Articles written by Dharmacharya Gurudas Sunyatananda

How To Guides |
Community

About me - Dharmacharya Gurudas Sunyatananda

Internationally respected, life coach and teacher, Lama Gurudas Sunyatananda (Dr. F. Gianmichael Salvato, O.C., M.Sc.) is a Buddhist and Franciscan contemplative, and author of the popular book, "The Dharma of Compassion - One Monk's Reflections on the Teachings

+ more bio information

RSS Feed

Religion & Spirituality > Christian Doctrine & Issues The relevance of Christ in today's culture: 1 of 11

Image, Likeness and Emptiness For generations, religious teachers have quoted their scriptures to claim that Rabbi Jesus, the Nazarene, claimed to be God. Most often, the passage, "He that has seen me has seen the Father," found in John 14:9, is used to justify both the errant belief that Jesus believed in a personal God, an...
Religion & Spirituality > Atheism & Agnosticism Why human beings don't need a religion: 1 of 10

On Gods and Illusions There are days when I long for the time when I can teach the dharma in a more traditional setting, and return to the more traditional monastic rhythm, which was my life for almost two of the nearly three decades I have been a monk. And then there are days like today, when I am reminded that the opportun...
Religion & Spirituality > New Age Concepts The Universal Consciousness: 1 of 7

Toward a Consciousness of Healing In a world in which so many people still cling to superstitious beliefs in a personal divinity that is somehow separate and distinct from them where folks are willing to misinterpret useful metaphors, such as the notion of a "Blessed Trinity", and imagine that such things literally exist whe...
Relationships & Family > Friendship Issues & Advice Reasons why you should love others more than yourself: 1 of 7

We live in what appears to be a hostile, angry, violent society. Wars are being fought over control of oil, control of religion, control of race, and a lust for world domination. Women are being physically abused in far-away places like Darfur, and in our own neighbourhoods. And in so many homes, deep-seated anger and resent...
Religion & Spirituality > Christian Doctrine & Issues Faith & personal responsibility: 1 of 7

"For all kinds of diseases there are medicines and cures. But for the disease of being unwanted, except where there are willing hands to serve and compassionate hearts to love, I don't think this terrible disease can ever be cured." These powerful words were spoken by determined and visionary voice of Mother Teresa of Calcut...
Politics, News & Issues > War & Peace Predicting the end of the war in the Middle East: 1 of 6

Upon accepting the Nobel Prize for Peace, on December 10, 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. told the audience in Oslo, Norway: "Civilisation and violence are antithetical concepts Negroes of the United States, following the people of India, have demonstrated that nonviolence is not sterile passivity, but a powerful moral for...
Religion & Spirituality > Bible Study Devotional reflections: 6 of 34

HOLISTIC PRAYER On Sunday, we reflected on the scriptural account in which Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, and revealed to them the steps to manifesting their potential. (Luke 11:1-13) The account begins with Jesus teaching the disciples the principle prayer used by most Christian religions in common worship, which h...
Religion & Spirituality > Christian Doctrine & Issues Is the Bible the word of God: 6 of 28

If I had to identify one of the greatest misfortunes of the Christian tradition, and had to choose one thing I would eliminate from the Christian experience, it would be the bible. I think that one of the most profound injustices done to the Living Faith occurred at the Ecumenical Council of Trent, when an arbitrary collecti...
Religion & Spirituality > Speculations & Criticisms Religion: Tolerance of others: 3 of 12

SANTA'S NOT THE PROBLEM, VIRGINIA! It happens every year, but this year the shrill whining of the religious-right over "the secularisation of Christmas" and how "traditional family values" are under siege has come to a nauseating crescendo. These are largely the same people whose ill-formed concept of the Sacred, combined wi...
Religion & Spirituality > Atheism & Agnosticism Atheism vs. religion: 11 of 37

Bernard Katz writes, "For as long as I care to remember, religion - like the strip-tease - has always been a display of the power of suggestion. Like the Virgin Birth, it has all too often supported an immaculate deception." As a Buddhist, I embrace no belief in any type of gods, monsters, angels or demons. My non-theistic p...