The Buddha is compared to a doctor because he treated the suffering that ails all of us. His diagnosis and cure, says Zen teacher Norman Fischer, is called the four noble truths. It is said that just as the Buddha was close to approaching awakening, his nemesis Mara appeared, desperately determined to stop him. Mara’s attack centered on the Buddha’s body, first with [...]
The Message of the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths
Buddha Shakyamuni. India, Uttar Pradesh, late 6th century. Copper alloy sculpture with traces of paint. Via LACMA. The message of Buddha's Four Noble Truths is that paying attention and seeing clearly lead to behaving impeccably in every moment, out of love, and on behalf of all beings. The Buddha's First Teaching Accounts of the Buddha’s life, said to have been told by [...]
10,000 Buddhas and Counting
Inspired by ancient Buddhist artwork on cave walls, Amanda Giacomini set out on a mission to paint 10,000 Buddhas all over America. Lilly Greenblatt tells her story. Artist and yoga teacher Amanda Giacomini only saw the inspiration behind her social-media-famous art project, Ten Thousand Buddhas, for a matter of seconds, but those few seconds have kept her painting ever [...]
Buddhism Began with a Good Meal
Buddhism isn't about depriving yourself of worldly pleasures. Andrea Miller explains how a good meal helped Siddhartha understand the importance of nourishment — and offers a healthful recipe for cashew pulao. The Buddha taught that the gift of food is fivefold; it is the gift of life, beauty, happiness, strength, and discernment. It’s worth noting that Buddhism itself began [...]
The Power of Buddhism
If you ignore power, you ignore powerful Buddhist teachings. Pema Khandro Rinpoche says that Buddhism teaches us how to be powerful and compassionate at the same time. Fellow Buddhists, we need to talk about power. Discussion of power is largely absent in the American Buddhist community. For some, this is due in part to privilege; many of us are blind to our own power. [...]
Who Was the Buddha?
"Buddha" means "one who is awake." The Buddha who lived 2,600 years ago was not a god. He was an ordinary person, named Siddhartha Gautama, whose profound insights inspired the world. Contents Who Was Buddha? What Do We Know About the Historical Buddha? Have There Been Other Buddhas? What About the Buddhas in Buddhist Art? Do Buddhists Worship the Buddha? [...]
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. The teachings of the Buddha are called the Lion’s Roar, words of fearlessness and unshakable freedom. On the night of his enlightenment, the Buddha awakened to the vast and timeless peace [...]
Gautama vs the Buddha
If you’re looking for relief from suffering, argues Buddhist scholar and author Glenn Wallis, you won’t find it in some mythical figure named the Buddha but in the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama―an ordinary person like us, who became one of the world’s most gifted spiritual teachers. Buddhism was born in crisis. One day, the coddled young Siddhartha Gautama found himself [...]
Buddha, the Ultimate Radical
It was not just his teachings on gender and class, which seem modern even today. Andrew Olendzki on all that made the Buddha one of the most radical people who ever lived. Then with the gleaming of the night, Close to the rising of the sun, All my craving simply dried up As I sat there with my legs crossed. —The Theragatha Every Buddha image we see reflects such calm, [...]
On Suffering and the End of Suffering
Sharon Salzberg on opening to the truth of suffering, the core of the Buddha's teaching. A friend of mine once had to explain to her four-year-old son that the woman who had been providing child care for him since he was born was going to move away. Because her child was very attached to this person, my friend carefully told him about this step-by-step, making sure to say that [...]
