“I know when to go out When to stay in Get things done.” Modern Love - David Bowie I recently traveled to visit Sangha in Florida and I did what I always do at the places we’d stayed. I set up an altar and blessed the space and practiced my daily devotions. It got me to thinking about how important the Centering Space or Butsudan (Buddha Altar) is and how our homes, either temporary or transit are our primary place of practice. For many years I hav

Hi Sheila- I love your questions directness. You will often read that Buddhism does not have a God. Well, it all depends on how you define that term. Let me clarify how I understand it. For me, God is a verb that symbolizes ultimate reality or the emanating energy of Oneness. God is often portrayed as an erratic or judgmental being who can be angered or jealous, and in that sense I don’t. I believe that these views of God were a projected part of an evolving relationship to t

And You and I “I listened hard but could not see Life tempo change out and inside me The preacher trained in all to lose his name; The teacher travels, asking to be shown the same.” While Taking Refuge is something we all must choose to do individually, and Taking and Receiving the Precepts marks our commitment to the spiritual community or Sangha, there is nothing that beats having a spiritual friendship with one who has walked the path and knows well the terrain of the spir

Hi Audrey. Today we celebrated the annual liturgical rite of Honoring our Ancestors, also known in Japanese as, “Obon”. We always hold our ceremonies around the full moon. We call it the Season of Eternal Life. and the Archetype Angel is Jizo Bodhisattva. It is a celebration of the Holy Sangha or the Communion of Saints in Oneness. It is a time of joy. And while we honor what we can do for the memorial of our ancestors, it is also vital that we are mindful of what they have d

Hi Ronnie- This is a really important question as sacred writings are very valid to most religions. So let’s breakdown some basic information about sacred scriptures that are pertinent to most faith traditions: Oral transmission Comes First: Early followers often memorized teachings and passed them down orally before writing was widespread or consistent. The Community Creates: As groups grew, communities compiled teachings into letters, narratives and commentaries. Interpret

Hi Marie- A fascinating subject and one that I have taught about in some of my videos (please enjoy them https://www.youtube.com/@asksenseitony8027). But let me give a brief explanation here. The art of alchemy was an ancient practice, that while involving physical symbols (it may have influenced modern scientific experimentation, chemistry and pharmacy), was primarily about spiritual development. I will utilize the traditional latin terms of alchemy and refer to them via our

Hey Chris- What a interesting question! Let’s start by defining our term. I believe that “alien” here refers to extraterrestrial life. And I’m also assuming that your not talking about microbes, but some kind of sentient creature. Before we go further we need to address what’s called, “The Fermi Paradox”. Essentially, the physicist, Enrico Fermi, put forth the question, “Despite the high mathematical and statistical probability that extraterrestrial civilizations exist, where

Hi Sandra- This is a big question that I’ve addressed more fully in my various books (https://www.asksenseitony.com/store) but I’ll do my best to give you my brief opinion here. First of all, we have to dispense with the duality of the Buddhist faith as either a philosophy, or a religion. When one understands the etymology of both words, namely that philosophy is the love of wisdom and religion is that which reconnects to our truest, universal self, there is no real dichotomy

Hi Jane. I’m sorry you are going through this. It is a great question and one that many folks with physical issues ask. The first thing we need to do is define our terms. Firstly, I define “trust” as an act of volition and not something automatic. The problem is that we get used to our body functioning in a certain comfortable way and when that changes we often feel confused betrayed, especially with something chronic. The problem is that it’s not so much about trust as conf

Hi Joseph- How very perceptive of you! As you mentioned, I’ve written an entire book on the subject (https://www.asksenseitony.com/store). But let me summarize it here for you. While most of the scientists and philosophers I will list here started out as atheist/materialists - through their open and honest scientific inquiry into the nature of reality they have all come to, in one way or another, the conclusion that has been taught for nearly three thousand years in Buddhism.

