I want to first thank everyone who came out to our second general body meeting of the quarter, especially our first guest speaker, Mukojima-sensei, and Bill for visiting us!
Here's a short re-cap of what we learned.
Mukojima-sensei is from the Buddhist Temple of San Diego. He practices a sect of Buddhism called Shin Buddhism or Jodo Shinshu. This sect was founded over 750 years ago in Japan.
He began his lesson with the Sakyamuni Buddha's first teaching: Dukkha or suffering. Sensei elaborated on the eight types of suffering. He addressed how all these types of suffering happen to us or to other people in our daily lives. In general, we don't want to suffer but we encounter it all the time. He says that recognizing the fact that we suffer in these ways is an important step to achieving enlightenment and seeking truth.
He also explained the six worlds of delusions and reincarnation in Buddhism. Some Buddhist sects believe that we encounter these six worlds after we die. Shin Buddhism teaches us that we pass through these six worlds while we're alive. He even pointed out how we can go through all of them in a single day. This is what makes it important for us to live each day to its fullest, he said.
Sensei then touched on the topic of karma. The Buddha teaches us that whatever we do in the present affects our future and that our future is open to the possibilities. Mukojima-sensei concluded with a quote from the Buddha that highlights how our thoughts and actions reflect our results.
