Celebrating the Buddha's Birth, Enlightenment, and Death

Buddhism

In celebration of Vesak, I chatted with Plum Village Brother Chân Pháp Lưu about the importance of the holiday, Engaged Buddhism, and the recent passing of beloved Zen Master Thich Nhat...

Spring's Three High Moons in the Northern Hemisphere

We have “Three High Moons” each Spring in the Northern Hemisphere. The coming Full Moon of Sun in Taurus and Moon in Scorpio is the second “High Moon” of Spring,...

Zen Philosophy: Teachings of Buddha

As a Gnostic/Stoic person who believes in the spirit, I would have to say most of Buddhism teachings are something which appeal to me quite a bit as they require...

The Noble Dedication: “Protecting All Beings”

“I, too, make this dedication” Many people are renewing aspirations and vows that benefit others and the world. Millions, maybe billions, of people are praying for the well-being of others and that...

A Buddhist Way to Celebrate Valentine’s Day

Around 2,500 years ago, the Buddha left his family to go on a journey to eradicate suffering for himself—and everyone else—once and for all. It doesn’t sound very romantic, right? Maybe not,...

A Buddhist Approach to Entering the New Year

If you ask me what my year-end ritual is, I would say “having expectations.” This is just something that occurs naturally. We desire certain things, certain outcomes. And we tend to...

Buddhist Insight on How to Deal with our Emotions

In the past, I had no idea how to work with my emotions. In fact, I knew little about them. Whenever something upsetting happened, I poured all my energy into changing...

A Buddhist Way To Let Go Of Your Past

We all struggle to let go of the past. Although the past is long gone, we tend to keep it alive in our minds. A wide range of emotions arise as...

How To Forgive Yourself Like A Buddha

Forgiving others has been a difficult task for me in the past. Despite my strong desire to forgive someone and remove the burden from my shoulders, there was something missing from...

Buddhism & Relationships: The Four Noble Truths Of Love

I’ve been studying Buddhism for a few years now, and in that time, I’ve come to learn that worship and blind devotion were of no concern to the Buddha. His main...

Buddhism On Overthinking—& How To Stop It.

Thinking about our problems is natural—how else would we solve them? Thinking is a normal activity of the brain, yet, oftentimes, we cross the limit of “normal” thinking. We think about...

The Dhyani Buddhas And Their Balancing Influence For Us

Dear Friends,since some month now we have been provided with intensively high energies, transmitted to us from the universal forces. This allowed a lot of people to make quantum leaps...

The Buddha’s Guide to Dealing with Desire

In the Buddha’s teaching of The Four Noble Truths, the first truth is that suffering exists. The second truth states that all suffering has a cause. In...

A Basic Buddhism Guide: What is Meditation?

I constantly emphasize the importance of understanding meditation before practicing it. Several people who came to the sessions I gave last year thought that meditation is for...

The Buddhist Way Of Transforming Sickness Into Happiness

According to Buddhism, our mind shapes our reality. Whether we are happy or unhappy, healthy or unhealthy, is determined by the way we think. Buddhists also believe that sickness is...

Five Buddhist Solutions for Eradicating Worry

It's Easy Once You Know How... My 10-day ‘Introduction to Buddhism’ course was held in the main Gompa of Tushita Meditation Center. One of the texts that were written on the walls inside read...

How to Practice Tonglen

Pema Chödrön teaches us “sending and taking,” an ancient Buddhist practice to awaken compassion. With each in-breath, we take in others’ pain. With each out-breath, we send them relief. Tonglen practice, also...

34 Interesting Facts About Buddhism And Its Founder Gautama Buddha

Here are the top interesting facts about Buddhism: #1 It teaches that the ”Middle Way” is the best path towards spiritual liberation. Neither too much asceticism nor too much of worldliness are...

A Method Of Forgiveness Using A Buddhist Prayer

Forgiveness can take place via a wide range of methods and choices, but why should we forgive? How does that help us? Take a moment to read this Buddhist prayer below...

Seven Teachings from the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

Throughout mankind, there has been many spiritual documents and instructions uncovered, but we are faced with one problem; which one do we follow? Well, it’s up to you to decide...

What Is Zen Buddhism and How Do You Practice It?

Zen teacher Norman Fischer takes you through the principles and practices of the major schools of Zen. Includes specially selected articles for further reading. What does “Zen” mean? The word “Zen” is...

The 12 Laws Of Karma

What is Karma? Karma is the Sanskrit word for action. It is equivalent to Newton’s law of ‘every action must have a reaction’. When we think, speak or act we...

Wesak Festival Full Moon Blessings

Lord Gautama Buddha is one of the many Ascended Masters with whom I have a great affinity. For this reason, I look forward to channeling and dispensing his blessings on...

What Are The Three Jewels?

