Buddha

Buddha renounced ordinary life when he left his secure life in the palace. Symbolic of his renunciation, he cut his beautiful hair. Renunciation isn't specifically pointing to renunciation as a monk, however.  It's about the commitment to journey the path, here and now, to Enlightenment. This road can be journeyed as a monk or a lay practitioner.

Shakyamuni Gautama Buddha’s Renunciation Day (March 17) and His Journey to Spiritual Awakening

Buddha's first teaching was on the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.

Historical Gautama Shakyamuni Buddha life; what do archaeologists, scholars and scientists agree are the validated, authentic events?

Face of a loving friend — Maitreya Buddha.

Celebrating Loving Kindness on Maitreya Day: Significance and Traditional Practices to Start the Lunar New Year Celebrating the Buddha-to-Come

Maitreaya Bodhisattva, the Future Buddha, whose name means Loving Friend.

Maitreya Bodhisattva, the Future Buddha — the face of Love; the loving friend of all sentient beings

Thangka depicted the 15 days of Buddha's miracles.

15 Miracles and 15 Days: Chotrul Duchen, the Day Buddha’s Great Miracles: Buddha, reluctant to use miraculous powers, displayed 15 miracles to help correct the errors of six prideful teachers

Buddha's miracle of flames and water.

Miracles of Buddha: With the approach of Buddha’s 15 Days of Miracles, we celebrate 15 separate miracles of Buddha, starting with Ratana Sutta: Buddha purifies pestilence.

Chitachakra Wish-Granting White Tara with a rainbow aura of colors representing the five activities and protective tents.

Chintachakra White Wish-Granting Wheel Tara: The All-in-One Mother of Buddhas in Vajrayana Buddhism – Her Significance, Mantra and Why Her Practice is Essential

Guanyin Bodhisattva — Kuan Yin or Avalokiteshvara or Chenrezig — is synonomous with Metta (loving kindness) and Karuna (compassion.)

Guan Shi Yin’s Three Sacred Days Celebrating Birthday, Renunciation and Enlightenment: “Most Widely Beloved Buddhist Divinity”

From the video on Hayagriva Buddha by Buddha Weekly, demonstrating self generation as the deity Hayagriva and consort Vajravarahi Vajrayogini.

In what way are Buddhist deities real? What do the teachers and sutras tell us about the true nature of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

Bimaran Casket containing a tooth relic of Shakyamuni Buddha.Tooth Relic Bimaran Casket mid-1st century CE British musiem By World Imaging - Bimaran casket. British Museum. Personal photograph 2005., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=283629

The Sacred Power of Relics: What Are Relics, Where Are These Treasures, and How Can They Help Us?

Visualizing light coming from the heart of Amitbaha Budha as a practice, then entering our body.

Where is Amitabha’s Pureland and how can Amitabha’s practice protect us from danger; Why Amitabha practice is all many people need

A beautiful devotional practice is to paint your own statues. This beautiful "thanka painted" statue of Chittamani Tara started out as an unpainted bronze. Buddha Weekly's volunteer art director Kam Yu, as a devotional practice to Tara, beautifully painted and decorated a Chittamni Tara statue after filling with mantras and blessings. This is one of the most beautiful practices of devotion. He painted the flowers blue, and jewelry in gold foil. The body is matte varnished while the silk clothing with elaborate designs painted on, are glossy. As a final touch he added Turquoise and coral gems.

“Mind Jewel” Green Tara – a Highest Yoga Tantra practice of Chittamani Tara (Cittamani), Mother of all the Buddhas

Happy Vesak Day

HAPPY VESAK DAY (May 5, 2023) May All Beings Benefit.

Amitabha Buddha statue at an FPMT centre.

Amitabha practice: easy, welcoming, and his merits are so vast that all beings can benefit: Amitabha Sutra

Composite feature image from Buddha Weekly illustrated Tara's green hands cradling the Earth.

April 22 is Earth Day, which makes it Green Tara’s day: nourishing, caring, mother-earth hands of Tara of the Khadira Fragrant Forest

Buddha's final moments of teaching.

Gautama Buddha survived several attempts on his life. What does his life example teach us about impermanence, and preparing for death

The many faces of Wisdom and Compassion: Top right ferocious Yamantaka (two arms), top centre Yamantaka with nine heads — Manjushri's head on top — top right a rarer tantric form, centre bottom Orange Manjushri with Wisdom Sword, bottom right centre Peaceful Black Manjushri, bottom Right Wrathful black Manjushri and bottom left, the syllable Hum on a Lotus.

