By Laura Bennett Lately, I’ve been on a journey to be more compassionate towards myself. For me, this has meant learning to offer more compassion towards the thoughts, sensations, emotions, perceptions, and habitual patterns that arise. This journey has also naturally lent itself toward learning how to truly receive compassion. When I say compassion here,…
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The Human Condition
by Kimmy Sensei When we are newborns, one of the first pieces of information to get logged into ourmedical record is a diagnosis code. The most commonly received code in America is “Z-3-8”, this is the diagnosis code that describes being born. Being born is a condition. Being human is a condition. One that we…
The Dharma of Creativity
By Rio Branham I want to talk about an idea expressed in this quote from Rev. Gyomay Kubose, Living in oneness with [the] Buddha’s teachings is a creative life in which everything becomes meaningful. I’ve been coming across this idea in lots of different places, that a spiritual life, awakening, enlightenment, is related to creativity…
Bodhi Day
INTRODUCTION On Bodhi Day, the community pauses to remember the Buddha’s awakening beneath the Bodhi tree and to reflect on what awakening might look like in their own lives. The Buddha taught that much of human suffering arises from the stories people tell about who they are, what they deserve, and how the world is…
Is not impermanence the very fragrance of our days?
Good morning. So the title of this dharma talk is actually a quote from Rainer Maria Rilke: “Is not impermanence the very fragrance of our days?” I love this quote because it reminds me that our impermanence is what gives life meaning. The fleeting, unknowable, ephemeral, impermanent nature of being alive can bring heartbreak and…
The Truly Settled State: Resting in Amida’s Boundless Compassion
by Gwen Juvenal The phrase Namu Amida Butsu, or the nembutsu, is central to our practice at the Buddhist Fellowship. We translate it as “Come as you are.” This simple invitation holds immense depth. It encourages us to set down the weight of who we think we are, or who we must be, and rest in infinite…
Making Offerings to the Buddha
By Laura Bennett Welcome to another gathering of the Salt Lake Buddhist Fellowship. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Laura, and I’m one of the new practice leaders of our fellowship. I’ve been a member of the Sangha for a few years now, and I am grateful for the opportunity…
Face to Face Here And Now
By Kelly Branan When we say together, Namu Amida Butsu, we are not reciting a password. We’re not trying to pass some hidden test. We’re responding to an invitation—simple, yet profound: “Come as you are.” That’s it. No prerequisites. No spiritual résumé. No checklist of virtues. Just you, here, now, with all your baggage, all your…
Hide Self View
By Kimmy Dojinyo Sensei Hi, welcome, and thank you for being here with us in community. Today, I want to share how much I have been thinking about myself—specifically, my delusion of self. This Dharma Talk idea first came about during a Zoom meeting several years back, shortly after the COVID lockdowns, when a large…
The Space In Between: Miles Davis, Pure Land, and the Music of Emptiness.
by Steve Rojin Genyo Lefever 🪷 Opening Koans “Not knowing is most intimate.”Zen Master Dizang “It’s not the notes you play, it’s the notes you don’t play.”Miles Davis “True entrusting is living fully in the here and now.”Rev. Koyo Kubose 🎺 Who Was Miles Davis? Miles Davis (1926–1991) was one of the most influential jazz…
Everyday Nembutsu 