Buddhism
Explore Buddhism
Basic Facts
- Originated in India in 6th century CE by Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha); world's 4th largest religion with over 520M people; two major branches of the religion: Mahayana and Theravada
- The Essence of Buddha's teachings are the Four Noble Truths, which detail humanity's suffering, and the Eightfold Path, which serves as a 'map' to eliminate that suffering.
- Belief in "samsara," in which living beings are trapped in a continual cycle of birth-and-death, with the momentum to rebirth provided by one's previous physical and mental actions (Karma). The release from this cycle of rebirth and suffering is the total transcendence called nirvana.
- There is no single holy book, although extensive scriptures have been preserved in many Asian languages
- Buddhists don’t believe in a supreme being or creator god; because of its emphasis on meditation and mindfulness, is is often considered to be a form of psychology rather than a religion.
- A Buddhist diet includes no meat, a natural and logical ramification of the moral precept against the taking of life
Key Terms
Dharma: Buddha's teachings to relieve the world of sufferingKarma: Actions that one makes throughout their life that will determine their future
Dukkha: Pain, suffering, disease and disharmony
Metta Bhavana: Loving-kindness meditation practiced to cultivate loving-kindness towards others
Tanha: Craving or desire, either physical or mental - considered to be the causes of suffering
Beliefs and Key Tenets
Four Noble Truths1. Existence is suffering (dukhka); 2. Suffering has a cause, namely craving and attachment (trishna); 3. There is a cessation of suffering, which is nirvana; 4. There is a path to the cessation of suffering, the "eightfold path"
Eightfold Path
Right views, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration
Practicing Buddhism
Five moral preceptsMembers of monastic orders and the laity are to refrain from:
1. Taking life; 2. Stealing; 3. Acting unchastely; 4. Speaking falsely; 5. Drinking intoxicants
Five additional preceptsMembers of monastic orders also take five additional precepts to refrain:
1. From eating at improper times; 2. From viewing secular entertainments; 3. From using garlands, perfumes, and other bodily adornments; 4. From sleeping in high and wide beds; 5. From receiving money
Buddhism Resources
Buddhism Podcasts
Buddhism Videos
Buddhism Websites
Tricycle.org
The Tricycle Foundation is dedicated to making Buddhist teachings and practices broadly available. Tricycle provides a unique and independent public forum for exploring Buddhism, establishing a dialogue between Buddhism and the broader culture, and introducing Buddhist thinking to Western disciplines.
Karmapa
Lessons and teachings from the 17th Karmapa, including lessons on the Dharma, meditation, mind training and breathing, and more.
Buddhism Newsletters
Lion’s Roar
An uplifting combination of timely features and timeless wisdom, celebrating life’s joys, and offering practical tools to apply Buddhist teachings to life’s challenges. View >
Tricycle: Daily Dharma
An uplifting combination of timely features and timeless wisdom, celebrating life’s joys, and offering practical tools to apply Buddhist teachings to life’s challenges. View >
Upaya Zen Institute
An uplifting combination of timely features and timeless wisdom, celebrating life’s joys, and offering practical tools to apply Buddhist teachings to life’s challenges. View >
Shambhala
An uplifting combination of timely features and timeless wisdom, celebrating life’s joys, and offering practical tools to apply Buddhist teachings to life’s challenges. View >
Buddhism Books
Walpola Rahula | “For years,” says the Journal of the Buddhist Society, “the newcomer to Buddhism has lacked a simple and reliable introduction to the complexities of the subject. Dr. Rahula’s What the Buddha Taught fills the need as only could be done by one having a firm grasp of the vast material to be sifted. It is a model of what a book should be that is addressed first of all to ‘the educated and intelligent reader.’ Authoritative and clear, logical and sober, this study is as comprehensive as it is masterly.”
Seung Sahn | “Somebody comes into the Zen center with a lighted cigarette, walks up to the Buddha statue, blows smoke in its face, and drops ashes on its lap. You are standing there. What can you do?” This is a problem that Zen Master Seung Sahn is fond of posing to his American students who attend his Zen centers. Dropping Ashes on the Buddha is a delightful, irreverent, and often hilariously funny living record of the dialogue between Korean Zen Master Seung Sahn and his American students. Consisting of dialogues, stories, formal Zen interviews, Dharma speeches, and letters using the Zen Master’s actual words in spontaneous, living interaction with his students, this book is a fresh presentation of the Zen teaching method of “instant dialogue” between Master and student which, through the use of astonishment and paradox, leads to an understanding of ultimate reality.
Hermann Hesse | It is the story of the quest of Siddhartha, a wealthy Indian Brahmin who casts off a life of privilege and comfort to seek spiritual fulfillment and wisdom. On his journey, Siddhartha encounters wandering ascetics, Buddhist monks, and successful merchants, as well as a courtesan named Kamala and a simple ferryman who has attained enlightenment. Traveling among these people and experiencing life’s vital passages–love, work, friendship, and fatherhood–Siddhartha discovers that true knowledge is guided from within.
Tsoknyi Rinpoche | In Open Heart, Open Mind, Tsoknyi Rinpoche—one of the most beloved of the contemporary generation of Tibetan Buddhist meditation masters—explains that a life free of fear, pain, insecurity, and doubt is not only possible, it’s our birthright. We long for peace, for the ability to love and be loved openly and freely, and for the confidence and clarity to meet the various challenges we face in our daily lives.
Buddhism Classes & Learning
Online Dharma Studies | Sravasta Abbey
See a single video or catch a weekly live-streamed teaching. Sign up for a study program or even do retreat from afar. Explore a wide range of options to study the Dharma online!
Pre-Recorded Videos | Free How do we practice the Buddha’s teachings in modern times? Venerable Thubten Chodron teaches on "Approaching the Buddhist Path," the first in a multi-volume series co-authored with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Together, they unveil the path of wisdom and compassion that leads to a meaningful life and a sense of personal fulfillment.
Buddhism Through Its Scriptures
Pre-Recorded Videos | Free Whether you are new to the study of Buddhism or have been studying it or practicing it for years, this course will provide you with the opportunity to become acquainted with a variety of Buddhist teachings while guiding you to think about them, and yourself, in new ways.
Through a combination of carefully selected readings, both scriptural and informational, as well as exposure to various forms of Buddhist practice such as art, devotional acts, and literary works, you will learn how to interpret, reflect upon, and apply the teachings of the Buddha to your own life and deepen your understanding of Buddhism.
Buddhism and Modern Psychology
Pre-Recorded Videos | Free Are neuroscientists starting to understand how meditation “works”? Would such an understanding validate meditation—or might physical explanations of meditation undermine the spiritual significance attributed to it? And how are some of the basic Buddhist claims about the human mind holding up? We’ll pay special attention to some highly counterintuitive doctrines: that the self doesn’t exist, and that much of perceived reality is in some sense illusory. Do these claims, radical as they sound, make a certain kind of sense in light of modern psychology? And what are the implications of all this for how we should live our lives? Can meditation make us not just happier, but better people?
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