Sensei Vonn On Ritual And Reflection

Dharma in the Desert

Sensei Vonn is a currently a tokudo minister at the Arizona Buddhist Temple, where he has been serving for the past two years. As a former military man he brings a lot of really different insights that many of us don’t get to see on a daily basis and therefore brings a really unique and interesting perspective to his interpretations of Buddhism. He’s also one of the most knowledgeable star wars fans that I know, which I’m sure will come up in subsequent talks and episodes. In today’s discussion, Sensei Von discusses the role of traditions and rituals in our daily lives and also delves into what these mean in the context of Jodoshinshu and Buddhism as a whole. He gets at the idea that rituals and routines serve as a way to bring people together, but also offer opportunities to reflect on our lives and share these moments with others.