When we think about spirituality, we mostly think about specific teachings or doctrines that need to be accepted. This is a common assumption among communities with traditional faiths like Catholic Spain or Islamic Indonesia. For such communities, spirituality can be a sensitive issue because it traditionally brings to mind a place of worship or scriptures, […]
Buddhism
Chösgyal: Kings of Old Tubo
A stele of a Buddha or bodhisattva image in Purang in Ngari Prefecture, Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, exudes the courtly mystique and power of the ancient Tibetan imperium (Tubo) during the first diffusion of Buddhism. Functioning perhaps as a donative monument or a pillar of a long-lost temple, this stele was erected in either 826 or 838: […]
Bodhisattva Vows as Liberation Theology
I was raised in what I consider to have been a very “liberal” Catholic household. Outside our evening “grace” before dinner and weekly church service, God and religion were rarely discussed. When I was of confirmation age, I was given the option to go forward or not. I chose not. Fast-forward through the nearly 25 […]
Disenchant and Re-enchant: Spiritual Writing for a Cynical Age
Last week Buddhistdoor Global published a View about infusing the media industry with the values of the Noble Eightfold Path. Each “stoke” of the Eightfold Path can have fairly complicated considerations, but then again, journalism is a complicated industry. I also believe that regardless of our platform, whether it’s online or print, writers don’t give […]
Buddhist Values and Leadership: Zoya Sandzhieva
Politics has become somewhat of a dirty word in Buddhist life. Sometimes, this is for legitimate reasons. However, if we are to be consistent, then we should welcome and support those who become statesmen with a genuine wish to benefit their people and whose vision has common ground with our Buddhist values. Zoya Sandzhieva, minister […]
The Extraordinary Conceptions of Mary and Maya
Conceiving a child without a man’s involvement is, at its heart, a miraculous phenomenon because pregnancy cannot occur without sexual activity and the fertilization of the egg by the sperm. Among some animals and insects we can witness asexual reproduction in which embryos grow without fertilization, or parthenogenesis (from the Greek “virgin creation”). According to […]
Science and Religion
Master Jingzong; English translation by Chia Chang Wang, edited by Jingtu “Religion” here refers specifically to faiths that embrace a single creator-god. Science and religion are like day and night. Science resembles the day; it wants to reveal things clearly. Religion is like the night, intending to enshroud everything. Don’t criticize religions as “superstitious,” or […]
Why Hindutva Ideology Will Obstruct Indian Buddhist Diplomacy
It was relatively recently in 2014 that Indian PM Narendra Modi went on an all-out charm offensive to Buddhists domestically and globally, appearing alongside Asian leaders at Buddhist sites during international trips and appearing personally at Bodh Gaya in September 2015 at the invitation of the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC). While activities related to […]
Buddhism and Youth: A Symposium
University of British Columbia • November 4, 2017 There are Buddhist monastic rules, stories, and teachings that directly address those of lesser years and the issues that are thought to be unique to their stage of life. And Buddhist individuals and groups have created literature, activities, and organizations for boys, girls, and young people in general. Although young people have appeared throughout Buddhist history, Buddhists have engaged most […]
Buddhism and the Tea Leaf: One Fine Marriage
From this month till December, The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Studies at the University of Toronto is running a workshop series on the relationship between tea and Buddhist culture, history, and practice, along with tasting and sampling sessions with tea sommeliers. In the diverse regions covered in this series (the […]