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| Shin Buddhism is graceful, free, strong and gentle. |
We are affiliated with the Buddhist Faith Fellowship,
an international association of North American Shin
Buddhist communities. We offer an open, caring, and
nurturing environment for all who seek the Buddhist experience.
We see ourselves as spiritual pioneers of the
21st century, expanding the boundaries of the Buddha Dharma and helping to create a new North American Buddhism.
Below is a description of the mission, inspiration, journey, practices
and guiding principles of our association.
Our Mission: Our task is to provide a positive and nurturing environment that explores our human
potential and cultivates the spiritual awakening to the Oneness of life, symbolized as Amida Buddha. Together, we are actively engaged in the Buddhist teachings and practices to transform ourselves in service
to other beings and the world. As equals, we encourage one another to understand, accept and live by the Buddha Dharma, sharing
its message of hope, peace and compassion with all.
Our Inspiration: Anchored in the Mahayana tradition, we are dedicated to the teachings of the
historical Buddha and the 13th century Japanese reformer, Shinran Shonin, the founder of Shin Buddhism or Jodo Shinshu. In addition, we are inspired by the iconoclastic and meditative Soto Zen tradition, as an effective skillful means to better cultivate a calm and lucid heart
and mind to hear the spiritual light within us. We are also open to
all Buddhist traditions and the entirety of world spirituality and wisdom.
Our Journey:
We are called to entrust ourselves to the heart of Great Compassion, symbolized as Amida Buddha, to live by her calling,
to gracefully experience the unfolding of life and to practice love and compassion with others. As a result, we are spiritually
transformed, experiencing a renewed life of joy, purpose, and gratitude and dedicated to promoting the welfare of all sentient
beings.
Our Practices: While our inclusion of Soto Zen practice acknowledges the value we place on inner silence
through meditation, the heart of Shin practice is about integrating spirituality with daily living by developing deeper
compassion; practicing monpo or deep hearing (mindfulness); and voicing the nembutsu (Namo-Amida-Butsu) as an
expression of our trust in and gratitude for the ultimate Oneness of life. We engage in community service, support one another’s
spiritual growth, and strive to remember that we are all foolish humans doing the best that we can.
Our Guiding Principles
We honor the Six Principles of Harmony, taught by the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni over 2, 500 years ago in Northern India. These Six Principles are our organization’s guiding values. The BFF diligently seeks to maintain
a harmonious, friendly, and open-minded atmosphere. The Six Principles of Harmony are:
1. Sharing similar
viewpoints and aspirations
2. Practicing the
same ethical precepts
3. Living and practicing
peacefully together
4. Abstaining from
quarrelling and bickering
5. Experiencing
the inner peace and joy that results from community practice
6. Sharing our
benefits so as to be a blessing to each other and to the world
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