Tag: Buddha

Maybe this is because in the month prior to the holidays we spend so much time talking about presents. Even thinking about gifts below the tree was enough to thrill me for days. As I grew up, Christmas started meaning more for me. It extended from giving and receiving presents, to putting up deco...

In 1961, the last King of Afghanistan, Mohammed Zaire Shah, discovered remnants of an ancient city while on a hunting trip high in the Hindu Kush Mountains. Soon after the ruins of this ancient city were excavated by a team of archaeologists. They unearthed a large palace, a gymnasium, a theat...

In old Tokyo, two teachers named Unsho and Tanzan had opposing lifestyles. Unsho, a Shingon instructor, strictly followed Buddha’s precepts, abstaining even from food at night. Tanzan, a university professor, freely indulged in wine and sleep whenever he wished. One day, abstinent Unsho vis...

Despite my strong desire to forgive someone and remove the burden from my shoulders, there was something missing from my process of forgiveness. It took me years and a lot of self-reflection to realize that there was one stop I didn’t visit before reaching the other person’s station: ...

Buddha is the best doctor, he identifies your illness (suffering) and figures out the causes (craving). He gives you the cures (Eightfold Path) to lead a healthy life (Nirvana). In this article, I will talk about the first two noble truths. Life is suffering One of the most common misunders...

William James’ typology of philosophers of the tender-minded and the tough-minded temperament provides a compelling analogy here. James used this categorization not for theoretical purposes, but to encourage effective action, to ‘get things done’ in the business of philosophy. He r...

Christians should be cautious when adopting other forms of worship or meditation. We should be aware of the dangers of assuming all religions lead to the same end. It is here we should pay attention to what is written in 2 Corinthians 14, “And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel ...

Why did Huineng’s poem satisfy the Fifth Patriarch? Because he demonstrates the insight into emptiness. If “all is empty from the beginning”, nothing needs to be done. To think the mind needs to be constantly purified is to overlook the doctrine that everything is empty. By realisi...

This rare and important hanging scroll by the Japanese artist TOSA YUKIHIRO* depicts the passing of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni into nirvana. In Buddhist thought, nirvana is a release from the cycle of death and rebirth. Parinirvana is the ultimate nirvana, which occurs with the death of the ph...