The eleven aspects of Manjushri — kind, wrathful, protective, teaching and “beastly” — white, yellow, black; father, mother, spiritual child

Celebrating Paranirvana Day.

Buddha’s Nirvana Day: Celebrations for Paranirvana day; quoting the last admonition of Buddha: Mahaparinibban Sutta

Video Thumbnail: Lama Tsongkhapa: Life, Practice, Mantra. Compassion, Wisdom, Power. Visualization and mantras.

December 18, 2022 is Lama Tsongkhapa Day 2022 — Ganden Ngamchoe, Anniversary of Lama Tsongkhapa’s Parinirvana!

Happy Tara Day!

Tara Puja Day — Why it’s important; simple ways to celebrate, how to participate; sponsoring pujas for merit; offering from the heart

Intergalactic Buddha? In Mahayana Sutras, it is said that Buddha's can emanate in countless forms to suit the people being taught. What would Buddha be like in a totally alien world, galaxy, universe or dimension?

Intergalactic Buddha: if Buddha was an alien from another planet, galaxy or dimension — or alternate reality — what would he be like? Compassionate and wise, regardless of illusory appearances.

Two aspects of Compassion: Amitabha and his wrathful heruka emanations Hayagriva.

Compassion, Wisdom and Power as Buddha, Bodhisattva, Heruka and Dakini — the most important aspects of practice as Enlightened beings

Close up detail face of Prajnaparamita, Wisdom Mother.

Prajnaparamita Yum Chenmo, the Face of Perfection: Wisdom Personified, “Emptiness is Form” Manifested: Great Mother of Wisdom

Vesak in Thailand.

Buddhism’s Most Important Day: Celebrating Shakyamuni Buddha’s Birthday (563 B.C.) on Vesak or Saga Dawa Druchen 2022

The Blessed One, the Buddha, teacher of both man and gods.

“To attain the highest state of bliss, which is Nirvana, we must follow the Blessed One” Kevaddha’s story in Pali Sutta

In Buddhism, we meditate on impermanance, in part, to help us prioritize remedies for transforming anger and other poisons.

9 ways Buddha taught us to transform anger — and put an end to negative cycles

Statue of Guanyin.

Sacred outlook – seeing beyond ordinary perception in modern culture and American Buddhism

Parnashavari is the 20th Tara emanation of the 21 (some traditions) and is "Supreme healer" emanation of Tara.

Healing Parnashavari — Tara’s Healing emanation: specialist in Contagious Disease, Illness, Pandemic: How to practice her mantra and sadhana

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Video: Did Buddha Suggest a Vegetarian Lifestyle? 5 Buddhist Teachings Recommending Vegetarianism.

12-armed Red Ganapati is a treasured practice in Tibetan Buddhism, known for bringing auspiciousness and removing obstacles.

Buddhist Ganesha: popular Ganapati’s many forms include enlightened Yidam, protector, and “bringer of success”…

Detail of a painting of Tara 1, Heroic Red Tara, by V.V. Sapar of the first Tara in the Surya Gupta sytem. In the background is the Lotus Face of Avalokiteshvara. (Full image below in the feature.)

Mother Tara’s many-armed protective embrace: 21 Taras according to Surya Gupta — with 8 videos and mantras and stunning art

In the first Jataka Tale, Buddha lived the life of a wise merchant who saved his men from a desert demon.

Jataka Tales 1: First of the Tales of Buddha’s Previous Lives — APAṆṆAKA-JĀTAKA, the Wise Merchant and the Foolish Merchant

Lord Manjushri in his full youthful splendour by Ben Christian. The flaming sword (Khadga) of Lord Manjushri represents "cutting through delusions" — the beginning of wisdom.

Youthful Manjushri: the flowering of wisdom; the gentle Buddha who cuts through ignorance with his flaming sword

Hayagriva Sandrup closeup with three green horse heads and three faces red centre, green right and white left with six arms, supreme Heruka of the Amitabha Family.

What’s so special about Hayagriva? In difficult times the wrathful Heruka emanation of Amitabha is an important Buddhist practice

Green Tara's kind face. Tara is known as Tara the Rescuer.

Mama Buddha Tara: Compassionate Action; Stories of Green Tara the Rescuer — How She Can Help You

Visualizing the Medicine Buddha Mantra and rays of healing Lapis Lazuli light emanating from the Buddha, and absorbed into the patient (or self) assists in healing.

