HAVE A QUESTION? Ask– ask@appliedbuddhism.com !
While on safari in Africa 2014
Joshua spent 8 years as a healthcare advocate for the Department of Veteran Affairs, and speaker on the “anatomy of a complaint,” “Service recovery and violation of self” and “How to build better healthcare experiences” for the Society of Healthcare Consumer Advocates. He also has spent 2 years working with adults and adolescents with drug and alcohol recovery.
After a 22-year career as a combat camera photojournalist, managing editor/feature writer for G.I. Jobs and Vetrepreneur Magazines, and photographer for the Pittsburgh Tribune; Sumitta now writes for the Applied Buddhism and other publications as on life, family, and faith. He is also ordained by the International Order of Ministers as Reverend Sumitta, which is endorsed by the Buddhist Sangha of Southern California. He is an attendant at the Pittsburgh Buddhist Center and a council member of the Buddhist Society of Pittsburgh.
Hey Joshua,
I don’t know if you saw or not, but the pairings have been posted on Nate’s blog for the article swap, and I’ve been picked to write here, for your blog. Go ahead and get ahold of me when you think of a topic for me to write on. Articles are supposed to go up on the 2nd.
Cheers.
I didn’t see that at all. What is the link again?? Need to figure out who I am writing for.
As far as my blog. I have only one theme….how to directly apply Buddhism to every day practical living. It can be relationships, work, finding happiness in the moment, or even how to use Buddhist mindfulness to do chores about the house.
Cheers, J sumitta
Here is the link:
http://preciousmetal.wordpress.com/2010/03/22/article-swap-pt-3-pairings-announced/
Any facet of everyday life in particular you would like for me to write about?
Joshua, the pairings for the vlog swap are up at preciousmetal.wordpress.com
you and Danny Fisher will be swapping…
Hi Joshua, we are paired for the next article swap! You have my email now, sorry it took me so long to contact you. Let’s figure out how we want to do this. There is a cool live chat tool called Cover It Live that you can embed on just about any web page, I was thinking about using that for a live interview that others could see as it happens and ask their own questions as well. Let me know what you think is doable.
metta
Richard
Well said sir.
For a few years, having read the Tibetan Book of Living and Dieing I became a follower of Buddhas teaching.
Then, having been swallowed, I suppose, by the world – I live around London – the teachings faded away and I resumed a typical western life. But for those few years I was immensely happy internally, but felt alienated from those around me.
Many years later (10), and in trouble, I asked god for help. “If you are there then now is the time to reveal yourself. I need your help, I dont know what to do”
And he duly did, and he helped me, and it is an astonishing thing. If you are interested then I suggest you do the same if you haven’t already. Truly, it is beyond words to describe the feeling when God comes and says hello.
Blown away, I was baptised and confirmed as soon as I could and have spent the last five years as a Christian. But now I find myself reaching for my old Tibetan book.
I believe they are both trying to tell us the same thing.
The worst thing I ever read in the Bible is “I am the way, the the truth, and the life, and no man may find the Father but through me”. This is the primary reason why a christian would not contemplate another faith. Luckily (I doubt its luck) I found Buddhism first.
I am not going to be a christian buddhist. I will be a man that learnt from the wisdom of Buddha and Jesus. Both are responsible for the biggest outpours of wisdom there has ever been.
Son of God? Perhaps. Does it matter? Nope.
Poor people starving, children dieing, the sick and lonely neglected – does that matter? Yes it does.
Cheers, and do ask God to say Hello.
Thank you for this comment. It is helpful, but I am still reluctant to believe there is a God, I used to believe in God, and then I stopped and Buddhist views make much more sense to me, but now I feel I’m having a spiritual crisis and I envy people who can believe in God and Christianity wholeheartedly. I like your idea to ask God to say hello, but I’m not expecting much, because I reject certain elements of the Christian faith, such as the only way is through Jesus, for example. This was very well said, thanks for your thoughts.
It is always good to be questioning. If you do not check the structures of your beliefs, then how can you know if they are solid and true to you? So let me ask you to do the following exercise. Sit in meditation. Ask yourself, “what is it that you envy in people that believe in God?” “Why are those things important?” “Why are they important to you?” “Do you not believe in God or not believe in Christianity as a religion?” “Is God Christianity or is God … God? And is Christianity just how some of us relate to God?”
For those who find that their only path to a connection to the universe and meaning to life is through God; AND for those who find that their only path to God that resonates with them is Christianity– I would respond, “May you be well and happy.” For those who find those meanings and connections through other practices or their own practice– I would respond, “May you find your own paths to being well and happy.”
Buddhism is not about understanding the origins of the universe, but the nature of it. It is not a question of whether it is infinite but an acceptance that it is indefinite and forever changing. Just like us, all things are impermanent (anicca) and without permanent-fixed definition (anatta).
Hey Joshua,
I am in research at vaphs-UD. I wanted to ask you about opportunities for practicing samatha-vipassana in Pittsburgh (or surrounding localities). Are you aware of any folks who follow/teach such practice in the area?
It appears that the Natrona Heights Center teaches anapanasati and metta (to which I am not opposed, by any means).
Thoughts?
Ben Congedo
The Pittsburgh Buddhist Center and the Shambala group would be good places to start. You can also talk to some of the people at Laughing Rivers, who also have members who work at UD and Aspinwall.