George Fox and the Sword

Portland Buddhist Priory Posted on by

(Follow this link to see the September 2022 Priory Newsletter where this was recently published.)

Rev. Master Aiden Hall
– Turning Wheel Buddhist Temple, West Knighton, Leicester. UK

(This article originally appeared in the Turning Wheel newsletter and can be found on the Turning Wheel website.)

This story involves two Quakers from the late 17th century, but the teaching in it is very Buddhist and relevant to us today. It emphasises the importance of exploring for ourselves what is the appropriate way to behave in a situation, rather than just following rules imposed from outside.

The two people who feature in this story are the founder of Quakerism, George Fox (1624-1691) and William Penn (1644-1718) who is best known as Continue reading →

The Third Position

Portland Buddhist Priory Posted on by

(Follow this link to see the July 2022 Priory Newsletter where this was recently published.)

Summer Nasturtiums

When I was a novice monk at Shasta Abbey, I was given the job of sacristan. The sacristan is the temple officer that is responsible for taking care of the Buddha hall and organizing ceremonies; it is usually held by a senior monk of the monastery. When I was first given the job, I felt honored since I was “just” a novice. I confess that I also had thoughts like, “oh good, now I can be in charge of something; now I can get some respect; now I can have some control over my life and what goes on around here.” While this was an honor and a really helpful opportunity for me, my dreams of power did not really come to pass, and this was probably for the good of all concerned!

Anyway, I was relating this to a friend recently and they wondered if this was where I discovered the “Third Position.” The Third Position was Continue reading →

A Test

Portland Buddhist Priory Posted on by

May brings more dogwood blossoms.

(Follow this link to see the June 2022 Priory Newsletter where this was recently published.)

One time, when I had just become a transmitted monk (in other words, I was barely a senior), I had the opportunity to travel with a few other monks from the monastery where I was living, to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, a Buddhist temple in Ukiah, California. We traveled there for a conference of western Buddhist monastics and when we arrived, we were given a packet of things including a pen set in a wooden case. On the case there was an inscription by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, the founding abbot of the temple, that read:

“Everything is a test to see what you will do.
If you mistake what is before your eyes
you will have to start anew.”

There is a book I like called “Everyone Knows What a Dragon Looks Like” by Jay Williams and is illustrated by Mercer Mayer. I may have some details wrong, but the story is about a village, under threat from wild horsemen, and a boy who lives there. An old man comes to the town and tells the boy he is a dragon and can help the town but nobody believes Continue reading →