What do we really know about Siddhārtha Gautama, the historical Buddha? And who are these other Buddhas we sometimes see and hear about? Barbara O'Brien answers your questions about the very real human being whose spiritual quest and awakening have inspired the world for some 2,600 years. Contents Who Was Buddha? What Do We Know About the Historical Buddha? Have [...]
Between Arhat and Bodhisattva
Ajahn Amaro examines the arguments for and against the arhat and bodhisattva ideals that define and too often divide the Buddhist traditions. He suggests a way out of the polarizing debate. A student of Buddhism asked, “Which do you think is the best path: that of the arahant [arhat] or that of the bodhisattva?” “That kind of question is asked by people who understand [...]
How do I develop insight through Buddhist practice?
We suffer, according to Buddhism, not because there’s anything inherently wrong with us but simply because we misunderstand the nature of reality. Sylvia Boorstein on developing insight into the way things really are. Includes a meditation for deepening our sense of interconnectedness. I was walking through the airport terminal when my eyes met those of a baby approaching [...]
What Is Suffering? 10 Buddhist Teachers Weigh In
The Pali word dukkha is most commonly translated to English as "suffering." Dukkha presents in an array of emotions — from happiness to despair. While counterintuitive, it is a central concept in the Buddha's teachings. In these passages, adapted from longer teachings on Lion's Roar, 10 teachers explain what suffering is, how we feel it, and why it isn't a condemnation — it's a [...]
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 [...]
What Are the Four Noble Truths?
Illustration by Ray Fenwick. What are the four noble truths? Buddhism's famed four truths are called noble because they liberate us from suffering. They are the Buddha’s basic teaching, encapsulating the entire Buddhist path. 1. Suffering Life always involves suffering, in obvious and subtle forms. Even when things seem good, we always feel an undercurrent of anxiety [...]
Forum: Does Buddhism Make You Happier?
Debating the Third Noble Truth: Andrew Olendzki, Gaylon Ferguson, and Blanche Hartman discuss what the Buddha meant when he promised the "end of suffering". Gotama the Seeker composed a very strange poem: dukkham samudayo nirodho maggo unease arising let go! here’s how Like haiku, it is complexity resolved, simply. Like Dada, it is a terse repudiation of those [...]
Why Can’t “I” Be Happy?
The four noble truths tell us that to be happy we must first discover the causes of our unhappiness. This is the approach of the renowned French Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard, who says that genuine happiness is only possible after we understand the fundamental mistake that is the root of our suffering. An American friend of mine, a successful photography editor, once told me [...]
What the Buddha Taught
The Buddha offered a progression of teachings appropriate to people's different spiritual needs. The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche outlines the three turnings of the wheel of dharma. With great compassion and incomparable skill, the enlightened master Buddha Shakyamuni taught in any way that would lead beings on a correct path to liberation and, finally, to buddhahood. Sometimes [...]
This Is the Origin, This Is the Cessation
Teachings on the Four Noble Truths from Handful of Leaves, Thanissaro Bhikkhu’s new translations of selected suttas from the Pali Canon. Although most of the Pali Canon has been translated into English, and many of the translations are quite good, there has long been a need for translations available free of charge. After all, the Buddha never charged for his teachings. He [...]