Ryan Vong's Blog (11)

Baptism and Buddhism. Any Similarities?

I recently attended a Catholic baptism ceremony where the child was "cleansed" or purified from original sin. As I sat there and listened to the ceremony, I tried to draw some similarities between the meanings behind this ritual and Buddhist teachings. The purification was done to cleanse the soul from original sin. This sin is a condition of being born into the human condition. It's origin (simplified understanding) is that Eve ate from the apple or ate an apple which represented temptation wh… Continue

Added by Ryan Vong on March 24, 2009 at 11:44pm — 1 Comment

The Other White Meat

It has been a little over a year since I have given up eating red meat. The first month was very difficult, but I hardly think about it now. This year I've added pork "the other white meat" to this list. As I sat there with the slice of pork on my plate, I thought about the animal and the chain of events that led to it to be on my dinner plate. In those few moments, I saw the pain and felt the killing of the animal. It made me want to vomit. Namo Amitofo. Continue

Added by Ryan Vong on February 9, 2009 at 12:00am — 2 Comments

In Buddha’s Path on the Streets of San Francisco

A BLOCK off Grant Avenue in San Francisco’s Chinatown — beyond the well-worn path tourists take past souvenir shops, restaurants and a dive saloon called the Buddha Bar — begins a historical tour of a more spiritual nature. Duck into a nondescript doorway at 125 Waverly Place, ascend five narrow flights and step into the first and oldest Buddhist temple in the United States. At… Continue

Added by Ryan Vong on October 16, 2008 at 9:00pm — No Comments

Silent Prayers for 9/11

Today marks the 7th anniversary of 9/11. I send prayers of hope and compassion into the world. -r Continue

Added by Ryan Vong on September 11, 2008 at 10:33am — 2 Comments

Byodo Temple

This beautiful Buddhist temple is a replica of the 900-year-old Byodo-In located in Uji, Japan. It is located in one of the most peaceful locations in O'ahu - the Valley of the Temples. The valley is situated against a back-drop of tall cliffs and is landscaped with traditional lush Japanese gardens and koi ponds. Inside the Byodo-In Temple is a nine-foot Lotus Buddha. Outside is a thre… Continue

Added by Ryan Vong on June 29, 2008 at 11:15pm — No Comments

Olympic Torch - San Francisco

The Olympic torch has finally made it to the Bay Area. I've decided to stay put in San Jose and not join the large crowds gathering. There has been too much violence following the torch around the world, and the anger is growing. I believe in the cause of the Tibetan people, but can not protest in anger. We need to changes minds through peaceful means, and I pray that everyone is safe today. Amitofu

… Continue

Added by Ryan Vong on April 9, 2008 at 1:46pm — No Comments

Pangea Day - May 10, 2008

The idea of Pangea Day is brilliant. This project is from visionary documentary filmmaker Jehane Noujaim and the goal is to use the power of film to "strengthen tolerance and compassion while uniting millions of people to build a better future." This event will leverage mass communications, technology, and participation from people around the world to spread the… Continue

Added by Ryan Vong on February 8, 2008 at 11:47pm — 1 Comment

"Interbeing" the innerconnectedness of all things

I came across a poem by Thich Nhat Hanh that came from his meditation after many painful letters from refugee camps sent to him. I understand the wisdom in his words, but still find it difficult at times to accept the essence of the poem. My family went through a similar plight, and their stories have created anger and pain that has been dormant for years. It was difficult at first t… Continue

Added by Ryan Vong on November 27, 2007 at 12:05am — 2 Comments

What does it mean to be Buddhist?

After all these years, I went to my first Buddhist lecture at the San Jose Betsuin Church last Tuesday. It had a Shin Buddhism point of view, but what was interesting was the question of "What it means to be Buddhist?" To my surprise, some of the others like myself have basically inherited the title or raised by our parents to think we are Buddhists. However, no one can really define what being Buddhist really means.

There are some basic tenets central to Buddhism: Buddha, Sangha, and… Continue

Added by Ryan Vong on October 17, 2007 at 2:41am — 13 Comments

Blogs helping expose Myanmar horrors

The violence in Myanmar is more than disturbing. I pray for the safety of all the people in that region, and I'm glad that there are socially engaged people bringing this to the news media.

"On Thursday, as soldiers reportedly fired into crowds and beat Buddhist monks in the nation's largest city of Yangon, Htike's site posted photographs of the violence and some messages from the region. One sent at 1500 local t… Continue

Added by Ryan Vong on September 27, 2007 at 10:00pm — No Comments

Buddhism and the NING

I knew I was in trouble when I couldn't put the Buddha or Bust book by Perry Garfinkel down. It was also quite a random act since I've never found myself in the religion section of the bookstore since it was so distant from computer section. But there I was, thumbing through books about Buddhism and on "date night" nonetheless.

It has been a week, and I've enjoyed each page. It didn't take long before I became extremely curious about… Continue

Added by Ryan Vong on August 25, 2007 at 2:05pm — 5 Comments