Contemplating Peace in 2011

As Buddha Shakyamuni taught in the Dhammapada:  

Do no harm,
Cultivate benefit,
Tame one's mind;
This is the teaching of the Buddhas.
       —Anandattherapanha Vatthu, verse 183

These fundamental teachings are as relevant today in the Pacific Northwest of North America as they were 2,500 years ago in northern India.

The streams of practice and transformation that have flowed from this font of wisdom and compassion have spread throughout the world, and now commingle here in our region in the myriad traditions and sanghas of practitioners who endeavor to manifest the central truth of the Buddhadharma: awakeness.

On the spiritual journey, peace can relate to the ground, path and the goal. It is said to be our basic nature. We train in nourishing it in ourselves and our world and it is also the fruition of our waking up to the ultimate reality. The cultivation of peace is as much a personal inward journey of discovery as it is a socially engaged activity in the world. How this looks is different for every practitioner, but we all stand to benefit from acknowledging, celebrating, and participating mindfully and compassionately in our interdependent world.

Because all Buddhist traditions espouse the cultivation of peace, and since it is so needed in our day and age, the Northwest Dharma Association has decided to make peace the theme for our activities in 2011. This will include events, conversations, action, and celebration of all the diverse traditions together. Join us as we explore the profundity and joy of living in harmony in our world.