Category: Teachings
The Buddha is Still Teaching
The true Buddha isn’t limited to the body or mind of a particular person who lived long ago. He is present today, says Jack Kornfield, in teachers pointing the way to a timeless freedom.
How to Read and Study Buddhist Teachings
There is such a wealth of Buddhist books and teachings to consume. Where do you start? Here are some tips on how to tackle your reading list.
Lots of Buddhas
In Sanskrit, the word buddha can mean “awakened,” “expanded,” and “understood.” It was the title bestowed on an itinerant teacher about whom little is known, apart from the teachings that have been attributed to him. The Buddha first appears in the rock edicts of Emperor Ashoka, who ruled India from 268 to 232 BCE. For…
Bodhidharma’s Wall Gazing Meditation
Zen teacher Karen Maezen Miller explains Bodhidharma's famous practice of wall-gazing.
The Tao of Buddha
In "China Root," David Hinton invites the reader to reexamine Zen through its roots in Taoist teachings. Here, he takes a Taoist lens to the idea of “Buddha” itself.
Buddha, the Ultimate Radical
Andrew Olendzki shares all that made the Buddha one of the most radical people who ever lived.
Acknowledging Buddhism’s South Asian Roots
Vishnu Sridharan points out a blind spot in Western Buddhism — South Asia is exorcized, while Buddhism’s origins in South Asian culture are ignored.
Who Are You, Really?
You don’t have a surface public self and a private inner self, nor do you have one true, unchanging self. What you have, says Barry Magid, is multiple shifting self-states—and they can get along just fine.
Shikantaza is Understanding Emptiness
What is shikantaza? Suzuki Roshi, the great Zen teacher, says that it is the experience of receiving a "letter from emptiness"
You’re Ready Enough
Wherever you find yourself, says Pema Khandro, that’s the starting point of the bodhisattva path—all you need to do is take that first step.
Francis Story and the Case for Rebirth
For the fiftieth anniversary of Francis Story's death, Randy Rosenthal looks back at the life and work of the lesser-known Buddhist thinker
The Pure Land Is in the West
Jean-Paul Contreras deGuzman on the hidden history of Pure Land Buddhists in America.
A Friendly Guide to the Heart Sutra, One of Buddhism’s Key Texts
It’s one of Buddhism’s most famous texts and, to be honest, it can be confounding: the Heart Sutra seeks to cut our usual dualistic thinking at the root.
Beyond Self & Other
In this exclusive excerpt from his book, The Heart of the Universe, Mu Soeng sheds light on the Buddhist view of the self.
Does a Dog Have Buddhanature?
Koun Franz ponders the famous koan and the Zen master’s enigmatic answer (it’s not woof).
Cultivating the Carefree Self: The Teachings of Tsoknyi Rinpoche
Enjoy this introduction to the teachings and meditations of Tsoknyi Rinpoche.
Consciousness Is Perfectly Clear
An excerpt from "Science and Philosophy in the Indian Buddhist Classics, Volume 2: The Mind" on Buddhist understandings of consciousness.
The Mind That Knows Itself
Until we begin to make the distinction between observing thoughts and observing the knowing mind, writes Ayya Dhammapida, "we have not yet begun to study or to experience the mind directly."
Magical Emanations: The Unexpected Lives of Western Tulkus
They were typical kids — then they were recognized as the reincarnations of Tibetan Buddhist masters. Three Western tulkus talk to Andrea Miller.
Abhidhamma Dissects the Mind
The Abhidhamma, says Bhikkhu Bodhi, breaks open how the mind works, what cognition is, and how there can be thoughts without a thinker.