Alex Kakuyo's Blog, page 5

Buddha in the Garden of Eden

One of the first bible stories that I learned involved Adam, Eve, and the garden of Eden.  As the story goes, Adam was the first man, created by God from the dust of the earth.  And Eve was his wife, created from Adam's rib in order to serve as his helpmeet.
The garden of Eden was a paradise, designed by God to provide for their every need.  Adam and Eve were charged with caring for the garden.  They named the animals, they cared for the plants, and they enjoyed each other's company.
There was onl...

Nirvana and the Buddhist Path to Enlightenment

Nirvana is a core teaching of the Buddha Dharma, and it's commonly misunderstood. Some people think  Nirvana refers to a Buddhist version of the Christian heaven. And while there are countless heaven (and hell) realms in Buddhism, none of them are called Nirvana.

Similarly, some people think that Nirvana is synonymous with enlightenment. But this is also incorrect. Nirvana is an important step towards the realization of enlightenment, however, it is a separate thing.

If we want to have a good ...

Understanding Grace and Original Enlightenment in Buddhism

The dictionary defines grace as, 'a manifestation of favor, especially by a superior."  Another definition that is commonly used in religious circles is, 'underserved mercy.' 

To understand the Buddhist interpretation of grace we first need to understand the teaching of Original Enlightenment, which is found in the Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana Sutra.

It states that all sentient beings are inherently enlightened. More than that, they all exist as part of a single Buddha-body.
This is explaine...

Forgiveness and Reconciliation in Buddhism

 

As Buddhists, we have an unnatural pressure placed upon us to forgive people who harm us.  This is to be expected.  After all, humans are social creatures, and they hate conflict.  

Unfortunately, the quickest way to end conflict is ask the victim of an altercation to forgive their perpetrator; immediately and without question.

But this is an unhealthy practice.  It creates an environment where various types of abuse can occur.  

That said, forgiveness is an important part of practice.  And it can...

Confessions of a Hungry Ghost

I moved out of my parent's house at the age of 18.  The ensuing years involved a series of highs and lows as I struggled to find my place in the world. I graduated college with a B.A. in philosophy. I served 8 years in the U.S. Marines.  Then I entered the civilian world and discovered veterans with liberal arts degrees aren't employable.

So, I got a room mate and an apartmen...

Buddhism to Be Murdered By

Eminem dropped a surprise album recently called, Music to Be Murdered By- Side B  The first half of the album was dropped in January of this year,.  In both recordings he took on the entire music industry to prove his continued dominance of the rap game.
He went after his his haters, music critics, new-school rappers, old-school rappers, and anyone who might have blinked at him wrong in the last 10 years.

Imagine a man screaming, "Get off my lawn," at a bunch of kids while he torches his neighbor'...

Civil War and the Purpose of Buddhist Prayers

Through out history, the only way for someone to forcibly takeover a country was through intrigue and bloodshed.
In fact, some of history's greatest rulers (Alexander the Great, Attila the Hun, Shaka Zulu, etc.) were also it's greatest killers; men who walked on the corpses of their enemies to reach the throne.
If one looks at the United States, they see more of the same.  The genocide of Native Americans, the enslavement of black Africans,  and the mistreatment of women were all done to solidify ...

Dr. Jill Biden and the Importance of Right Speech

The sad reality for content creators in 2020 is that if they want a large number of people to read their work, it needs to go viral.  
In other words, an article needs to get people so hyped up that they have no choice but to read it, share it, and write endless think pieces on it in order to feel some level of catharsis.
The writing doesn't need to be good, and it certainly doesn't need to be uplifting.  It just needs to get a reaction.  Often times, the best way to get a piece to go viral is to ...

Buddhism and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

 My alarm goes off, and I hit the 'snooze' button. Using the least amount of effort possible, I untangle myself from the covers and look out the window.  My spirit drops. 

From this angle, all I can see is a featureless gray sky.  Light rain patters the window, and as I listen to it all of the motivation to move, eat, or function in society bleeds from my body.  I'm wide-awake, but it's another three hours before I get out of bed.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)...

Rescue Me From Hell

As a child, I became well-versed in the concept of hell.  It was an important part of my training in the Christian, evangelical church.  After all, how could I be a good emissary for the lord if I didn't know what was at stake.  
Yes, church picnics and bible camps were fun, but they were also superfluous.  The purpose of Christianity wasn't to help me sell cookies at the church bake sale.  Rather, it was to protect me from an eternity of hellfire and torment  
The rules were simple. I had to acce...