Women Ancestors of Zen
By Admin Webmaster 3/8/2021 10:25:37 AMAlthough male teachers dominate the recorded history of Zen Buddhism, many remarkable women were part of Zen history also.
Zen 101: A Brief Introduction to Zen Buddhism
By Admin Webmaster 3/3/2021 9:41:09 AMYou've heard of Zen. You may even have had moments of Zen—instances of insight and a feeling of connectedness and understanding that seem to come out of nowhere. But what exactly is Zen?
Gods, Goddesses and Buddhist Tantra
By Admin Webmaster 3/1/2021 10:01:18 AMGreat misunderstanding surrounds the many deities of Buddhist tantra. On the surface, the veneration of tantric deities looks like polytheism. And it's easy to assume that a "goddess of mercy,"
Basic Beliefs and Tenets of Buddhism
By Admin Webmaster 2/22/2021 10:52:38 AMBuddhism is a religion based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who was born in the fifth century B.C. in what is now Nepal and northern India.
Which Buddhist Teachings Might Be Most Helpful?
By Admin Webmaster 2/6/2016 10:31:10 AMPeople who want to learn about Buddhism often ask me what book they should buy. This is hard to answer because there is no one Buddhism: there’s Zen Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, Theravadin (my own original tradition), Nichiren, Pure Land, and a host of others. They developed in different parts...
It need saying - Buddhism is a religion
By Admin Webmaster 2/6/2016 10:31:10 AMThis is the right time to say it. The bandwagon of secularization of Buddhism has gradually gathered momentum to the point where it now threatens the whole basis of what the Buddha bequeathed us. Buddhism is becoming popular, but it is doing so in a...
Jizo: Japan’s Beloved Savior of Lost Souls
By Admin Webmaster 2/6/2016 10:31:10 AMThe Buddhist deity Kshitigarbha, or “He who encompasses the Earth,” has a powerful and ubiquitous presence in Japan, where figures of him depicted as a bald-headed priest and often wearing red bibs or other articles of clothing are common not only in Buddhist temples...
Reunification the dream for South Korea’s Buddhist patriarch
By Admin Webmaster 2/6/2016 10:31:10 AMAs the sun set over South Korea’s capital, the usual cacophony of sounds associated with a bustling major city was replaced by human voices — hundreds of thousands of them, chanting peacefully.
'Charya Nritya': Ancient Buddhist Dances of Wisdom and Healing in the Modern World
By Admin Webmaster 2/6/2016 10:31:10 AMFrom antiquity to the present, Nepal has remained an epicenter and a sanctuary of Dharmic activity—a place of cross-pollination and preservation of ancient traditions. Nepal is magnificent in its dichotomies and seeming contradictions that have blended over time ...
Haunting the Himalayas: Spirits, Demons, and Gods in Tibetan Buddhism
By Admin Webmaster 2/6/2016 10:31:10 AMWhether by the titanic mountains of the Himalayan range or the weird, lonely, lunar expanse of the plateau itself, it is not unusual to feel overwhelmed by the natural landscape of Tibet. It is small wonder, then, that from the earliest times...
The Search for an Identity in Buddhist Studies
By Admin Webmaster 2/6/2016 10:31:10 AMBuddhist Studies in the academy is going through a gradual and understated trend. Yet, this trend is one of the most important stages in its intellectual evolution. Since the 1990s, Buddhist Studies has been welcoming more insiders...
Other-Power in Pure Land Buddhism
By Admin Webmaster 2/6/2016 10:31:10 AMFor many coming to Pure Land Buddhism for the first time it is perhaps a point which is not encouraging and sounding too much like other spiritual traditions. It is sometimes further suggested...
Messages on the United Nations Day of Vesak Celebrations 2014
By Admin Webmaster 2/6/2016 10:31:10 AMI extend my greetings to participants of the 11th Anniversary Celebrations and International Buddhist Conference on the United Nations Day of Vesak 2014, being hosted by the National Vietnam Buddhist Sangha. For Buddhists across the world ...
Amitabha Buddha’s Three Vows of Deliverance (Part III – The 20th Vow)
By Admin Webmaster 2/6/2016 10:31:10 AMIn the 20th vow, sentient beings in the ten directions are always aware of, or feel concerned, or concentrate their thoughts, about the Land of Bliss upon hearing the name of Amitabha Buddha. They attempt to ‘plant the root of various virtues’...
Amitabha Buddha’s Three Vows of Deliverance (Part I – The 18th Vow)
By Admin Webmaster 2/6/2016 10:31:10 AMIn this three-part series, Pure Land columnist Alan Kwan examines the three most important vows of Amitabha Buddha’s forty-eight vows, which constitute Amitabha’s plan for saving sentient beings. These are known as the Three Vows of Deliverance.
