The aspiration to see the universe through a pure mind is beautiful in principle, but manifesting it in real life can sometimes be daunting. It is this very challenge that Rev. WonGong thoughtfully explores as she reflects on Sotaesan's wisdom and the opportunities to practice it in our lives.
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The Middle Way by Christine Donovan Ball
For some, the term, "Middle Way," might seem like a recommendation for blandness. However, Won Buddhist practitioner, Christine Donovan Ball, shows just the opposite is true in this dharma talk. Through personal reflection, she beautifully illustrates how deeply profound and impactful the practice of the Middle Way can be. https://www.wonbuddhismnc.org/donations
Transcript: https://wonbuddhismnc.sharepoint.com/...
No Wrong Door by Kathleen Herr (Won HerrJu)
Doorways can be transformative portals, and in this reflective dharma talk, longtime practitioner, Kathleen Herr (Won HerrJu), highlights how the accessible teachings of Won Buddhism were designed with inclusiveness as a goal. As we practitioners pass through these dharma portals, we are invited to be in relationship with what we discover upon entering. https://www.wonbuddhismnc.org/donations
Practice Based on Truth by Rev. ZiYoung Kang
In this powerful dharma talk, Rev. ZiYoung Kang dives into the heart of the universal Truth of Il-Won and shows us how we can nurture and manifest this Truth in our daily lives. Step-by-step, she unloosens the threads of "voidness," "completeness," and "rightness" and shares how these fundamental qualities of Truth can be woven together into a beautiful and meaningful practice. https://www.wonbuddhismnc.org/donations
Going Home Again by Cassie Hanson
What does it mean to return home? This is the question practitioner Cassie Hanson asks and answers in this poignant and moving dharma talk. Unlike the shifting comfort we experience from our temporal homes, the true home of our Buddha nature is ever-present and embraces us without limitation.
Early Autumn Dharma by Rev. WonGong
In this beautiful and seasonal dharma talk, Rev. WonGong invites us to embrace early autumn’s balance of yin and yang in our practice and in our lives. She encourages us to abide in the harmonious energies of warmth and coolness, and to be like autumn trees – letting go of what is no longer useful so that we can experience vast spaciousness. https://www.wonbuddhismnc.org/donations
See No Evil? by Lara Olson (Won LaSon)
In her deeply reflective dharma talk, long-time practitioner, Lara Olson (Won LaSon) unflinchingly looks at the concept of evil through Buddhist eyes. Peeling through layers of culture and self-doubt, she reveals how despair is actually self-aggression, while reverence aligns with the sacred and has the power of liberation. https://www.wonbuddhismnc.org/donations
Myriad Dharmas Return to One by Rev. ZiYoung
We can observe "Defilements and idles thoughts" in our every-day lives. Rev. ZiYoung describes how the Founding Master told a follower perplexed by this mind that, “The myriad dharmas return to one; to what does the one return?” What does this mean, and how can it possibly help us in our every-day lives? https://www.wonbuddhismnc.org/donations
Window Reflection Meditation by Rev. WonGong
Many of us ask ourselves, "Who am I really?" - a question that Rev. WonGong contemplated as she watched her reflected image disappear in the morning light. In this gentle dharma talk, you are invited to join Rev. WonGong's introspective journey that begins with reflected light and ends with the Heart Sutra. https://www.wonbuddhismnc.org/donations
Restoring Great Energy by Rev. WonGong
Restoring the great energy of the universe within us – What a beautiful practice! Rev. WonGong shares with us how the power of sky, earth, fellow beings, and meditation restored her essential life force energy. She then instructs us on how we can do the same. https://www.wonbuddhismnc.org/donations
Great Enlightenment: A View from Marvelous Existence by Kathleen Herr (Won HerrJu) (대각 大覺 : 놀라운 존재로서의 의미)
Kathleen Herr (Won HerrJu) takes us on an open and vulnerable journey, describing her current practice as one best defined by the term, "middle spiritual capacity." In this space, enlightenment can seem far away and unattainable. Kathleen assures us that no matter the form, enlightenment is just as here and now as a daffodil is a daffodil before it blooms - even when it's a bulb! The lack of yellow petals doesn't mean the daffodil bulb isn't what it is, and Kathleen's wise insight details how we can recognize enlightenment for what it actually is. https://www.wonbuddhismnc.org/donations