Namaste, Sara. I’m glad you asked. We do indeed. I’d like to start by mentioning that the first text to teach many of Hatha yoga’s central principles and practices was the Amṛtasiddhi, composed by Vajrayāna Buddhists. In ancient times, the breath was considered sacred. In the Hebrew tradition, there is Ruach, “the breath of God.” In Chinese thought, it is Chi, “the cosmic breath.” In India, it is Prana, “the vital breath.” Among American Indians, it was “the secret of life,”

Hi Sally—You are correct. Like the word “mindfulness,” there can be many different interpretations. I will share my understanding here and how we teach it in the Order of the Dragonfly. And while I have written extensively on the subject (see https://www.asksenseitony.com/store), I will offer a brief description here. First, let’s define our terms. The English word actually carries more of the meaning of deep reflection or “chewing something over,” which can be very different

Hi George—That’s understandable, because that word can mean different things to different people. I always like to start by defining my terms. This word originates in Sanskrit as “sati,” which means “to remember, recollect, or observe.” And what is it we are remembering? In the Dragonfly Sangha, it means, first and foremost, to remember who we truly are and to take refuge in our True Self. Second, it means to observe and analyze how the Ego Self’s conditioned thoughts cause u

Hi Marie— I love your question; I think many others have it too. When I was growing up, the churches we attended had very limited liturgy, but my later experiences in the Episcopal Church developed in me a love and appreciation for “the smells and bells.” In our Dragonfly Sangha we have drawn from three primary Buddhist roots: Zen, Shin, and Tantra. In these older traditions, liturgy is central. It’s part of what in Sanskrit could be called puja or bhakti. You might say it is

“Tell a little truth with many lies. It’s the only way I’ve found.” — Straight Through the Heart, Ronnie James Dio “There are some truths so big they can only be told with lies.” — Comedian Pete Holmes Teachers in our faith tradition—the ordained priest, short for presbyter (meaning elder in the Sacred Way)—have several roles: pastor, presider, pedagogue, and provocateur. To those in pain they are compassionate counselors and comforters. To those who belong to the sangha they

Hi Miguel - An honest question. After all, knowing whether something is true is always pertinent to deciding how we want to live our lives. So let’s unpack the word “true” first. The word true comes from the Old English triewe or treowe, meaning "faithful”. It is derived from the Proto-Germanic treuwaz, which relates to the idea of reliance, integrity, help, protection, support and is originally from the Proto-Indo-European root deru-, meaning "to be firm or rooted” and it is

Hi Bill- Hanamatsuri is a Japanese word that means “flower festival”. The Buddhist traditions of temperate climes observe this event during the springtime. While we are a Navayana or new movement in Buddhism, we honor our roots by utilizing certain words in (stone sculpture of Queen Maya before giving birth - 200 CE Afghanistan) Japanese terminology. It is known in our liturgical cycle known as the Season of Rebirth. We lift up the miraculous birth of Shakyamu

Dear Sensei Tony- What does the Buddha Shakyamuni mean to you? This is Samuel. Thank you for this question. Wow. It’s a big one! Well, there isn’t really enough room in this exchange to tell you everything he means to me because he literally has been a central figure in my entire life. My devotion to his teachings and legacy are so intertwined with my own, that I really can’t separate them. That being said, let me outline what some scholars have written: ‘The Buddha was consi

Dearest Sensei: Can you please describe the True Self? This is Bob. Hi Bob -What most people mistake as their selves is the outer shell, the Ego Self. It is created out of physical and social conditioning and is experienced as separate from our True Self. And while I’ve written about this in several books ( https://www.asksenseitony.com/store ), I will summarize here in brief: • The True Self lies beneath the ego, and is our true nature and ground of our personal being. It i

Dear Sensei Tony: What do you think of what people call“the law of attraction”? This is Paul. Hi Paul. What an interesting query. My personal understanding is that everything in nature obeys certain laws of action and reaction, that in an interdependent reality, all things are connected. Now, I also believe that consciousness is primary and that it is creative, but I know that this creativity is greatly affected by our own human limitations. Please see The Second Principle