Today my Zeus was given another name, Houjin, which translates to Heart of Gratitude. His proud family was there to watch as he was certified as a Ministers Assistant in our local Buddhist Temple. The ceremony was performed by Socho O., the head of the Buddhist Churches of America and assisted by Reverend H, with whom he will be working closely.In the last few years as Zeus has advanced to this stage I also have read books and had many discussions with him about the 
beliefs and philosophies of the Jodo Shinsu. It is a fascinating philosophy, one that I look forward to learning more about.
beliefs and philosophies of the Jodo Shinsu. It is a fascinating philosophy, one that I look forward to learning more about. Yesterday we spent four hours at a Naikan retreat (no, not the camera, that's Nikon). One of the exercises involved answering these three questions:
1. What has someone done for you in the last 24 hours for which you are grateful?
2. What have you done for someone else in the last 24 hours for which they are grateful?
3. What have you done in the last 24 hours to hurt someone else?
The lists were minutely detailed and very revealing, leaving me with some very chewy food for thought. And that was only for the previous 24 hour period! Try doing that for a lifetime!
We love you, Zeus! Congratulations!
4 comments:
Great day. I was too proud for words, and it's always nice to try another church!
That is so awesome!
What an experience! My family was so happy to be there, also, very proud.
The name fits so well.
What an honor and one that he deserves :-) Congratulations to him and all of you.
Those questions are thought-provoking and gives me some things to think about as well.
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