Crystal Wind™

Buddhism

"Buddhism has the characteristics of what would be expected in a cosmic religion for the future: it transcends a personal God, avoids dogmas and theology; it covers both the natural and spiritual, and it is based on a religious sense aspiring from the experience of all things, natural and spiritual, as a meaningful unity."

A widely cited, but apparently spurious quotation attributed to Albert Einstein.

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Introduction to Buddhism - Part 1

As a child, Siddhartha the Buddha, was troubled by some of the same thoughts that children today have. They wonder about birth and death. They wonder why they get sick and why...

THE THREE UNIVERSAL TRUTHS One day, the Buddha sat down in the shade of a tree and noticed how beautiful the countryside was. Flowers were blooming and trees were putting on bright new...

Following the Buddha's Teachings - Part 3

FOLLOWING THE BUDDHA'S TEACHINGS The Buddha spoke the Four Noble Truths and many other teachings, but at the heart they all stress the same thing. An ancient story explains this well. Once a very...

THE BUDDHIST COMMUNITY In Asia, it is considered the highest honor if a member of one's family leaves the home life. Westerners, however, may be shocked at the idea of anyone leaving their...

DIFFERENT KINDS OF BUDDHISM TWO SCHOOLS OF BUDDHISM In the centuries following the Buddha's lifetime, his followers faithfully preserved his teachings and spread them to many countries in Asia. Today, there are two main...

Scriptures, Symbols and Festivals - Part 6

BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES, SYMBOLS, AND FESTIVALS BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES The Dharma reveals the Buddha's understanding of life. The Buddha instructed countless people, but he, himself, wrote nothing down, just as Jesus wrote nothing down. They both...

Jataka Tales and Other Buddhist Stories - Part 7

JATAKA TALES AND OTHER BUDDHIST STORIES The Buddha was a great storyteller and often told stories to get his message across. Stories were also told about the Buddha by his followers both to...

GLOSSARY asuras: Beings who like to fight. Bodhi tree: A pipal tree that is known as the 'tree of enlightenment'. The tree under which Gautama achieved enlightenment and became a Buddha. Bodhisattva: A...

Linda White Dove One of my favorite pictures of spiritual mastery is of Quan Yin riding the back of a ferocious tiger. Despite the unpredictability of the tiger, Quan...

Buddha Maitreya is the Buddha of the future, also known as the Laughing Buddha, is the one to follow up the historical Buddha Sakyamuni. He waits in the Tusita heaven...

Years ago our local Buddhist Abbey contacted us about the fact that we were using the wrong date to celebrate Wesak. They reminded me that Buddha was born a Hindu,...

There is a valley, lying at a rather high altitude in the foothills of the Himalayan-Tibet ranges. It is surrounded by high mountains on all sides except towards the northeast,...

The following Wesak meditations written by Lucille Cedrecrans may be helpful. Meditation in Preparation for the Wesak Festival Prepare for meditation, please. Focus the consciousness in the cave and identify as the Conscious...

The following meditation was written by Michael Robbins in 2006: Wesak Meditation 1. Withdraw your consciousness from the personality and its vehicles and enter deeply into the presence of the soul. Feel...

Find an Emotional Disturbance Project a Resolution Focus on the Soul’s Divine Intent We aspire to the highest possible attainment for ourselves and our group so as to benefit the Wesak Festival in...

Origins and History of the Shaolin Monastery At several points in the long recorded history of China, Buddhism has fallen out of favor with the ruling classes, and temples have been shut down...

"Shaolin monks train in both empty-hand kung fu and weapons fighting." Shaolin Monks History The Shaolin Monastery is the most famous temple in China, renowned for its kung fu fighting monks. With amazing...

The Fighting Monks of Shaolin Temple vs. Japanese Pirates

Ordinarily, the life of a Buddhist monk involves meditation, contemplation and simplicity. In mid-16th century China, however, the monks of Shaolin Temple were called upon to battle Japanese pirates who...

Training the Mind The first seven verses of the Eight Verses for Training the Mind deal with the practices associated with cultivating the method aspect of the...

Training the Mind continued... The first seven verses of the Eight Verses for Training the Mind deal with the practices associated with cultivating the...