“When I was in Vietnam, so many of our villages were being bombed. Along with my monastic brothers and sisters, I had to decide what to do. Should we continue to practice in our monasteries, or should we leave the meditation halls in order to help the people who were suffering under the bombs? After careful reflection, we decided to do both\u2014to go out and help people and to do so in mindfulness. We called it Engaged Buddhism. Mindfulness must be engaged. Once there is seeing, there must be acting\u2026 We must be aware of the real problems of the world. Then, with mindfulness, we will know what to do and what not to do to be of help.” <\/p>\n– “The Roots of Engaged Buddhism<\/a>“<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n We are grateful to inherit these skillful intentions and practices, and to participate in developing and deepening them for our own place and time. For example, we regularly partner with local organizations<\/a> addressing food and housing insecurity. Currently, we pack emergency\/nonperishable sack lunches every month for a local drop-in center that serves homeless and at-risk teens. We also teach meditation and Dharma classes at the prison, as well as serve as mentors for the Buddhist Correspondence Course<\/a>, a prison program offered by the Buddhist Association of the United States (BAUS). Additionally, we encourage and support one another in volunteering with local organizations, like those included in this list of community resources<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many of us are also guided by and participate in global movements, such as: the ARISE Sangha<\/a> (working together to “heal the wounds of racial injustice and social inequity”), the Earth Holder Community<\/a> (working together to “advance earth-healing compassionate direct action”), and Buddhist Global Relief<\/a> (working together to “to relieve chronic hunger and malnutrition worldwide”). “The suffering that exists in this realm is often entrenched and intractable, so much so that it begins to feel inevitable, if not natural. With Medicine Buddha, we begin to understand that the suffering that arises from the three poisons can be healed and even prevented, as we transform those conditions. It is true that, in this world, we face sickness, aging, and death, but even much of this suffering can be reduced through skillful care. Practicing these Twelve Great Vows, Medicine Buddha reminds us that we can work together to create a world where poverty, violence, exploitation, discrimination, and oppression of any kind are no longer assumed. Everyone having what they need to live a full life can become normal. Generosity, kindness, and wisdom can become normal. In a world overwhelmed by the Three Poisons, we ourselves can become an antidote. With Medicine Buddha, we can be a healing presence in the world.” The Buddha’s teachings have always impacted communities, societies, and cultures, including the beautiful bloom of the Bodhisattva path. In the 20th century, Buddhist practitioners sought to apply these wonderful, transformative…<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-373","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","no-post-thumbnail"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dinhquangtemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dinhquangtemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dinhquangtemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dinhquangtemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dinhquangtemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=373"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/dinhquangtemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/373\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":586,"href":"https:\/\/dinhquangtemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/373\/revisions\/586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dinhquangtemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/dinhquangtemple.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Packing-Meal-Kits-858x1024.png\")
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<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
These healing aspects of Engaged Buddhist practice call to mind the power of Medicine Buddha:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n– Now is the Time to Practice: Dharma Reflections Inspired by \u0110\u1ecbnh Quang Temple<\/a><\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"