Life & Death
Three years ago today I received a call from my brother in law. He found my wife dead in his home. She ended her life some time the night before after having dinner with me and the kids at our place....
View ArticleKaihogyo
Kaihogyo is an outdoor walking meditation. This practice takes place on the mountain trails of Mt. Hiei in Japan which is and always has been headquarters for the Tendai sect. This meditation is also a...
View ArticleInterview with Rev. Jikai Dehn from Australia
By Doko Christopher O’Brien I recently interviewed a Tendai Soryo priest from Australia. Since Rev. Jikai lives so far away I asked him if we could do the interview over email. Thanks so much for your...
View ArticleMaking a little history
The Lotus Sutra teaches that all beings possess the potential to become a Buddha. To deny someone’s Buddha nature is to deny your own potential for enlightenment as well. Perhaps discrimination against...
View Article“Thus I place my faith in Amitabha Buddha”
I have decided to shake things up a bit a show a bit more of what a Tendai Buddhist service can include. I enjoy the “Daily Service” we typically use here at the Blue Mountain Tendai Sangha. The truth...
View ArticleCongratulations Enkei & Eishin
Two of our sangha member recently received ordination. Rev. Eishin Fuminobu Komura was ordained a Soryo on Mt. Hiei in Japan which is headquarters for our sect of Buddhism. Rev. Enkei Joseph Mendyka...
View ArticleHow do I start Practicing Meditation?
How do I meditate? How do I sit and how should I breath? My mind is thinking of so many things when I meditate so what do I do? I have been practicing for a while and now I have a hard time practicing...
View ArticleWhy Madhyamaka?
By Enkei Joseph Mendyka Why Madhyamaka? Since this question was posed to me by a soryo at gyo with an inspiringly devotional approach to practice this past summer, I’ve been sitting with it. It is...
View ArticleGolden Rays at Twilight
By Enkei Joseph Mendyka Summer has officially come to a close in the past few weeks and if you’re reading this in the northern hemisphere, you’re probably experiencing the shift toward the close of the...
View ArticleViolence Is Non-Violence, Non-Violence Is Violence
By Rev. Enkei Over the last couple of years I have finally noticed more American Buddhists questioning the white privilege that prevails in our community. This has taken the form of both American...
View ArticleThe Six Dharma Gates to the Sublime—Introduction
By Rev. Enkei Joseph Mendyka Zhiyi, the 6th century Chinese founder of Tiantai, wrote at length about the spiritual significance of the scripture we often refer to simply as the Lotus Sūtra. The full...
View ArticleWe moved!
Senshin and Doko purchased a new home. Their home has been “the home of Tendai Buddhism in Colorado” since the sangha was founded in 2010. Their old place was pretty small so they had been planning on...
View ArticleSeptember Calendar
One of Facebook followers wrote us recently to say that our page here and our website simply states that our services are every other monday evening, which isn’t really useful for the newer folks that...
View ArticleThe Buddha’s Relics
By Doko Christopher O’Brien A collection of relics of Shakyamuni Buddha and many other Buddhist masters is touring the world. This is known as the Maitreya Heart Shrine Relic Tour. The tour began in...
View ArticleBuddhist Expertise
By Enkei Joseph Mendyka As a graduate student in Buddhist doctrine, I work closely with professors who have a great deal of experience studying the teachings of the Buddha. We spend a lot of time...
View ArticleThe “Secret Teachings”
By Enkei Joseph Mendyka There are many people that come to Tendai Buddhism seeking out the “secret teachings”, or mikkyo, of Japanese tantric Buddhism. The term mikkyo literally means secret or...
View ArticleSix Dharma Gates To the Sublime- Counting Breaths
Six Dharma Gates To the Sublime- Counting Breaths By Rev. Enkei Joseph Mendyka It’s anger management 101–close your eyes and count to 10. It turns out this might be helpful Read More ...
View ArticleSix Dharma Gates To The Sublime – Following the Coming and Going on the Breath
Six Dharma Gates To The Sublime – Following the Coming and Going of the Breath By Rev. Enkei Joseph Mendyka In 1990, a Hungarian psychologist named Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (chick-SEN-mee-hi) published...
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