San Marcos Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

"May we not be oppressed by the eight worldly concerns," says the Buddhist blessing. What is it talking about?? The Eight Worldly Concerns are central to Buddhist philosophy, and pertain to our reactions to praise and blame, pleasure and pain, material gain and loss, and fame and disgrace--in other words, the business of living. We spend most of our time dealing with one or another of these emotional forces, and how we do it can build our spiritual strength or tear us apart. The teaching is surely idealistic, but is it naive? Let’s delve the ancient wisdom and see if it still applies in today’s world.