The Discourse that Set the Dharma Wheel Rolling: Three Key Principles Taught by Buddha in Forty Life-Inspiring Verses
Dharma
Buddha taught three key principles of the Buddha Dharma path, summarized elegantly in "The Discourse that Set the Dharma-Wheel Rolling" as forty life-inspiring verses. [Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta. The full text as verses in English translation are below. This concise ...
Guanyin: “Most Widely Beloved Buddhist Divinity”; Devotion to the 33 Forms of Compassion and Love
Avalokiteshvara Chenrezig Guan Yin, Bodhisattvas, Buddha, Deities, Dharma, Enlightened Feminine in Buddhism, Mahayana
Guanyin is often referred to as the "most widely beloved Buddhist Divinity."[2] Why? Because Her love is unconditional, all-embracing — with all 1000 arms! — and She will never cease her merciful activity until all beings are rescued ...
Bliss helps us understand Emptiness without nihilism: Vajrayana develops faster insight through the balance of bliss and emptiness, compassion and wisdom, mandala and deity
Buddhist Practices, Dharma, Vajrayana
"Emptiness is not a specialty of Vajrayana. Yidam meditation is part of Vajrayana, but is not the special quality of the Vajrayana. The special quality [that enhances the practice] really is the bliss." — Gelek Rimpoche [2] ...
Lamrim: the fast “mapped” path to Buddhist realizations: “It expounds the entire path” — Dalai Lama
Buddhist Practices, Dalai Lama, Dharma, Lama Tsongkhapa, Lamrim Graduated Path to Enlightenment
In the quest for Enlightenment, the "swift" lightning path is Vajrayana. The key reason it is the fast path is its step-by-step structure — with teachings organized carefully into proven systems. One of these is Lamrim — the ...
Why is pride a poison — and overcoming ego with the wisdom of Equality; practicing Ratnasambhava and the Ambhattha Sutra
Buddhist Sutras and Sutta English, Dharma
One day, Buddha came across the "untouchable" Nadhi carrying excrement. Nadhi tried to avoid the Buddha — out of respect, as was the custom — but Buddha intercepted the modest man. In a panic, Nadhi spilled the excrement. ...
Four heroic incarnations of Ksitigarbha, the “Earth Store” Bodhisattva — unfailing, never-tiring compassion
Bodhisattvas, Buddhist Sutras and Sutta English, Deities, Dharma, Mahayana
Ksitigarbha is a bodhisattva revered by millions across East Asia — honoured by the Buddha Himself due to his "untiring limitless compassion" — and his vows to help all sentient beings. He is also popularly known as Lord ...
The First Doctor: Medicine Buddha Bhaisajyaguru — Empowering You to Heal
Buddha, Buddhist Practices, Deities, Dharma, Mahayana, Mantra, Medicine Buddha, Meditation, Vajrayana
In times of pain, sickness, or stress, my first thought of "remedy" is quiet meditation with the most sacred Medicine Buddha mantra. Inevitably, arthritis pains subsides in my case, and I've avoided most of the colds and flus ...
Tea Serkyem offering: Generating the merit for Compassionate Activities — especially for protection from sickness and other obstacles
Buddhist Practices, Dharma
In Mahayana Buddhism, we often speak the language of “Wisdom” and “Compassion” practices. Yet our frenetic, danger-filled world also necessitates “Activity Tantra,” an important “activity manifestation” of Wisdom and Compassion. Without activity, there is no progress on the ...
Headed for darkness or light? Of world’s 7.8 billion people, Tamonata Sutta says there are four types of people, two headed to darkness
Buddhist Sutras and Sutta English, Dharma
The world clock says there are now 7,752,598,114 people in this world. Of these, according to Holy Sutra, there are only "four types of people" — two types headed to "light" and two types headed to "darkness." This ...
The Path of Purification? No, my friend. Ratha-vinita Sutta (Chariot Relay Sutra) teaches us not to confuse the seven purifications, with the destination, Nirvana
Buddhist Sutras and Sutta English, Dharma
Although our teachers often drill hard on the theme of "just practice" and "I cannot practice for you" and "the greatest offering is your practice" — never-the-less Sutra cautions us against confusing practice with our goal of Nirvana ...
Karma is Not Fate: Why Karma is Empowering
Buddhist Living, Dharma, Karma, Lamrim Graduated Path to Enlightenment, Rebirth, Scientific Buddhist
Why is Karma empowering? One way of viewing Karma is as an aggregate of all of our actions, thoughts, words, dreams, desires into a user-controlled version of fate — that is you control your fate instead of some ...
Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta: The Great Discourse on the Establishing of Awareness; mindfulness of body, feelings, mind, mental qualities
Buddhist Sutras and Sutta English, Dharma
Perhaps the greatest teaching on mindfulness, the Maha (translates as: great) Satipatthana is a Sutta that serious meditators of all traditions reference in modern teachings. As a Pali sutta, it is an important teaching for the elder path (Theravada) ...