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Religion & Spirituality > Buddhism The Four Noble Truths: 1 of 12
The Four Noble TruthsAfter he had gained enlightenment the Buddha faced a significant dilemma: whether to share what he had discovered with others or to keep it to himself. After some deliberation, out of compassion for the world, he decided to share his newfound knowledge. Several weeks after his enlightenment therefore the ... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Hinduism Karma and reincarnation explained: 1 of 7
Karma and RebirthKarma:Karma' is a Sanskrit which literally means action'. This is a key concept in Buddhism, as it is in Hinduism. At its most simple, the Buddha taught that our actions (including thought, word and deed) have consequences. In short, good deeds lead to happy states and bad deeds lead to unhappy ones. The fol... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Buddhism The life of the Buddha: 1 of 6
The word Buddha' means enlightened one' or 'awakened one'. The Buddha is also referred to as the Tathagata' or the thus gone one', which means the one who has achieved enlightenment. Buddhism has the notion of not just one Buddha but many. The historical Buddha is just one of these and is referred to as Sakyamuni, meaning sag... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Buddhism Buddhism and meditation: 3 of 9
Calm Meditation'Calm' or samatha meditation is about bringing about mental quiet and physical relaxation. It is also about a lot more than this depending on how far one wants to go. One of the most popular approaches is to focus on the breath, concentrating on each inhalation and each exhalation. Here are some basic instruct... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Buddhism The Three Marks of Existence: 1 of 1
The Three Marks of ExistenceThe Buddha taught that all things in life have three inescapable factors underlying them. To understand each of them at an experiential level is to come to a true knowledge of reality. These three marks' or characteristics' are: impermanence (or anicca), suffering (or dukkha) and not-self (or anat... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Buddhism Dependent origination: The concept of cause and effect in Buddhism: 1 of 1
Dependent OriginationAt the heart of Buddhism is the concept that one thing causes another. This idea of a causal connection can be found in a very special teaching peculiar to Buddhism known as dependent origination (or paticca-sammuppada). In short, the origin of one thing is dependent on what preceded it. - there is a cau... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Buddhism The Buddhist moral code: 2 of 3
The Buddhist Moral CodeAs with other major religions, Buddhism has an established moral code, or system of ethical dos and don'ts. For lay people (Buddhists who are not monks or nuns) this is encapsulated in the five precepts. A precept is a rule about how we should act or conduct ourselves. Monks and nuns adhere to further ... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Buddhism Commentary on compassion and true nature: 3 of 4
Compassion and Loving-kindnessCompassion:Compassion (or karuna) starts with the Buddha for he is seen as a supremely compassionate being. After he had gained enlightenment, he made the compassionate choice of sharing what he had discovered with others, even though he thought it might be too difficult for most to understand: ... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Buddhism The Buddhist concept of mindfulness: 5 of 6
MindfulnessInsight Meditation:Insight meditation or vipassana takes quite a different approach to that of calm or samatha meditation. Whereas calm meditation is about concentrating the mind, insight meditation is about awareness of the present moment. A key word used for this type of meditation is mindfulness'. One of the mo... More..