Life as a Buddhist
“Excessive self-deprivation is just as harmful to the soul as excessive self-indulgence.” This shouldn’t seem shocking or even new to a Buddhist. Gautama-Buddha is said to have found the Middle …
Zen and Mind
Zen is a Buddhist sect of meditation, mostly practiced in Japan. When it was the first time introduced, then it was known as the most modern way of meditation. Zen …
Basics of Confucianism
Confucianism is an intellectual, political, and religious tradition, or school of thought, that developed a distinct identity in the 5th-century bc from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius. In …
Loy Krathong Festival Thailand
Loy Krathong (pronounced Loy Kra-tong) is a very good-natured festival held in Thailand, in November every year. Technically, the date is calculated at the 12th moon in the Thai Lunar …
Meditation Neuroscience Brain Contemplative Neuroscience Ken Wilber Buddhism Philosophy
Before examining some of the research in contemplative neuroscience, it is important to discuss what contemplative neuroscience is and what relevance, if at all, it has to the study of …
Zen Koan Case of Pa Lings Snow
Case: A monk asked Pa Ling, “What is the school of Kanadeva?” Pa Ling said, “Piling up snow in a silver bowl.” Pointer: Some called the Buddha “Tathagata.” This is …
Who really wants the Dalai Lama Dead
The recent threat against the life of the Dalai Lama was attributed to a number of news sources to Osama bin Laden. This is far from the whole picture. While …
Understanding the Basics of Zen Practice
What Is This Zen Stuff? Zen is a word that gets thrown around a lot in popular media. Most people have heard of Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, …
The Basics of Buddhism
Buddhism is a philosophy, a way of life, a religion to some but to others mainly a system of ethics. The more than 300 million Buddhists in the world follow …
Zen Koan Wash your Bowl
Case: A new monk at the monastery asked Joshu Roshi, “What is the secret of Zen?” Joshu answered, “Have you eaten breakfast?” “Yes,” the new monk said. Joshu answered, “Wash …
Profile of a Rebel Buddhist Lama Chogyam Trungpa
In 1970, a Tibetan Buddhist Lama who once endured extreme thirst rather than drink fermented spirits came to America. Chogyam Trungpa never turned down a drink again. He’s defying the …
Buddhism and Morality
As with other major religions, Buddhism has an established moral code, or system of ethical dos and don’ts. For laypeople (Buddhists who are not monks or nuns) this is encapsulated …
Breathing in Everyday Life
1. Breathing. Practicing Buddhism in everyday life is very specific. Words are necessary to give suggestions for practice in everyday life. The fewer, the simpler, and the more specific they …
Buddhist Principles of Yin and Yang
Long before I really understood what it meant, I had an obsession with the yin-yang. As a child, I found comfort in its smooth lines and symmetry. At the peak …
What the Buddha Really Meant
When I was first exposed to the teachings of the Buddha, I was overwhelmingly disappointed and confused. This was largely because what the Buddha supposedly said did not make any …
Zen Koan Carrying the Raft
In China, at the base of a mountain, an impoverished young man sat in meditation in front of his hut facing a great rushing river. A monk from the mountain …
Hinduism Role and Importance of Buddha
Buddha, was born around 2500 years ago, at kapilwastu, which is now in Nepal. All his teachings were based on compassion. During his seven years of meditation, he found that …
The History and Significance of the Vidyarajas
The Vidyarajas (Japanese Myo-o) are portrayed in Buddhist teachings as a group of superior beings that help humans lead a better life. They were first given prominence in China by …
Buddhism Engaged Buddhism Passive Buddhism Nichidatsu Fujii Faith Thich Nhat Hanh
Traditional Buddhism advocates a withdrawal away from the affairs of the outside world, emphasizing that everything, including war, suffering, power, and oppression, is empty, or temporary and illusory. To become …
A Comprehensive Guide to Zen Buddhism
The term “Zen” has its roots in the Sanskrit word “Dhyana”. Dhyana means meditation. Zen Buddhism was brought to China by the Indian monk Bodhidharma in the 6th century CE. …
Goutama Buddhas Reasons for Visiting Sri Lanka
Buddhist texts tend to be quite diverse, with some stories overlapping, some contradicting, and others seeming downright independent of another doctrine. The legend of Buddha’s visit to Sri Lanka in …
Eastern Tea Ceremony and the Western Wine Tasting
We can see some differences between Western and Eastern traditions by comparing the Zen tea ceremony with the Western wine tasting ceremony. Both take a simple concept, having a drink, …
Dependent Origination the Concept of Cause and Effect in Buddhism
Dependent Origination At the heart of Buddhism is the concept that one thing causes another. This idea of a causal connection can be found in very special teaching peculiar to …
The Noble Eightfold Path in Buddhism
Siddartha Guatama, who had come to be known as Buddha, passed on many spiritual teachings that have survived hundreds of years and have lent themselves to much discussion and in-depth …
Yin and Yang
The Delicate Balance of Yin and Yang Has Been Broken The Yin and yang could be a very difficult concept to understand to us because western philosophy is based on …
The Indian Buddhist Missionary Dharmakema
Dharamasema was an Indian Buddhist missionary who was born in 385 who is famous for his translations of Buddhist scripts in Dunhuang, located in modern-day Gansu Province in China. He …
The History of Buddhism in Medieval Vietnam
Buddhism has a long history in Asia; it originated in India through the teachings of Prince Siddhartha Guatama who rejected courtly life in order to find nirvana. His teachings grew …
Buddhas Teaching Gods Creation
What was Buddha’s teaching about God’s creation? Most of us are of the opinion that Buddha never spoke much about God at all. Here is Buddha’s teaching about God, and …
Abraham Hicks and Oneness of Humanity
Mark and I were at the weekly metaphysical book study group that we love to attend when one of the members commented, “I don’t notice Abraham-Hicks saying much about the …
Zen Koan One Hand Clapping
An adept asks his Roshi, “What is the secret of Zen?” Roshi quickly replies, “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” The adept takes his leave considering the case …
Book Reviews the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Soygal Rinpoche
Tibetan Book of the Dead The Tibetan Book of the Dead, also known as Bardo Thodol, is a complicated, amazing adventure story. Written in the Tibetan Nyingma tradition, it is …
The Buddhist Concept of Friendship
“Metta”, translated as “loving-kindness” or “wishing happiness for others”, is the Buddhist concept of good friendship. The term implies expectations and individual responsibility, in line with the essence of the …