are happy

so you see
happiness does not make you grateful
it is gratefulness that makes you happy

stop, look, listen…Go!

enjoy each moment!

Path of Boundless Compassion

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Deepen your Zen Practice and Understanding Though the Exploration of Shin Buddhism with Mark Unno

The BuddhaSaturday, April 26 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Greater Boston Zen Center
288 Norfolk Street
Cambridge, MA.

Suggested Donation
$20 – $40 per person

Join us for a day of exploration into the Shin tradition of Buddhism, the practice of living a Dharma life that emphasizes entrusting ourselves to the realization of boundless compassion. This special program of dharma talks and practices as well as group discussion will cover a variety of topics including the following:

  • The fundamentals of Shin Buddhism—key teachings, chanting, bowing, and deeply hearing the Dharma.
  • The primal vow and the Bodhisattva vows—What is the true nature and source of the vows and how to we make it come alive in our daily lives?
  • We’ll look at some of the leading Zen and Shin teachers including Dogen, Ryokan, Honen, and Shinran,the founder of Shin Buddhism. We will discover surprising connections and the historical context of their time. What can we learn that can inform our lives in the 21st century?