|
Welcome to some of buddhist writings of the BFF of Ct's senior
lay dharma teacher G.R. Lewis, known as Senpai, whose original Buddhist name was Tri Nguyen (Source of Wisdom).
In addition, Mr. Lewis is the founder and leader of the North American Shin Buddhist Association (NASBA).
G.R. Lewis is one of those current young American-born Buddhist teachers who has the endowed gift to communicate
and share the dharma in the context of modern 21st century American culture; furthermore his charismatic energy
inspires others to practice and share the dharma with the world. While others consider him a dharma teacher, he is the first
to mention that he has no students but only wishes to practice and share the Buddha’s teachings. This refreshing attitude
is in keeping with the founder of Shin Buddhism, Shinran Shonin, who said, “I have not disciples.” G.R. Lewis
emphasizes that Shin does not have gurus and that he is certainly not an eminent sage nor ever cares to be one. Being a lay
dharma teacher is his part-time volunteer public service contribution. In his
words, “I’m a bonpu (foolish being) who is just trying to get along like everyone else.” As a result, G.R.
Lewis considers himself as the “head student” of the organization rather than its “head teacher.”
In 2001, he established the Buddhist Faith Fellowship of Connecticut (BFF) as an informal and caring environment
to practice the Shin dharma. The idea was to establish a Buddhist sangha in the spirit of the 13th century reformer,
Shinran Shonin, stressing equality, democracy and humility. Over the years, because of its practical and in-depth teachings,
sense of community and anti-cult approach, the BFF had become more and more popular among locals and evolved rapidly
into a network of affiliated chapters in places like: Connecticut, New York, New Mexico, Texas, Ohio, Florida, Oregon, California, Canada, Mexico,
Puerto Rico, Argentina and Spain.
He is also the founder of two Shin Buddhist organizations: the North American Shin
Buddhist Association (NASBA), and the New England Institute of Buddhist Studies.
Currently, the Buddhist Faith Fellowship of Connecticut is the largest Shin congregation in New England and the fastest growing
Shin Buddhist community in the Americas
through the continued growth of its many affiliated chapters.
In addition, G.R. Lewis is involved in organizing retreats, serving as a speaker to various local Buddhist
groups, and teaching the "Discovering Buddhism 101" and "Spiritual Maturity & Leadership 201, " "Deepening Practice
and Mission 301" and the "Discovering Shin Buddhism" courses at the New England Institute
of Buddhist Studies in Middletown, Connecticut.
The following Shin Buddhist writings deal with deeply spiritual issues on a very personal level.
These are not abstract and dry expositions of Buddhist doctrine or philosophy but are reflections that explore the
subject matter on a very emotional, personal, true and real way. Each essay reveals the essence of the Shin
Buddhist teachings in a wonderfully open style that are insightfully engaging to the reader. For more information on G.R. Lewis,
refer to the below links. Enjoy!
For more writings of G.R. Lewis online, google the web sites called "Buddhist Prayer" and the indepth "Buddhist
Beliefs, Practices and Experiences." He has also extensively written about Shin Buddhism in the Spanish Language. If
you can read Spanish, google "Asamblea de la Fe Budista" and "¿Qué es el Budismo Shin?" and "La Espiritualidad Shin."
|
