Buddha Weekly's Latest Features
A theoretical physicist asks: does a Neural Net have Buddha Nature? The science of AI “sentience” and what it can tell us about our Buddha Nature and minds
"One surprising source of insight into the question of why our minds work the way they do comes from the attempt to replicate them – the study of artificial intelligence." — Jochen Szangolies, PhD Editor: Jochen Szangolies, PhD — who works on quantum contextuality and mechanics — wrestles brilliantly with the concept...
Vatthupama Sutta — when the mind is defiled, an unhappy destination… when the mind is undefiled, a happy destination
Vatthupama Sutta The Simile of the Cloth 1. Thus have I heard. Once the Blessed One was staying at Savatthi, in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's monastery. There he addressed the monks thus: "Monks." -- "Venerable sir," they replied. The Blessed One said this: 2. "Monks, suppose a cloth were stained and dirty, and...
What is Śāntideva’s Bodhicaryavatara? Interview Geshe Sherab: “Patience and Bodhicitta mind with elaborate reasoning and impeccable logic”
Scholar and teacher Geshe Serab, in an interview with Buddha Weekly, explains why Śāntideva's masterpiece Bodhicaryavatara — the Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life — is a timeless and vastly important text for Mahayana Buddhists. Written around 700 AD in Sanskrit verse by the great Mahasiddha Śāntideva, it has become one...
Bhaddekaratta Sutta, Auspicious Day: “what is past is left behind; the future is as yet unreached… do what should be done today”
I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying in Savatthi, at Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's monastery. There he addressed the monks: "Monks!" "Yes, lord," the monks responded. The Blessed One said: "Monks, I will teach you the summary and exposition of one who has had an auspicious day. Listen...
Tarot as spiritual path? An interview with Robert Place, Tarot scholar and artist: part 3 of a series
Tarot has been described as "Yoga for the West" and an insight method that is spiritual-path neutral. Tarot symbolism, in fact, can apply to almost any spiritual path, as explained by scholar and artist Robert Place: "Once I could see that pattern, it became obvious that it contained an archetypal truth that...
Book Excerpt “Transcending” — an important book that embraces the Trans Path: “What is body anyway?”
"Buddha answers, “If a living being needs to be saved by someone in the body of a Buddha, Guanshiyin will appear in the body of a Buddha.…” Buddha then lists more than thirty different bodily manifestations of Guanshiyin according to what is needed: some are male, some are female, some young, some...
Four Questions the Buddha Would NOT Answer and Why: Is the Cosmos Finite in Space?; Is the Universe Finite in Time?; Is the Self Different From Body?; Does the Buddha Exist After Death?
Quotes from the Buddha are everywhere on the internet. They are used by teachers, speakers, politicians. But there were four topics Buddha declined to speak on. Shakyamuni Buddha is arguably the most quotable person in history, with millions of words contained in thousands of sutras. Regardless of the...
The bridge between science and Buddhism, atoms and no atoms, theism and athiesm; Yidam deity meditation and the Cognitive Science of Tantra
"As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clear-headed science, to the study of matter, I can tell you as a result of my research about atoms this much: There is no matter as such. All matter originates and exists only by virtue of the existence of consciousness."...
Amitabha Sutra: cutting delusions with one-pointed blissful contemplation of Amitabha Buddha and the Pure Land
"Believing in inner truth means having deep faith that the ten billions Buddha-lands (worlds) are in reality not outside our Mind." — Patriarch Ou-I To the newcomer to Mahayana Buddhism, or particularly Pure Land Buddhism, Amitabha (Amita or Amida) and his Pure Land of Sakhavati can be confusing. What do we mean...
Pith Instructions on Mahamudra from Mahasiddha Tilopa: The Ganges Mahamudra Upadesha
The great Mahasidda Tilopa said to Naropa: "Mahamudra cannot be taught." The most profound teachings on Mahamudra — designed to allow the student to develop their own awareness — famously came from the great Mahasiddhas Tilopa and Saraha, in Dohas (songs.) Even though it cannot be "taught," pith instructions help students "coach themselves." Recently,...
Buddha’s advice on diet can be healthy — losing weight and earning merit with a vegan or vegetarian diet
Buddha once said, “eating meat has countless offences” and is the "root of great suffering." [Lankavatara Sutra] Buddha also taught moderation and to abstain from taking life. Today, one of the most popular of diets, both for weight-loss and health purposes, is a meat-free one that is very reminiscent of a monastic...
Mother Earth: witness of Lord Buddha’s merits: Vasudhara, Phra Mae Thorani, Prithvi, Bhumi — the witness of all our merits
One of the often-overlooked aspects of the story of Buddha’s Enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree is the dual significance of the “Bhumi Sparsha” — the Earth Witness Mudra. By touching the Earth, to be a witness of His merits — when confronted by Mara on the eve of Enlightenment — he not...
