Pearce Fujiura

God has done a great job. He/She/It has made a wonderful world beyond our comprehension. Creation is so vast and complex that everything imaginable is possible and yet God has given it a structure that has allowed for predictability within this realm.

When do we ask for help? I have often thought about this question. For various reasons, life becomes overwhelming. We struggle and suffer under seemingly impossible trials at one time or another.

A gohonzen, or in some areas a hatokesan, is a shrine in a Buddhist's home where one can worship in the absence of a temple.

This week’s viewpoint is very meaningful for me. I am likely the only contributor who routinely performs euthanasia. As a veterinarian it is an unpleasant reality of the job.

As 2013 approaches, I am considering more and more the consequences of my actions. More accurately my inaction. I have spent a great deal of time thinking of myself as a Buddhist who has few worldly attachments, kind actions, and a generous spirit.

At first glance these seem like simple questions, but beneath it is a deeper implication into our actions. We may want others to help us, we may want others to trust us, but we are reluctant to give these things to others.

I have two favorite holiday traditions the first one is the hanging of lights, which if you recall from my Christmas article last year, is a shared Buddhist and western tradition.