Category: Philosophy
Your Whole Body is Hands and Eyes
Ejo McMullen on the total response of Avalokiteshvara — with a thousand arms, an eye on the palm of each hand — as the model of the bodhisattva path.
Imagine You Are a Buddha
In this second part of his series on tantra, Mingyur Rinpoche explains how visualization practice helps us recognize our buddhanature.
Everything Is Enlightenment
Enlightenment is everywhere we look, says Joan Sutherland — we can choose to notice it, but at the same time, we can also trust that it will find us, wherever we are.
Comparing Mahamudra and Dzogchen
Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche (1920–1996) on the differences between Mahamudra and Dzogchen—and the relationship between them.
When Sadness Rages Like Fire
Pema Khandro Rinpoche shares the life of the Tibetan yogi Shabkar, whose practice and teachings were inseparable from loss and grief.
Only Don’t Know
Whatever answers you think you have, says Judy Roitman, you don’t—and in that not knowing, we find the heart of Buddhist practice.
How the Five Skandhas Build Our Sense of Self
We assemble the thing we call "self" ourselves, according to Buddhist psychology. Gaylon Ferguson breaks down the five-step process of ego development.
Through the Lens of Madhyamaka
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche unpacks the Madhyamaka view of the two truths.
Commentary: Let’s Envision a Buddhist Political Philosophy
Randee says it's time to define Buddhist political philosophy. He proposes four core components for a political philosophy informed by the dharma.
Vajrayana Explained
The late Karma Kagyu master Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche presents a clear explanation of the view of Vajrayana and its main practices of generation and completion.
No Teacher of Zen
In Zen, wisdom comes from personal experience. Everyone is a student – even the teachers.
How Buddhists Can Benefit from Western Philosophy
Take a second look at Western philosophy, advises William Edelglass — it might be more compatible with Buddhism than you think.
Everything’s Made of Mind
All that we are and experience is mind, explains Zen teacher Norman Fischer. That mind is original enlightenment itself.
Destroyed Not Destroyed
Norman Fischer looks at the koan “Dasui’s Aeonic Fire" and takes on the end of the world. It’s happening right now, he says, but probably not in the way that you think.
The Four Layers of Consciousness
Abhidharma, Buddhism’s map of the mind, is sometimes treated as a topic of merely intellectual interest. In fact, says Thich Nhat Hanh, identifying the different elements of consciousness, and understanding how they interact, is essential to our practice of meditation.
Forum: Do You Believe in Miracles?
Debating the supernatural in Buddhism with Judy Lief, Ari Goldfield, and Glenn Wallis.
How Jhana Quells the Five Hindrances
If you think you’re seeing things as they really are, think again. Unless you’ve had the deep experience of letting go, there is only a myriad of illusions.
The Heart Sutra Will Change You Forever
Penetrate the true meaning of the Heart Sutra, says Karl Brunnhölzl, and nothing will be the same again. The secret is making it personal.
How Will You See the Guru?
Are you able to see your teacher as the Buddha? It’s not easy, says Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, but this is where the real path begins.
The Four Seals of Dharma are Buddhism in a Nutshell
People often ask me: “What is Buddhism in a nutshell?” Or they ask, “What is the particular view or philosophy of Buddhism?” Unfortunately, in the West Buddhism seems to have landed in the religious department, even in the self-help or self-improvement department, and clearly it’s in the trendy meditation department. I would like to challenge…