2013年8月18日 星期日

佛耶二教對提升心理健康和幸福的啟示

講座題目:佛耶二教對提升心理健康和幸福的啟示

日期:2013年8月31日(星期六)

時間:下午2: 30 至 4:30

地點:九龍觀塘大業街31號協發工商大廈8樓 戒定慧講堂(牛頭角地鐵站 B6 出口)

主辦機構:香港佛教心理學及心理健康協會有限公司

主講嘉賓:何濼生教授

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Information about the speaker:
 
He has had years of exposure to Christianity from primary school through secondary school, and he actually got a credit in Biblical Knowledge in the School Certificate Examination.

He will be referring to the teachings in Christianity that are completely consistent with Buddhist teachings.  He will also refer to, in particular, the Diamond Sutra, which says

所謂佛法,即非佛法,是名佛法  (The Buddha Dharma is the same as "Not Buddha Dharma", and it is known as Buddha Dharma.

and

若以色見我,以音聲求我,是人行邪道,不能見如來 (If someone seeks me through appearance or sounds, that someone is on the wrong track and won't see me.)

both of which ask us not to be misled by labels and images.

I will refer to the distinction between 權巧方便 (aids) and 實相究竟 (reality)

Of course there is also the statement, also from the Diamond Sutra:

離一切諸相即名諸佛 (He who frees himself from all images is a Buddha.)
 

2013年8月6日 星期二

St Francis and Pope Francis



The celebrated prayer of St Francis of Assissi reads as follows: 

(1)   Lord, make me a channel of thy peace.
That where there is hatred I may bring love,
(“Love”)

(2)   That where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness,
That where there is discord, I may bring harmony,
That where there is error I may bring truth,
(“Insight”)

(3)   That where there is doubt I may bring faith,
That where there is despair I may bring hope,
That where there are shadows I may bring light,
That where there is sadness I may bring joy.
(“Fortitude”)

(4)   Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted,
To understand than to be understood,
To love than to be loved.
(“Engagement”)

(5)   For it is by forgetting self that one finds.
It is by forgiving that one is forgiven,
it is by dying that one awakens to eternal life.
Amen.

The prayer was divided into five parts.  The first four parts (numbered 1-4 above), respectively, related directly to Love, Insight, Fortitude, and Engagement.  The spiritual aspirant seeks love, truth, understanding, faith and hope, and prefers a life of active engagement. Active engagement is indicated as the spiritual person seeks to comfort rather than to be comforted, to understand rather than to be understood, and to love rather than to be loved.   The last, i.e., 5th part, simply states the reward of spiritual living.

 Pope Francis is a different pope.  He is much more enlightened than all the others.  He is the first to admit that even atheists can get redemption.  He is one with Jesus, whose Sermon on the Mount transcends religions.