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Newcomers to Buddhism are frequently told that Buddhism isn’t a religion. However, one must employ a very narrow misunderstanding of the word religion in order to exclude Buddhism. Ancient Buddhist doctrine is suggestive of a polytheistic religion. Deities and devotional rites remain an important fact of Buddhist life as far as many practitioners in the heartlands of modern day Asia are concerned…
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One might reasonably expect the long history of scholarly endeavours to have shed some light on the Buddha’s life and teachings. Unfortunately, the evidence such as it exists is inconclusive and liable to provoke scepticism and hostility even among Buddhists. The historical Buddha remains an enigmatic figure and it raises a number of questions that need untangling and addressing…
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Death is a timeless theme common to all religions. The corpse being taken around after the feast is a stark reminder to people to appreciate life as well as the ever present reality of death. The corpse attracts varying reactions, from indifference of the young to the reflective expressions of the older figures…
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I don’t always agree with self-declared “ex-Buddhist” Eisel Mazard, nevertheless I do count him among the people who have assisted my own developing understanding of the religion. While giving a very brief description of the “fundamental flaw” Mazard sees in Buddhism I also recommend watching the embedded video to hear it straight from the horses mouth…
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Buddhist cosmological and soteriological beliefs are a challenge for minds steeped in Western culture. We are of course at liberty to reject karma and rebirth as redundant metaphysical theories, but we shouldn’t make the mistake of viewing these traditional teachings as mere religious accretion. Nor should we accept dharma without any references to karma and rebirth as the Buddhadharma – as taught by the Buddha himself.
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Anyone wanting to follow in the Buddha’s non-violent footsteps will sooner or later have to examine their beliefs about food and decide for themselves whether or not they align with the dhamma. This essay examines some of the claims that are frequently made by Buddhists who eat meat and Buddhists who don’t.
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‘Tis the season for resolutions. The tradition of making a New Year resolution can be a useful one for cultivating the kinds of wholesome habits that the Buddha recommended (generosity, compassion, mindfulness… etc.). Here’s a collection of habit-building tips that can stop any good intentions crashing and burning by the end of January 2017. Merry Christmas everyone!
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Buddhism is less about following rules and more about abandoning self-serving narratives. The Precept, “I resolve not to kill but to cherish all life”, must be understood on three levels – fundamentally as an exercise in mindfulness; flexibly as a guide to ethical living; ultimately as a meditation on selfless interdependence.
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Blaming others for our suffering is a common response. Buddhism, however, teaches that we create our own suffering – no one else does. Anxiety, fear, resentment, anger, etc. are the unwholesome fruits of karma and 100% self-created.
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The Buddha taught that suffering is rooted in attachment to all that’s beloved and pleasing yet destined to change and vanish. So why bother with working out and dietary management if my body will inevitably succumb to ageing, sickness and death? Should I not just let nature take its course, watch what happens and accept it all gracefully?
