An Introduction to Buddhism (poster)

Tuesday 28 January, 2014 7:15-8:15pm

Quiet Room, 3rd Floor Koffler House (Multifaith Center), University of Toronto

569 Spadina Ave, Toronto, M5S 2J7 (map)

Contact: sgi at utoronto dot ca

 

Featuring

 

- Discussion of teachings from Buddhist sutras

- Live demonstration of spiritual practice of chanting

- FREE to everyone

 

Do you believe in Karma? We often heard, it should be my karma to know this self-centred person, or it should be his karma to experience that tragedy. It seems that karma is something undesirable that happens to us and we are powerless to avoid it.

 

In viewpoint of Buddhism, karma means .action., it can be both desirable and undesirable. We may recount how unlikely by chance that we come to know our soulmates; How similar our appearances and characters with our parents that we are born as their sons or daugthers; or how I had deified all odds to come to UofT to study. Is there underlying powers or deities that drive our fates and directs our destinies?

 

We often have some parts in us that we don't like, maybe we're too lazy, too coward, not clever, overweight ..., Why I need to suffer these while some people seem to born carefree? Am I powerless in changing such persistence negative tendencies ?

 

All these questions had been addressed in the concept of karma, which are the registry of all our thoughts, intentions and actions since our eternal past. At the right moments, karma will manifest as events in lives that fall on us, based on whether we had made good or bad karma.

 

Yet with its ubiquitousness, the essence of Buddhism teaches that we can transform our negative karma into benefits in lives, as we summon the great potentials and determinations that exists in everyone of us.

 

Here in this meeting, we will explain in detail the Buddhist concetps of karma, its relation to our lives and how we can take control of our karma.

 

Read more on Karma

 

 

Quotes

 

"Karma is, like everything, in constant flux. We create our own present and future by the choices we make in each moment. Understood in this light, the teaching of karma does not encourage resignation, but empowers us to become the protagonists in the unfolding drama of our lives."

-from January 1999 SGI Quarterly

 

"Present effects are due to karmic causes from the past. However, future effects arise from the causes we make in the present. It is always the present that counts. No matter what kind of Karmic causes we have made in the past, through the causes we make in the present we can achieve a brilliant future."

- from Daisaku Ikeda, President of Soka Gakkai International (SGI)

 

(Additional Information on Buddhism)

 

Note: Similar Buddhism introductory and chanting sessions will be held throughout the Fall Semester, at particular Tuesdays at the same time and location. Please refer to our website for updated information, and send us an email.