Buddhism, the Pearl River Delta and the Maritime Silk Road
By Admin Webmaster 2/6/2016 10:31:10 AMThe 2000-year-old Silk Road refers to the trade routes and transcontinental economy of Central Eurasia. However, its history is much richer when one looks into its maritime dimension. According to Central Eurasian scholar Christopher Beckwith, the naval passageways...
Living on the Edge
By Admin Webmaster 2/6/2016 10:31:10 AMThe Diskit monastery is situated on the hill, just above the flood plains of the Shyok River, on its right bank in the Diskit village (3,144 metres (10,315 ft)) in Nubra Valley. Diskit Monastery has been built at the edge of the approach road. Approach to the monastery is through ...
In each of us
By Admin Webmaster 2/6/2016 10:31:10 AMDespite being a Hindu throughout my life, I have a very high regard for Buddha and Buddhism. I regard Buddhism as the highest pedestal of all other existing religions and philosophies in the world, because Buddha was always humble even after his ‘Enlightenment’. ..
Buddhist Sutta / Sutras Overview
By Admin Webmaster 2/6/2016 10:31:10 AMIn Buddhism, 'sutra' (Sanskrit) or 'sutta' (Pali) refers to canonical scriptures that are believed to be based on actual oral teachings of the Buddha. Although none of them were written down during his lifetime, tradition teaches that his senior disciples memorized his major ...
Dalai Lama: Seek riches and you'll never be satisfied
By Admin Webmaster 2/6/2016 10:31:10 AMThe Dalai Lama's second day in Louisville started on a solemn and contemplative note as he began two sessions of teachings at the KFC Yum! Center on Monday morning. He said he tells audiences in countries that are not traditionally Buddhist that he discourages ...
My first encounter with a Buddhist Monk
By Admin Webmaster 2/6/2016 10:31:10 AMAs I was approaching a mall in the middle of the campus, something astonishing happened. To the right of my field of vision, the door of a big stone building suddenly swung open and out stepped a middle-aged man with East Asian features wearing a yellow-orange robe. He was immediately followed by a tall American man, who then caught up with him, and the two walked side by side talking.
Les 6 grands conciles bouddhiques (1)
By Admin Webmaster 2/6/2016 10:31:10 AMIntroduction générale sur les 6 grands conciles bouddhiques, suivie d’une petite histoire racontant l’organisation de chacun d’entre eux et les raisons qui ont motivé ces réunions.
South Korea Jogye Buddhist monks launch reforms
By Admin Webmaster 2/6/2016 10:31:10 AMBuddhist leaders in South Korea have announced that they will bring in professional managers to run temple finances, following recent "misbehaviour" by several monks. The country's main Jogye Order has been dogged by in-fighting and criticism since the latest scandal.
The Buddhist Revival in Burma
By Admin Webmaster 2/6/2016 10:31:10 AMBurma under British rule was not so much subject to religious suppression as Ceylon. Europeanization was not so great there as to affect much the cultural life of the Burmese, since the British administered Burma only as a part of India and the British colonial period there was much shorter than in Ceylon.
Message The United Nations Day of Vesak Celebrations From Supreme Patriarch of Thailand
By Admin Webmaster 2/6/2016 10:31:10 AMBuddhism is the teaching of the Buddha; briefly saying, it is to let us know the truth of life which is about Dukkha or sufferings, the nature of life. Saying in broad- view principles, it is the teaching of excluding the wrong doings, performing the good deeds and purifying one's mind.
Message from Her Excellency Ms. Yingluck Shinawatra Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand
By Admin Webmaster 2/6/2016 10:31:10 AMThailand is honoured to host the 9th International Buddhist Conference on the United Nations Day of Vesak from 31 May to 2 June 2012. Over 5,000 participants from 84 countries include the Sangha members, Buddhist spiritual leaders and international academics.
Buddhist delegation visits ancient viharaya in Kotapola
By Admin Webmaster 2/6/2016 10:31:10 AMKotapola, Sri Lanka -- An international Buddhist delegation led by Ven Hou Jen Chun, the abbot of the World Buddhist Ch'an Jing Centre of the United States of America will visit Gatabaruwa Raja Maha Viharaya, Kotapola.
Guan Yim: Goddess of Compassion
By Admin Webmaster 2/6/2016 10:31:10 AMGuan Yim/ Guan Yin/Kuan Yim/ Kuan Yin is synonymous with the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, the pinnacle of mercy, compassion, kindness and love.
The Origin and Meaning of the Buddhist Flag
By Admin Webmaster 2/6/2016 10:31:10 AMThe Buddhist Flag, first hoisted in 1885 in Sri Lanka, is a symbol of faith and peace used throughout the world to represent the Buddhist faith. There appears to have been a controversy over as to who designed the Buddhist Flag.
Lotus lantern festival designated as Korea's "important intangible cultural
By Admin Webmaster 2/6/2016 10:31:10 AMSeoul, South Korea -- The Lotus lantern festival, “Yeondeunghoe” in Korean, was designated the intangible cultural heritage No. 122 by the Cultural heritage administration.