Buddhist monk competing in Olympics

Wisdom Quarterly

"Usain - not every man wants to be the fastest in the world," Durex brags on billboard.

  
Ven. Kenki Sato is in London competing in the Olympics. The sport he is competing in is -- not the archery Siddhartha was so good at, which would currently have him being beat by a blind man -- equestrian. Sensei is a Mahayana Buddhist monastic who resides in Myoshoji Temple, Japan. 

  

"Oh, I get it! That's pretty funny."

The monastery is located in the mountains near Nagano. His father, Shodo, is the 25th master of the 460-year-old temple and adjacent horse-riding club. Sensei follows his younger brother Eiken, who not only trained as a monk but in addition rode at the Beijing Olympics. His 24-year-old sister, Tae, is a five-time national show-jumping champion.

With his horse -- not named "Kanthaka" like Siddhartha's boyhood pony -- "Boy Toy," the venerable monk is seen on the track. He has won two gold medals in individual and team jumping at the 16th Asian Games in 2010.

• PHOTOS: Olympic sports part of daily life for tribes worldwide

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World Peace Pilgrimage (Mt. Baldy)

WorldPeacePilgrimage.com; JKiser, Pacifica Radio; Wisdom Quarterly

Faiths are uniting for world peace high above on Los Angeles' "holy mountain."

  

For the past three years over 200 people from different faiths have come together on sacred Mount Baldy.

• Mt. Baldy Zen Center

Often snow capped high in the San Gabriel mountain range in eastern Los Angeles County towering over the city, the gathering sends out waves of love and light to the world from its communication center.

  

This annual event draws together pilgrims from all walks of life gathering together, hiking together, singing together, and "praying" together for the sake of co-creating world peace as a blessing to Mother Earth and all her inhabitants.

  

This is a FREE EVENT (other than the cost of the ski-lift). For pilgrimage logistics and to register, see... More

  

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A Buddhist Path to Recovery? (video)

Buddhist Recovery at Against the Stream, Los Angeles; Wisdom Quarterly (Part 1 of 3)

(SoberLiving.com, SLtscrc) This drug rehab program has succeeded for over 25 years in Newport Beach, California, specializing in separate treatment programs for women or men, including an eating disorder facility. After 30-90 days of sobriety, the Beachside Extended Care Program allows structured treatment in a monitored residence to reintegrate into society. Or get back into the classroom through T.E.A.C.H., which provides transportation and highly supportive academic counseling. Info: (866) 323-5609.
 

The Four Truths of Recovery

These four truths come from a Buddhist perspective that says:
  
“All beings have the power and potential to free themselves from suffering.”
  
We [at Dharma Punx/Against the Stream] feel confident in the Buddha’s teachings to relieve suffering of all kinds, including the suffering of addiction.

1. Addiction creates suffering.

We come to understand, acknowledge, admit, and accept all of the ways our addictions and addictive behaviors have caused suffering in our lives.

• ACTION: Write an in-depth and detailed inventory of the suffering you have experienced in association with your addictions.

2. Addiction is not all your fault.

We come to understand that all forms of addiction have their roots in the natural human tendency to crave for life to be more pleasurable and less painful than it actually is. The addict is not at fault for the root causes and conditions that lead to addiction, only for the habitual reactive patterns that perpetuate it.

• ACTION: Investigate, analyze, and share this inventory with your mentor or teacher and come to understand the nature of your addiction/suffering.

3. Recovery is possible.

Freedom from the suffering caused by addiction is attainable -- if we are ready and willing to take responsibility for our actions and follow the Eightfold Path.

• ACTION: Take refuge in the community, practice, and potential of your own recovery. Study and apply the principles of the path, and eventually you will become confident with a verified faith in the path of recovery/enlightenment through the actions you take on the path.

4. The Eightfold Path to recovery

After the ecstasy, the laundry: Recovery is work.

This is an abstinence-based path and philosophy. We believe that the recovery process begins when abstinence (from all substances and related behaviors) begins. The eight factors or folds of the path are meant to be developed, penetrated, and experienced for oneself. This is not a linear path; it is not taken in order. Rather, all of the factors are developed and applied simultaneously. This is a guide to having a life freed of addiction. The eight folds of recovery are maintained and brought to perfection throughout life.

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