Age of Reason

The more I study religion…

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:33:05 -0500

The more I study religion…

"Mind precedes all things; mind is their chief, mind is their maker. If one speaks or does a..."

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:34:06 -0500

“Mind precedes all things;
mind is their chief, mind is their maker.
If one speaks or does a deed
with a mind that is pure within,
happiness then follows along
like a never departing shadow.”

- Dhammapada 1.2

If what you do doesn’t appear to make a difference then...

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 03:45:58 -0500

If what you do doesn’t appear to make a difference then perhaps it doesn’t.

Nirvana Buddhism

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 03:17:59 -0500

It is believed that as Lord Buddha moved ahead on the path of Enlightenment, He remembered all of his previous lives. In Buddhism, life is considered as a ‘samsara’, which means continuous roving. Often known as reincarnation, rather than rebirth, the theory implies the transfer of the essence or the soul. It does not follow the law of causality or dependant origination, like in rebirth. The main aim of Buddhism is to break away the circle of samsara and reach a new level, known as Nirvana. Lord Buddha reached the state of nirvana at the time of His enlightenment. After experiencing nirvana Himself, He decided to teach others the path to the same. According to Him, nirvana should be the ultimate goal of every individual. Forty-five years later, when He died, He passed through pari nirvana, the complete nirvana. Nirvana literally means extinguishing or unbinding. However, in Buddhism, nirvana means freedom from the constant cravings that we experience in life. It means freedom everything that leads us to dissatisfaction, like desire, jealousy, greed, ignorance, etc. After a person attains this sense of freedom, he moves into a state of total ecstasy. All karmic debts get settled and he doesn’t need to go through the cycle of birth and death again.

Live in the now!

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 03:13:22 -0500

Live in the now!

Albert Einstein’s views on Buddhism

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:30:05 -0500

Albert Einstein’s views on Buddhism

Facts About Hinduism

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:15:07 -0500

Hinduism is the world’s third-largest religion, after Christianity and Islam.
Today there are about 650 million Hindus worldwide.
The majority of Hindus live in India, where the religion was born.
One in every seven people in the world is a Hindu living in India.
There are also significant Hindu populations in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan, and smaller groups in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Fiji, Africa, Europe, Canada, and the United States.
About three-quarters of a million Hindus live and work in the United States.While Hindus in each region have altered their religion to suit the needs of the surrounding culture, all Hindus share a common set of traditions.
Hinduism was not founded by one individual. Rather, it is a fusion of many religious beliefs and philosophical schools. Accordingly, Hinduism is said to be a religion of a million and one gods.

Is it alright to have prayer in schools? What if it was used as...

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:05:46 -0500

Is it alright to have prayer in schools? What if it was used as a tool to teach children about other religions?

"What we think, we become."

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:00:06 -0500

“What we think, we become.”

- The Buddha

"Grant me the stubbornness to change what I can, the laziness to accept what I cannot, and enough..."

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:51:17 -0500

“Grant me the stubbornness to change what I can, the laziness to accept what I cannot, and enough beer to sit around and endlessly discuss the difference between the two.”

- Dick Dunn

A Bit of Buddhist Psychology

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:43:29 -0500

The basic problem according to Buddhism, is that emotions like anger and hatred are based on projections and exaggeration, not on objectivity or wisdom, and thus basically incorrect. There is little need to explain what anger and hatred do to ourselves by means of the laws of karma; the misery we cause others will come back at ourselves. Nobody wants suffering, so next is a summary of methods which can not only reduce but even eliminate anger and hatred from our minds. It must be emphasise that to completely eliminate these negative emotions from our mind is a lengthy psychological process, requiring study, mindfulness, reflection and honest observation of one’s own mind. To begin with, meditation is an ideal method to review a situation in which one became angry (see the page on meditation). This has the advantage that one is not exposed to the actual situation, but one can review it much more objectively. When regular meditation gives some insight into what anger is and what happens to oneself when feeling angry, then one can gradually try to apply it in real-life situations, preferably of course before one is already under complete control of anger. It is a slow process, but the change in your life and the ones around you can profoundly change for the better.

As His Holiness the Dalai Lama mentioned: “When reason ends, then anger begins. Therefore, anger is a sign of weakness.”

Is anger or hatred ever justified? A direct answer from Allan Wallace in ‘Tibetan Buddhism from the Ground up’: “‘Righteous hatred’ is in the same category as ‘righteous cancer’or ‘righteous tuberculosis’. All of them are absurd concepts.” This does not mean that one should never take action against aggression or injustice! Instead, one should try to develop an inner calmness and insight to deal with these situations in an appropriate way. We all know that anger and aggression give rise to anger and aggression. One could say that there are three ways to get rid of anger: kill the opponent, kill yourself or kill the anger - which one makes most sense to you?”

And as Khenpo Konchog Gyaltsen Rinpoche mentioned: “Some people feel patience is showing weakness or pessimism. But, actually, patience shows the strength and clarity of mind, which are based on wisdom and compassion. Without proper wisdom and compassion, one cannot practice patience.”

But of course not only Buddhism recognises the shortcomings of anger, in the Bible for example in Psalm 37, 14-16 it reads: “The angry ones draw their swords, the angry ones aim their bows To put down the poor and the weakened and to kill those who walk on the path of righteousness. But their sword hits their own heart, their bows will be broken. With his poverty, the righteous one is richer than all the angry ones in their abundance.”

A Bag of Nails

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:30:52 -0500

Once upon a time there was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he should hammer a nail in the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. But gradually, the number of daily nails dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the first day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He proudly told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. “You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out, it won’t matter how many times you say ‘I’m sorry’, the wound is still there.”

Buddhist Prayer for Peace

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:25:31 -0500

May all beings everywhere plagued with sufferings of body and mind quickly be freed from their illnesses. May those frightened cease to be afraid, and may those bound be free. May the powerless find power, and may people think of befriending one another. May those who find themselves in trackless, fearful wilderness ~ the children, the age, the unprotected ~ be guarded by beneficial celestials, and may they swiftly attain Buddhahood

"Faith is often the boast of the man who is too lazy to investigate."

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:31:06 -0500

“Faith is often the boast of the man who is too lazy to investigate.”

- F. M. Knowles

Some atheists argue otherwise. Some atheists believe that...

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:31:06 -0500

Some atheists argue otherwise. Some atheists believe that religion is inherently bad. What do you think?

"One who is virtuous and wise shines forth like a blazing fire; like a bee collecting nectar one..."

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:30:05 -0500

“One who is virtuous and wise
shines forth like a blazing fire;
like a bee collecting nectar
one acquires wealth by harming none.”

- Dīgha Nikāya 3.265

This is my favorite guided meditation video. It really makes...

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:32:05 -0500

This is my favorite guided meditation video. It really makes one feel at peace. How did it make you feel?

"Impermanent are all compounded things. When one perceives this with true insight, then one becomes..."

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 22:12:13 -0500

“Impermanent are all compounded things.
When one perceives this with true insight,
then one becomes detached from suffering;
this is the path of purification.”

- Dhammapada 20.277

BBC News - Three Tibetans 'in anti-China fire protest' in Seda

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:47:03 -0500

BBC News - Three Tibetans 'in anti-China fire protest' in Seda:

Three Tibetans have set fire to themselves in south-west China, reports say, in the latest apparent protest against rule from Beijing.

Belief in Evolution Vs. National Wealth

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:36:05 -0500

Belief in Evolution Vs. National Wealth