Buddhists take refuge in three different expressions of awakened mind: buddha, dharma, and sangha. Each of these is a precious and necessary element of the Buddhist path, and so they...

How to Establish a Daily Practice Of Almost Anything, in Six Steps

Whether it’s meditation, yoga, or your favorite creative activity, you’ll get so much more from doing it every day. Follow these six steps, says Anne Cushman, to enjoy all the...

How to Work With Fear and Pain in a Moment of Crisis

Even when it feels like you’re lost in the universe, Emily Horn explains, you can face the unknown with a still and calm heart-mind. As I watched the snow fall on the mountains...

The 4 Noble Truths of Emotional Suffering

The Buddha laid out a four-step path to freedom from difficult emotions. The secret, says Anyen Rinpoche, is understanding why our emotions cause us so much suffering. Once we know...

How to Transform Anger in 4 Steps

Using the traditional metaphor of the poison tree, Judy Lief teaches us four Buddhist techniques to work with our anger. According to Buddhist psychology, anger is one of the six root kleshas, the...

THIS Is Why Every Person Has 4 Wives And Husbands In Their Life,...

Gautama Buddha said that each person has 4 wives or husbands in their lives. To understand what he meant you should first read the short story of ‘A Man and His...

The Eightfold Path

The Eightfold Path of Buddhism, also called the Middle Path or Middle Way, is the system of following these eight divisions of the path to achieve spiritual enlightenment and cease...

The Weary Advocate’s Guide to Happiness

I worked on the front lines of environmental justice for twenty-five years. Thirteen years ago, I adopted Buddhism as a spiritual practice. Daily meditation, Sutra study, and retreats with Zen...

How to Feed Your Demons

Lama Tsutrim Allione teaches you an innovative technique to turn your inner demons into friends. Feeding our demons rather than fighting them contradicts the conventional approach of fighting against whatever assails...

5 Practices for Nurturing Happiness

We all want to be happy and there are many books and teachers in the world that try to help people be happier. Yet we all continue to suffer. Therefore, we...

What Makes You a Buddhist?

It’s not the clothes you wear, the ceremonies you perform, or the meditation you do, says Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse. It’s not what you eat, how much you drink, or who...

The History of Laughing Buddha

You are probably pretty familiar with the image of the big Buddha by now; the boisterous jolly fellow with the large protruding stomach who carries the name Laughing Buddha and...

The Answer to Anger & Aggression is Patience

We can suppress anger and aggression or act it out, either way making things worse for ourselves and others. Or we can practice patience: wait, experience the anger and investigate...

20 Ways to Get Good Karma

Instructions for Life by The Dalai Lama Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

The Legend and Significance of Wesak

Wesak is the celebration of Buddha's birth & enlightenment, & in some traditions also his death. As the most important figure in Buddhism his life is celebrated and revered. Gathering...

The Happy Buddha (The Laughing Buddha)

The Happy Buddha, with a huge smile on his face and a large round belly, shows us the joy and the best of being who we really are. No matter...

The Path

Of paths, the best is the Eightfold, the Four Truths are the best truths; the best virtue is detachment, best among men he who follows Dhamma. * This is the path. It leads to insight. It...

Kuan Yin

Who Is Kuan Yin? Kuan Yin (also spelled Guan Yin, Kwan Yin) is the bodhisattva of compassion venerated by East Asian Buddhists. Commonly known as the Goddess of Mercy, Kuan Yin is also revered...

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...

Basic Teachings of the Buddha - Part 2

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...

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...

The Buddhist Community - Part 4

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...

Different Kinds Of Buddhism - Part 5

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...

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....

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...

Glossary and Sources - Part 8

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...

10 Tips for Mastering Change

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 Yin rides...

Maitreya Buddha

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...

The Life of Buddha - Documentary

These documentaries tell the story of the Buddha’s life, a journey especially relevant to our own bewildering times of violent change and spiritual confusion. It features the work of some...

Buddhism : Quotations

Wesak is an Eastern Tradition

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,...

The Legend of The Wesak

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,...

Meditation in Preparation for the Wesak Festival

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...

Wesak Meditation

The following meditation was written by Michael Robbin Wesak Meditation

After Wesak

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...

The Shaolin Monastery

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...

History of the Shaolin Monks

"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: Verse 1 - 3

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 path such as compassion,...

Training the Mind: Verse 4 - 8

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

Bon - Tibet's Indigenous Religion

Bon was the indigenous religion of Tibet that, when partly absorbed by the Buddhist traditions introduced from India in the 8th century, gave Tibetan Buddhism much of its distinctive character. Little...

The Shenpa Syndrome

Learning to Stay By: Pema Chodron Berkeley Shambhala Center I'm going to introduce you to a Tibetan word, and if you went and looked for teachings on this, you wouldn't find any —...