Seven Buddhist Mantras
Buddhist mantras are syllables and words chanted repetitively as part of a centering, consciousness-shifting practice. Their exact function can vary, but all have a goal of helping to inspire and...
Balance
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Zen Story: Anger Management
A Zen disciple approached his teacher. “Master, I have an uncontrollable temper. Can you help me overcome it?” “Hmmm, that’s strange. Can you show it to me?” asked the master....
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Zen Story: Friendship
A long time ago there were two friends, one who played the harp skillfully, and one who listened skillfully. When the one played a song about the mountains, the other...
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Zen Story: Bankei’s Cure
The great master Bankei’s meditation classes attracted students from all over Japan. During one of these courses, a student was caught stealing. The incident was brought to Bankei’s notice. He...
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Zen Story: Perfect Silence
Four pupils used to practice meditation in the time before Zen came to Japan. These close friends vowed to each other to observe silence for seven days. The first day...
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Zen Story: Steal the Moon
A Zen master, Ryokan, lived a life of simplicity in his hut near the mountains. When he was away one night, a thief broke in only to find nothing worth...
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Zen Story: Perceptions
Chuang Tzu and his friend were walking along a river bank and stopped for a moment to gaze at the water. Chuang Tzu exclaimed, “Look at those fish, how they’re...
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Zen Story: Impermanence
A revered Zen teacher once approached the king’s palace late at night. The guards did not stop him as he made his way inside to where the king was seated...
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Buddhist Mudras: Hand Gestures of the Buddha
The serene smile of the Buddha is his most distinguishing feature. Along with this, the viewer’s attention cannot help but be drawn towards the Buddha’s graceful hands, displayed in a...
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The Buddhist Tour
Places connected to the life of the Buddha are sacred to Buddhists across the world. The most important of these are his birthplace in Lumbini, Nepal, and in India —...
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Tibetan Buddhism
History Buddhism travelled into Tibet towards the end of the 8th century CE when its King, Trisong Detsen, invited two Buddhist masters from India. Shantarakshita from Nalanda (in modern day...
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The Dalai Lama
Lamas or teachers are senior monks (or nuns). Lay Tibetans can also become lamas. Well-versed in the sacred texts, a lama must also possess the requisite skills for conducting rituals....
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What is the Pali Canon in Buddhism?
The Pali Canon refers to the collected scriptures of Theravada Buddhism (pure land Buddhism), the oldest school of Buddhism founded in India that later spread to Sri Lanka and the...
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Who is Kuan Yin? Also known as Kwan Yin & Guan Yin.
Dan Brown made the phrase “sacred feminine” a household term in his bestseller The Da Vinci Code; the concept, however, has been in existence for centuries and is a central...
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