International

How Buddhism helps us in developing better relationships

The dialectical context I will use is from a school of Buddhism called Mādhyamaka, a Buddhist tradition founded by Nagarjuna some 600 years after the Buddha's parinirvana (the great passing).

The Buddha and His mesage: Past, present and future

A Five Minute Introduction

What is the Nalanda Tradition?

The Nalanda tradition is a Buddhist philosophical and educational lineage that traces its origins to the ancient Nalanda University in Bihar, India. Nalanda was a renowned center of learning from the 5th to the 12th century CE and attracted diverse community of scholars from all over Asia, making significant contributions to Buddhist philosophy, logic and other fields of knowledge.

The Art of Calm Abiding Meditation

Publication of a special poem dedicated to our readers and all those who profess the Buddhist faith. May we all benefit from our Dharma practice so that all beings shall benefit from our love, kindness and compassion.

Buddhism in Laos

Theravada Buddhism became the primary cement holding together the numerous ethnic groups

Maitreya Buddha

Maitreya is a transcendent bodhisattva named as the universal Buddha of a future time.

Pure Land Buddhism

Pure Land Buddhism is a somewhat unique school of Buddhism that was popularized in China, where it was transmitted to Japan.

Eihei Dogen The Founder of Japanese Soto Zen

Eihei Dogen (1200-1253), also called Dogen Kigen or Dogen Zenji, was a Japanese Buddhist monk who established Soto Zen in Japan. He is also known for the collection of his writing called Shobogenzo, a masterpiece of the world's religious literature.

What Is a Buddha? Who Was the Buddha?

The standard answer to the question 'What is a Buddha?' is, 'A Buddha is someone who has realized the enlightenment that ends the cycle of birth and death and which brings liberation from suffering.'

An Introduction to Buddhist Tantra

The esoteric teachings, secret initiations, and erotic imagery associated with Buddhist tantra have fueled no end of interest. But tantra may not be what you think it is.

Buddhism: 11 Common Misunderstandings and Mistakes

People believe many things about Buddhism that simply are incorrect. They think Buddhists want to get enlightened so they can be blissed out all the time. If something bad happens to you, it's because of something you did in a past life. Everybody knows that Buddhists have to be vegetarians. Unfortunately, much of what 'everybody knows' about Buddhism isn't true. Explore these common but mistaken ideas many people in the West have about Buddhism.

What Buddha Didn't Say About God

I smacked into a couple of blog posts today on the question of what the Buddha said about God. And since the websites seem to think my comments are incoming spam, I am responding to one of the posts here.

History of Buddhism in China: The First Thousand Years

Buddhism is practiced in many countries and cultures throughout the world. Mahayana Buddhism has played a significant role in China and it has a long and rich history.

Faith and Doubt in the Buddhist Tradition

The word 'faith' often is used as a synonym for religion; people say 'What is your faith?' to mean 'What is your religion?'

How Mahayana Buddhism Is the Great Vehicle

Mahayana is the dominant form of Buddhism in China, Japan, Korea, Tibet, Vietnam, and several other nations.

Women Ancestors of Zen

Although 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

You'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

Great 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

Buddhism 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?

People 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

This 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

The 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

As 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

From 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