Tergar - Joy of Living
About Joy

San Francisco Zen Center
Still Water Mindfulness Practice Center
The practice of impermanence
5
Sep
2023

The Spiritual Athlete’s Path to Enlightenment
Throughout this world, there are many mysterious and amazing feats that can be found. People are capable of doing most incredible things that we have never deemed possible.
Only by truly believing in ourselves can we accomplish what were thought as impossible goals.
Marathon Monks of Mount Hiei
In Mount Hiei of Japan, there can be found a small group of monks who live in a monastery and can accomplish many remarkable challenges. This mountain had .
Doleshwor Mahadev: The forgotten Head of Kedarnath
After a treacherous trip up the mountains, Bhimsen, one of the five Pandavas spotted a gigantic looking bull in a distance which he knew was Shiva in disguise. Bhimsen known for his brute strength, forcefully caught the bull. When the bull was caught, he tried to escape but unfortunately, the bull was torn into several parts because of Bhimsen’s strength.
Mahabharata, the Sanskrit epic depicts the struggle for power and conflict between two groups of .
Top 100 quotes by Buddha
Prince Siddhartha Gautama was born in the 5th or 6th Century BC in Nepal. In his 20s, the prince experienced realities of the outside world that led him on a quest for enlightenment. He left the palace to search for it and eventually attained enlightenment. It was then that he became Buddha.
Until he died at the age of 80, Buddha taught many people how to achieve enlightenment. His doctrines eventually became what is known .
The Vajrasattva Mantra Banner
OM VAJRASATTVA HUM.
The Bodhisattva Vajrasattva represents primordial purity. We can clean our minds of greed, hatred, and delusion by meditating on him. He carries a vajra thunderbolt in his heart, which signifies his upaya, or talent in liberating creatures via compassion.
Who is Vajrasattva?
Vajrasattva is a significant figure in the tantric Buddhism of the Kathmandu Valley's Newar people. He is commonly invoked in the guru maala, which is the fundamental ritual for all other Newar .
Powerful Mantra Om Namah Shivaya
Om Namah Shivaya is an important and popular mantra in Hinduism and Shaivism. It is the mantra dedicated to Lord Shiva. Shaivism is a sect that claims that the most important God is Shiva. The origin of this mantra dates back to thousands of years and is mentioned Krishna Yajurveda in the Shree Rudram hymn. And also in Rudrashtadhyayi which is a part of the Shukla Yajurveda.
It is referred to as Shiva Panchakshara or simply Panchakshara, meaning the mantra of "five syllables" (excluding Om).
The Gem of All Life (Jiva-Ratnam) is said to be the name of Shiva. 'Shiva' simply means auspicious. The Lord is so full of love that it's said that love itself is Shiva.
Who is Lord Shiva?
Copper Statue of Shiva Mahadev Painted Face
Shiva .
Yogic Practice: Surya Namaskar
Surya means Sun in Sanskrit literature, and the term Namaskara signifies salutation. Thousands of years ago, a great sage Patanjali his fellow disciples created these unique postural and breathing protocols on the Indian subcontinent. They urged all human beings in their everyday lives to perform these yogic practices in front of the Sun for good health, mental, and physical harmony.
The life on the Earth is only possible through the energy from the Sun. Ancient .
Interpreting Blue Tara Ekajati
Ekajati is Mahacinatara also known as one of the 21 Taras. Ekajati is along with Palden Lhamo deity is one of the most powerful and fierce goddesses of Vajrayana Buddhist mythology.
Ekajati is the protector of secret mantras and "as the mother of the mothers of all the Buddhas" represents the ultimate unity. She is the most important protector of the Vajrayana teachings, especially the Inner Tantras and terms.
The History of the Deity Ekajati
In this .
Interpreting Buddhist Elder Kanakabharadvaja Thangka
Kanakabharadhvaja is the Elder of 8th arhat from the set of 16 great arhats. Kanakabharadhvaja is known as Bha ra dhva JA ser Chen Chong in Tibet. The meaning of Kanakabharadhvaja is Sthavira Kanaka Bharadhvaja in Sanskrit.
The life of Kanakabharadhvaja
Kanakabharadhvaja was born in 1600 to a wealthy householder. He grew up generous and compassionate, supporting the poor and giving alms to religious persons. Buddhist Elder Kanakabharadvaja was dead in 1699.
Buddha Teaching changed Kanaka Bharadhvaja .
Interpreting Buddha of Immeasurable Life – Amitabha Buddha
Amitabha Buddha is also known as celestial buddha who described in the scriptures of the Mahayana school of Buddhism. Amitabha is the principal buddha in the Pure Land sect, a branch of Buddhism practiced mainly in East Asia. According to these Amitabha's scriptures, Amitabha possesses infinite merits resulting from good deeds over countless past lives as a bodhisattva named Dharmakara.
The Viability of Amitabha buddha
In this section, we are going to learn about the viability .
Interpreting Future Buddha of this World – Maitreya Buddha
Maitreya is also known as Metteyya who is presented as a future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. In some Buddhist literature, such as the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, Maitreya is referred to as Ajita Bodhisattva. Maitreya is a bodhisattva who in the Buddhist tradition is to appear on Earth, achieve complete enlightenment, and teach the pure dharma.
According to scriptures, Maitreya will be a successor of the historic Sakyamuni Buddha, the .