The Forms of Buddhism
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The social, historical, and religious aspects of Buddhism.
A group of lay people dressed mostly in white chant a formal invitation to a group of monks dressed in brown at an event in Australia in 2017. Despite its reputation as a "philosophy," Buddhism has rituals and traditions like any other lived religion. (Gary A Collett, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Table of Contents
- Articles (28)
- Audio/Video (50)
- Booklets (11)
- Canonical Works (22)
- Essays (18)
- Excerpts (2)
- Monographs (10)
- Papers (2)
- Reference Shelf (1)
- Subtopics (7)
Articles (28)
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Explains the strange way that Buddhists proselytize.
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Although we have acknowledged the mutually beneficial nature of the archetypal relationships between teacher and meditator, it is certainly the case that this ideal is often not met.
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Buddhism’s second step in becoming a world religion occurred during the reign of King Kaniska (r. 130?–155?, or 78?–103?) of the Kushan Empire as the religion spread into Central Asia.
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the effects of a brief mindfulness program for emotional regulation and levels of mindfulness on senior students in Brazil.
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valuable material for the contemplation of the transit of ideas between South Asia and Korea
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The lotus is rooted and grows in the slimy mud at the bottom of a pond. As it moves upward and blossoms forth, the white lotus is untainted by the mud of the Earth. Likewise, the successful monk emerges clean and purified of the world
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Mudras are hand positions often depicted in Buddhist art and used in practice to evoke a particular state of mind. The most notable mudras (Sanskrit for “seal”) are those commonly found in representations of the Buddha.
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the alleged, extraordinary natures of such powerful relics and images compelled certain individuals to narrate and recount how they were found or made, where they traveled, and the various miracles they performed as a testament to their great power
28 pages -
Discriminatory views and practices are the antithesis of Right View, and they undermine the Middle Path by perpetuating identification with concepts of independent, constant, inherently existing selves and others
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Nagarjuna uses concepts to undermine the thought-constructed ways in which we understand the world
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Tracks one fable as it moved out of India and through the Buddhist world, giving us a glimpse into both the historical places Buddhism spread to and the process of mythic assimilation.
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The four toraṇas, or gateways, [put] the stūpa, symbolically, at the place where four roads meet, as is specified in the Mahāparinibbāna Sutta.
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you can’t escape them
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This paper reminds us that behind the abstract and academic discussions of monasticism there are real communities and relationships.
Audio/Video (50)
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The story behind this odd, ancient statue
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Bhante Yuttadhammo talks about what it means to be a Buddhist, and how to think about “taking refuge”
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In the early 1970s, a young Sri Lankan boy named Dhammaruwan spontaneously recalled huge amounts of Pāli chanting. Eventually, his father gave the boy a tape recorder, and this haunting, beautiful chant was recorded some evening later. Recently, textual scholarship by Analayo Bhikkhu has suggested the memory may be from over a thousand years ago (see Rebirth in Early Buddhism).
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⭐ Recommended
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⭐ Recommended
A word for the centrality of medicine in the spread and practice of Buddhism.
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Bhante Yuttadhammo revisits the Gotami Sutta (which you may remember from the Intro to Buddhism Course) and tells us how we can recognize when our own practice of Buddhism goes off track.
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A very short video, explaining the symbolism behind a common, Tibetan Buddha statue.
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A lonely temple, nestled in the mountains of central Taiwan, says goodnight.
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A day of lectures on the history of Buddhism which led off a series of lectures on Early Buddhism.
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Venerable Analayo tells us how he thinks about the study of Buddhist history and its texts.
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When we think about spiritual formation, I think it’s done best when it’s amplified through a community.
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A few tips on recognizing and practicing authentic Buddhism.
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The essence (as opposed to the expressions) of Buddhism. A lovely introduction.
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23 min
Booklets (11)
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⭐ Recommended
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The dhamma-cakka, the ever moving Wheel of Law, is the most prominent symbol of the Buddhists.
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⭐ Recommended
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A straightforward and practical guide, this book gives detailed descriptions and explanations for the most important religious practices for lay Buddhists. Good reading for anthropologists of Buddhism, for those who have recently converted, or those who are thinking about it, this book is absolutely essential and remains my first recommendation for learning how to be a Buddhist.
Canonical Works (22)
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A simple, four line dedication prayer from the Nyingma Tradition.
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Householders and homeless alike,
Each a support for the other -
Where dreadful serpents slither,
where the lightning flashes and the sky thunders
in the dark of the night;
there meditates a mendicant -
Explains the three primary duties of a monk: guarding the senses, moderation in eating, and the devotion to wakefulness.
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Good, spiritual friendship is the whole of the holy life.
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I arranged those flowers beautifully while recollecting the great qualities of the Supreme Buddha.
Essays (18)
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Amida Buddha emerged in Mahayana Buddhism from among the multitude of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, or other Indian divine beings to become the primary expression of Unconditional Compassion and Universal Wisdom [for Pure Land Buddhists]
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I would say that the Nikāyas and Āgamas give us a “historical-realistic perspective” on the Buddha, while the Mahāyāna sūtras give us a “cosmic-metaphysical perspective.”
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The earliest Buddhist texts don’t actually say much about the Buddha, and don’t include most of the popular legends about his life.
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What impresses me most about that encounter is how unimpressive it was.
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Ajahn Geoff explains how the monastic institution works by creating an economy of gifts.
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A beautiful sermon on the value of monasticism.
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⭐ Recommended
Just as I was talking about the unhindered Light,
In rolled the morning fog -
the deed in the early text [MN135] is simply stated to be the killing, or refraining from killing, of living beings, and so on. The specific types of actions, and their approval are not mentioned. In the [later] Sanskrit text we get a list of normally around ten causes that lead to the result, many of which are illustrated
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The History of Buddhist Monasticism and Its Western Adaptation (1999) – Bhikshuni Karma Lekshe Tsomo
The general public, including Western Buddhists themselves, often assumes that Buddhist monastics are cared for by an order, as are Christian monastics, and are surprised to learn that newly-ordained Western nuns and monks may be left to deal with issues of sustenance completely on their own.
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Even if a house is of inferior quality, if decorated with flowers, it will appear to be a bower. It will become the source of a ‘clear mind’
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⭐ Recommended
An intriguing (re)definition of religion, science, and culture.
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Because of the difficulty of understanding the more abstruse concepts of Buddhism, popular Buddhism took over and modified Indian mythology
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A brief, visual history of the Theravada stupa.
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when counterfeit dhamma appears, the true Dhamma disappears, in the same way that when counterfeit money appears, true money disappears.
Excerpts (2)
Monographs (10)
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⭐ Recommended314 pages
Papers (2)
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On trying to place Buddhist altruism in conversation with Altruism as understood by the Western philosophical tradition.
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Just as the beautiful lotus blossom grows up from the mud and water, so one with an enlightened mind develops out of the ranks of ordinary beings
35 pages
Reference Shelf (1)
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A fairly comprehensive atlas of known archeological sites containing evidence of medieval Buddhists showing the spread of Buddhism across Asia.