What is Zen?
In the sixth century, an immigrating monk from India or Persia by the name of Bodhidharma introduced Mahayana-Buddhism to China. His doctrine was then fertilized with Chinese Taoism resulting in …
Zen Koan Meeting your Master
Case: A wandering monk was walking down the road when he met a Zen master. The monk bowed three times, knelt, and then rose. “Excellent,” said the master, and the …
Buddhism Holy Days and Celebrations
Buddhism is an ancient religion that is practiced all around the world, mostly in Asian countries. Most religions have celebrations, holy days, and days of commemoration. Buddhism is no different. …
Ten Reasons Buddhism is in all Religions
When one thinks of Buddhism, it is often considered as another of the many religions that permeate the world. While it is in the top 5 (Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, …
Buddha’s Mother
If one answers, Queen Maya of Sakya was Buddha’s mother, one denies the reality. If one denies that Queen Maya of Sakya was Buddha’s mother, one is ignorant of the …
Buddhist Cave Temples in China
When the Silk Road was established in the second century BC, it allowed more than the free flow of goods throughout Asia. It also facilitated cultural exchange between countries that …
Zen Moment
Zen moment” vs “regular moment The difference between a “Zen moment” and a “regular moment” is the difference between an event and a story. We are so used to telling …
Einstein Atheism Agnostic Humanist Scientist God Religion
By common definition, an atheist rejects all forms of religion and denies outright the existence of God. If this definition is used to weigh Albert Einstein’s belief in God or …
Five Precepts to remember in Buddhism
To understand Buddhists morality, one must understand one of the principles that Buddha laid out: the Five Precepts. They are the social and moral code that prevents people from destroying …
Introduction to the Karma – Buddhism
Centuries before becoming a major Buddhist concept Karma was a central theme in what we now call Hinduism. The word “karma” translates to “action” or “deed”. Thus, simply put, Karma …
The Buddhist Attitude to other Religions
Buddhists have a non-attitude towards other religions, they recognise, unlike most of the dominant religions in the world today, that there are many overlapping paths to the same goal. If …
Buddhism – Introduction to Mudras
Mudras have been used in the East for thousands of years, mostly in relationship with meditation. You notice Buddhist statues and artwork have the hands placed in significant poses. Mudras …
3 Main Schools of Buddhism
Buddhism doesn’t have one set of particular rules. There are three main schools of Buddhism and many branches of those trees have their own customs and beliefs as well. The …
Social Welfare – A Buddhist Concept
Without social welfare Siddhartha Gautama would never have become Shakyamuni Buddha. It was through the ingrained, but not enforced it must be noted, social welfare structures of his time that …
Siddhartha Gautama – Who was he?
We know him better in the West as the Buddha, but his name was Siddhartha Gautama. Like many Hindus of his time he was born into a particular station in …
Nirvana – Buddhism Introduction
Nirvana is what you call “ultimate enlightenment” which is the equivalent to Heaven in Christianity. In a sense, this is the ultimate goal for all practitioners of Buddhism. That was …
Mudras – A Buddhism Introduction
Buddhism art and imagery are rich with symbolism. In particular, specific hand gestures or mudras are found throughout Buddhist art and are used by individuals during meditation and other Buddhist …
Buddhist Funeral Rites
Buddhist funeral rites are an interesting thing. No funeral rites are the as they could apply from one country to another. There are plenty of Buddhists in China, Hong Kong, …
The Symbols of Buddhism
There were offerings made to Shakyamuni Buddha immediately after attaining his enlightenment. These were the eight symbols of good fortune. The Two Golden Fishes The two fish in the design …
Understanding Buddist Funeral Rites
There are many schools of Buddhism. Each school has a different version of truths and rites. All the sects seem to believe that the monks hold an essential part in …
The Buddhist Outlook on the Individual
Buddhism is a belief system tailored for the individual on a “vision quest”; the individual who identifies with being “a work in progress”; the individual who yearns to be self-sufficient …
Nirvana the Ultimate
Samsara is the cycle of reincarnation It is recognized in both Hinduism and Buddhism. This cycle takes place as a soul learns to end suffering by participating in wholesome Karma. …
Friendship – A Buddhist’s Concept
“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 …
Mind and Body – A Buddhist View
The focus point of the Buddhist teachings are the mind and body, which involves the human mind as the steering wheel. The Buddhism belief system teaches that the mind controls …
An Introduction to Buddhism
Enlightenment: One Way or Another Buddism or Buddha Dhamma has little to do with the cute and sexy hippie chic Dharma and her lawyer husband, Greg. A poor-man’s translation would …
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. His defying the …
Important Terms and Words in Buddhism
Many of the words and terms essential to Buddhism are in the Pali or Sanskrit languages and have remained common derivatives from the original for centuries, even when speaking in …
Practicing Buddhism in Everyday Life
These past few weeks I have been unable to hold the positive energy that normally moves so naturally through me. I confess, I have been discontented. This discontentment is nothing …
The Life of the Buddha the four Sights
Siddhartha Gautama, the first Buddha, was born into wealth and opulence. After his birth, a seer told his parents that Siddhartha would either save humanity or become a great ruler. …
The Theories of Buddhism and Evolution
There is causality in evolution, that causality is recognized in Buddhism. The evolution itself cannot become a theory, as it is not of a law in and of itself, the …
On Believing in Karma
I am a believer of Karmic Law. It probably can not be proven scientifically but I’ve seen it working and experience it on a daily basis. Carmen Harra explains it …
Friendship According to Buddhist Concept
Friendship is a pretty interesting subject in Buddhism. In Buddhism, you can be friends with anybody. However, you’re supposed to choose your friends wisely. Good friends are friends that are …