A day ago, I was nominated by a kind blogging friend, Ena of the prettyplusandproud blog for the Blogger Recognition Award. I feel extremely honored and I thank her very much! Moreover, I commend her dedicated social advocacy.
The Rules of the Award are as Follows:
- Thank the blog who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
- Write a post to show the award.
- Share the experience that prompted you to start blogging.
- Give a piece of advice to new bloggers.
- Nominate 15 other blogs and personally inform them of their nomination.
How Pure Land Sutras started:
I started translating Chinese Mahayana Pure Land Buddhist sutras in 2014 after realizing that many important sutras and scriptures that I had long taken for granted were mostly unavailable in the West. What had begun as a project for a short tractate turned into a delightful three year odyssey of translations, essays, poems, discussions and correspondence with new friends. All of my posts, articles, translations, poems and essays are free and in the Public Domain, and I encourage other authors to donate their works into the Public Domain as well. In October of last year, a Dharma friend encouraged me to start a blog to serve as a doorway to my translations, and that is how this blog started.
Advice to New Bloggers:
My advice is that one should give voice to those who deserve it most: People in need, worthy causes, small non profits and so forth. It does not matter if you receive only 1 follower or 10,000 followers, as long as a worthy thing is being said, great merit will result.
I Nominate:
https://essenceofbuddhism.wordpress.com
https://dailyhealthpoints.wordpress.com
https://rothpoetry.wordpress.com
https://herschelmann.wordpress.com
https://seenorway.wordpress.com
https://danielpaulmarshall.com
https://kannonsmercy.wordpress.com
https://fauxcroft.wordpress.com
https://anonymouslyautistic.net
I would like to thank all the visitors and followers who have shown my blog so much support since its inception, I am truly touched by your kindness!
Pure Land Sutras 
Congratulations!
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Thank you very much Benn!
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Well done!
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Thank you very much!
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Oh God. I have to do all that.
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It’s worth it!
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Congratulations
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Thank you very much!
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I nominated you for this award, but you have just done it. If you want to check out the post, here it is: https://susiesopinions.wordpress.com/2017/01/08/i-was-nominated-for-the-blogger-recognition-award/
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Thank you so much, I am very touched by your support and recognition, will do a second post!
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Congrats to you 🙂
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Thank you very much!
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I like what you write Brian. Look forward to your posts dear poet.
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Thanks Yasmin, your poems are always the highlight of my day.
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And yours mine. No post from you. ?
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Thanks, I’m taking some time off to think of a longer work, but here are a few short ones I published (in public domain) on poetry soup.com:
The Lotus Lagoon
In Amida’s Pure Land
There is a sea of blue,
And upon its tranquil hue
Adorn millions of lotuses,
Each gleaming with a
Growing dream,
A dream for Bodhi,
And blooming Samadhi!
New Years Ballad
Centuries old trees are common
But centenarians on
The street are a rare sight indeed,
As rare as it could be.
For hours slip and days melt away,
And as youthful spring fades,
Silver strands race to O’ertake.
Faces once gleaming with dreams
Become creased and weary,
So cherish each fleeting moment
To do good and repent!
Swap the temporal for the true,
For an Eden of your own!
Life is Just a Cattle Drive
Life is just a cattle drive
Of trending hype,
Of endless stress
Crushing like wine press,
A tango with fortune’s
Many taunts and tantrums,
A gamble to grapple with fate,
So gaze with care at the
Forked roads before you,
Which way can you surely say
Is not smothered by smog?
Ode to Gratitude: Repaying the Roots with Fruit
Our forefathers plowed
For our fathers to sow,
Sowing so we could reap!
But, if we should keep
Such bountiful treasure
For mere pleasure,
And take the sweat of
Their brows for granted,
Then we have lost our way
And failed to be worthy heirs!
For the branches repay the roots
With the flowers and fruits!
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Awesome. Fabulous verse.
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Thanks Yasmin!
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