The Keys to the Kingdoms

“And when the Pharisees demanded: ‘When will the kingdom of God come?’ he answered them and said, ‘The kingdom of God will not be seen. Neither will they say, ‘Lo here!’ or, ‘lo there!’ ‘for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.’” (Luke 17:20-21)  This popular verse is understood to mean that, as opposed…

Nirvana is Within You

A friend was telling me about a recent visit to Turkey which included the ancient monastic cells of monks in the caves of Cappadocia. As he considers himself a “typical engineering type,” he was trying to understand why people would adopt such a reclusive lifestyle. I agreed with him, but not for any mathematical formulas…

Nirvana and/or Samsara

In Zen Buddhism, a “Bodhisatva” is someone who could achieve nirvana and escape the vicissitudes or “real” life (“samsara“), but refuses to do so unless s/he can do the same for all humanity. On the other hand, in Hinayana Buddhism, the “Arhat” recognizes that every individual has a unique destiny and has the responsibility for…