Buddhism Articles

Much discussion is now going on in Buddhist circles about how Buddhism will develop in America, so here is my two cents worth. Historically, Buddhism has taken on the culture to which it has migrated, and I believe that American Buddhism will be no exception. I further think that American values will reflect deeply in the Buddhisms that eventually become “American Buddhisms.”

Suffering and the cause of suffering are the First and Second Noble Truths in Buddhism. From my experience, I say that these themes are significant to the spiritual path, personal growth and becoming a mature, well balanced person. But when we analyse what Buddhism says on these themes, and quote Buddhist scriptures, does Buddhism display real philosophy?

Like a Californian autumn, the warm creamy Thai sun greets another day. It is only an hour past sunrise and the city of Bangkok is already buzzing like a honey bee in search of its divine nectar. In a mindful meandering, monks clad in brilliant saffron mix with the locals and parade down the sidewalk in contemplation of the nature of impermenance.

Imagine having one of the most loving and compassionate people in the world as your leader and prime focal point. Someone who is both diplomatic and spiritual. Someone who laughs at how outdated war is and smiles at how powerful love is. Someone who neither is afraid to tell someone that they are wrong nor afraid to admit one's own errors. Someone who would rather rule with open arms rather than an iron fist. Now imagine that this leader is utterly powerless in his own country and photographed images of him are the equivalent of a prison sentence. This is a reality today and not the product of the imagination.

Standing your ground is trivial and has very little to do with your inner strength. The truly enlightened and wise find their power in unconditional love. Who is right and who is wrong is spiritually insignificant. Truly powerful people seldom have any need for excessive self-defense or forcing their views upon others. It simply does not matter. Do you want to be right… or do you want to make a difference in the world?

Buddhism and Christianity are not so different that they ought to be enemies. Buddhism is both a theistic and an atheistic religion, allowing its followers to choose their belief (and many do believe in God, just like the Christian faith), but the comparison does not lie in God, alone.

Selim Aissel

When you see yourself analysing or negatively judging what you observe in yourself, whether it’s a thought, emotion, or attitude, be more clever than the one who is judging or analysing. Step back into the observer; observe the judge and don’t judge him. The judge becomes the object of your observation.

Beliefs of Buddhism is the spiritual philosophy to understand his individual life of man, the absolute life, consciousness and subtle problem of human suffering and human suffering that can be controlled based on meditation and conscious experience. It helps understand the metaphysics of the human mind, its thoughts and desires.

On a retreat with Sogyal Rinpoche, i discovered what it meant to enjoy nondualistic delight.  By simply giving us a glimpse of his heart, Sogyal Rinpoche was trying to teach us that boundless generosity in which no experience, even the greatest bliss of enlightenment, is held for oneself. In that moment it was easy to see how genuine the feeling was for him, how natural such a human response could be, if we allowed it.

I was on a meditation retreat in the south of France when a visiting master's story about persecution in Tibet totally transformed my understanding of compassion. An audience of over three hundred Western students of Buddhism waited quietly for him to speak. He was about forty years old, quite tall and broad-shouldered for a Tibetan with an enormous presence likea mountain, though he barely smiled.