The First Doctor: Medicine Buddha Bhaisajyaguru Lapis Lazuli Light — Empowering You to Heal; the Buddha of Healing and Medicine and Doctors

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Kurukulla: the “Diva” Dakini of enlightened magic; the enchantress transforms seduction into ‘the cause of wisdom’

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A Map of the Mind Universe — the Mandala of the Five Buddhas: a perfect practice; a perfect remedy for the five poisons

The Five Buddhas: from left to right Ratnasambhava (gold), Akshobya (blue), Vairochana (white), Amitabha (red), and Amoghisiddi (green).

What Does Quantum Physics Have to do with the Five Buddhas — Vairochana, Amitabha, Akshobya, Ratnasambhava, and Amoghasiddhi?

Shakyamuni subdues an elephant with loving kindness and the Abhaya gesture. The elephant was enraged by evil Devadatta.

Overcoming Fear: Three Remedies for Fear; What Buddha had to Say About Fearlessness in Abhaya Sutta

Mantra activates the mind, blesses the mind, protects the mind.

“The Mind of One Buddha is the Mind of All Buddhas”; How “Jewel Collection Refuge” Can Help You Manage Your Commitments to Multiple Practices and Yidams

From a Wang Du Thangka the magnetizing deities (left to right) Chenrezig (Padmapani), Amitabha (top) Hayagriva (right) and Vajradharma (bottom.)

Magnetize me: working with the magnetizing activity deities of the Padma Buddha family: Amitabha, Chenrezig, Hayagriva, Vajrayogini, Vajradharma

Kuan Yin Pusa, Goddess of Mercy, also known as Avalokiteshvara, Bodhisattva of Compassion.

Guan Shi Yin and the ten great protections of the Goddess of Mercy Kuanyin: Avalokiteshvara, Bodhisattva of Compassion

Home retreat may be an ideal practice during times of social isolation.

How a Home Retreat Helps Busy People Manage Time and Save Money; How to Do It, and Why it is Necessary

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Long life practice: White Heruka and Red Vajrayogini: Annutarayoga meditational deity prolongs life

The glorious and compassionate Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha — the wish-fulfilling gem. He is especially beloved because of his role as the Bodhisattva who visited the "hell realms" to rescue suffering beings.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche and other teachers recommend Kṣitigarbha mantra and practice for times of disaster, especially hurricane and earthquake, because of the great Bodhisattva’s vow

At the ultimate level, oneness.

What does Buddhism say about the idea of God? Best answer: ‘it’s complicated.” Are Buddhists theists, atheists or non-theists? Does it even matter?

Buddha teaching the Dharma.

Mangala Sutta: The Sutra on Happiness; Buddha teaches the 11 blessings, those things which bring happiness

Amitabha chanting at a night festival in Ho Chi Minh City.

Profound simplicity of “Amituofo”: why Nianfo or Nembutsu is a deep, complete practice with innumerable benefits and cannot be dismissed as faith-based: w. full Amitabha Sutra

Buddha in a previous life as Mahajanaka in the Jataka Tales.

The Jataka Tales: Why they remain relevant for adults and children both; all of the Buddhist Teachings contained in stories

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Shakyamuni Mantra video — chant these Holy sounds to bring in a prosperous lunar new year. Happy Year of the Earth Dog!

In Medicine Buddha practice we imagine healing light from the Lapis Lazuli Light Medicine Buddha entering our body, healing us. How does this imaginative visualization help us? Is this the real healing energy of Medicine Buddha, or our own mind triggered by the visualization? Or both? Ultimately, it is both, and ultimately, it doesn't matter.

Twelve syllables of Medicine Buddha’s name represent his twelve great vows: Bhaisajya-guru-vidurya-prabha-raja — recite his Holy name as a mantra

Venerable Zasep Rinpoche teaching at a Tara weekend using the commentary book, Tara in the Palm of Your Hand, as a reference.

Tara Book excerpt and teaching: Who is Tara and how can She help us? An introduction to Tara, Karma, Shunyata, Dependent Arising, and Buddha Nature by Venerable Zasep Tulku Rinpoche

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Part 3: Zasep Tulku Rinpoche discusses how to find a teacher; why its important to meditate on death; how to start with Deity Yoga; how wrathful Deities can be misunderstood; and the role of internet in Dharma teachings.

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Limitless Tara, Beyond the Green: Buddha, Bodhisattva, Savior, Mother of all the Buddhas, Goddess of Many Colors, Consort of Buddhas, Wisdom Mother, Action Hero…

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Loving Kindness: My Favorite Sutra

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