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Buddha Weekly's Latest Features
Dog and Cat Dharma: Did Buddha Teach That Dogs and Cats Have Buddha Nature? How Can You Help Your Companion Meet the Dharma in Daily Life?
I saw a sparkling moment of real Doggy Dharma last weekend. At a Medicine Buddha retreat, a nice couple brought along their beloved 15 month-old pup. My kind teacher, Zasep Tulku Rinpoche, smiled as they lifted the pup for a blessing after the teachings. I had brought along my bell and vajra...
A Dog’s Guide to Enlightenment — dogs embody many Buddhist principles and have Buddha Nature
Can dogs walk with us on the path to enlightenment? In 2018, about 85 million families in the U.S. owned a pet, 60.2% of which were dogs. Faithful, kind, forgiving; compassionate words associated with dogs. They are the true embodiment of unconditional love — man’s best friend. However, Buddhists believe dogs also...
Ghosts, Nagas, Demons and Duality: Are Supernatural Beings Cogenerated, Illusory, Dream or Ultimately Real?
One of the main obstacles to discussing phenomena such as ghosts, demons, gods, nagas, or any other supernatural thing is that our current secular rationalist paradigm only understands or allows for one analytical framework of explanation. It positions internal hallucinations or projections, a.k.a. fantasies, or conversely materially measurable phenomenon a.k.a "reality" as...
Youthful Manjushri: the flowering of wisdom; the gentle Buddha who cuts through ignorance with his flaming sword
Of all the Buddhist meditational deities — and, of all the Bodhisattvas we meet in the sutras — the overwhelming feeling with Manjushri is “gentle wisdom” and “gentle friend.” We feel warm, comforted, and supported in the youthful arms of Manjushri. More importantly, we receive the gentle wisdom we need to progress...
Venerable Zasep Rinpoche Teaching: Buddhist Naga Practice is Helpful to Heal Environment — Full Sadhana Translated
By Venerable Zasep Tulku Losang Tenzin Gyatsen Commentary and Translation of Sadhana Translated July 2021 The highly respected Gelug master, Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen, (1619-1657) — an incarnation of Manjushri and Mahasiddha Virupa — advised that we should all practice the sadhanas of Vajrapani, Hayagriva, and King Garuda and make offerings to the...
“Dharma in motion”: Buddhism, Vajrayana Buddhist Tantra and Zen have as much in common with martial arts as religion?
Premise: Buddhism, Vajrayana Tantra and Zen have as much in common with martial arts as it does with religion. Second Premise: Martial arts skills are helpful to meditators and helps develop practice discipline. That may seem like an absurd or frivolous statement, but there's a core truth in there. Buddha himself focused...
A Wheel With Eight Spokes: Why Picking and Choosing “Beliefs” — or “Revisionist” Buddha Dhama — Can Obstruct Your Buddhist Practice
" The eightfold path is often represented as a wheel with eight spokes. Pick a wheel with just one or two and it won't take you very far." — Mark Vernon [13] "Some traditional Buddhist teachers tend to serve "Dharma-Lite" like "Coca-Cola Lite," rather than "the Real Thing" Dharma," said Alexander Berzin...
Switch Up from Studying: Buddhist Feature Films Can be Illuminating and Enjoyable: 6 Distinctly Different Movies
Sitting in the lotus position, focused on breath and not thinking about anything — that's true Buddhist serenity. For those times when you need a break from practice, these six profound films are sure to distract you from your worries and help you tune into serenity. By Carrie Duncan [Bio below.] ...
Scientific Buddhist: Peer Reviewed Studies — Buddhist Metta Loving Kindness Meditation Can Slow Aging —10 Benefits of Compassion
In two recent Buddha Weekly advice videos, teacher Zasep Tulku Rinpoche explained that mindfulness meditation and loving-kindness meditations were among the best therapies for bereavement, stress, cognitive issues, memory loss, and even Alzheimer's. (Bereavement Video>> and Cognitive Video>>) Perhaps not surprisingly, peer-reviewed medical studies may corroborate this claim made by Buddhists for...
A Better Way to Catch a Snake Sutra: Buddha explains the danger of misinterpreting the Dharma
In this age of "fake news" it's interesting to note that "fake teachings" are a recurring theme in the Buddhist Sutras, especially in the Sutras featuring a Bhikshu named Arittha. A better word, might be "misinterpreted" teachings. Today, the viral nature of social media propigates various interpretations of the Buddha's teaching — especially with regard...
Nidana Sutta: Buddha Teaches the Three Causes for the Origination of Actions — Greed, Aversion, and Delusion: Sutra
Shakyamuni Buddha taught the path to freedom from suffering (Pali, Dukkha, Sanskrit Duhkha), beginning with the causes of our suffering. In his first teaching on the Four Noble Truths, he taught "three types of suffering are distinguished: they result, respectively, from pain, such as old age, sickness, and death." [For more on...
Veneration Practice and Devotion According to the Ksitigarbha Sutra: Why Devotion is Not Superstition
Editor: In a special feature, author Eddie Sobenes explores The Sutra of the Fundamental Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, emphasizing the differences between the meritorious karma activity of "devotion" versus "superstition." In the Chinese Buddhist Canon, there are three Ksitigarbha[1] Sutras. In this essay, I will discuss the one known as The Sutra...
Buddha Weekly’s Special Section
Tara, Mother of all Buddhas
Karma Mother
How does Tara Help?
Tara, like any Mother, is ready to jump to our aid, even in mundane areas of life. She is the “practical Buddha” — the “Karma Mother” — the Buddha most active in our lives. Her Sanskrit name translates as “a star by which to navigate” — and like a star, she is always with us whenever we look for her.
Tara on YouTube
21 Taras Mantra Video Playlist
An entire playlist of every one of the mantras for the 21 Taras. Don't miss the amazing Tara mantra chanting of Yoko Dharma for the each Tara of the 21 Taras according to Surya Gupta lineage. One video with many repetitions and visualized images for each Tara. The final video is the English-translated 21 Praises to Tara sung in English.