Thursday 21 May 2015

The Berzin Archives

New:
http://next.berzinarchives.com/sections/path-to-enlightenment#more-menu
Old:
http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/index.html

The Berzin Archives


The Berzin Archives is a collection of translations and teachings by Dr. Alexander Berzin primarily on the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. Covering the areas of sutra, tantra, Kalachakra, dzogchen, and mahamudra meditation, the Archives presents material from all five Tibetan traditions: Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu, Gelug, and Bon, as well as comparisons with Theravada Buddhism and Islam. Also featured are Tibetan astrology and medicine, Shambhala, and Buddhist history.

Yuttadhammo: How to meditate (videos and pdf)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL603BD0B03E12F5A1

http://static.sirimangalo.org/howto/HTM.pdf

Yuttadhammo: How to meditate

Vimeo videos tagged Buddhism

https://vimeo.com/tag:buddhism/page:1/sort:date/format:thumbnail

Vimeo videos tagged Buddhism



Tuesday 19 May 2015

Who Was the Buddha & What Did He Teach? History, Philosophy, Mythology, Biography (2001)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sd2elqAeh0
Who Was the Buddha & What Did He Teach? History, Philosophy, Mythology, Biography (2001)
Published on May 18, 2015
Gautama Buddha, also known as Siddhārtha Gautama, Shakyamuni, or simply the Buddha, was a sage on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. He is .

Religion, Philosophy, and all things based on Faith.

Download: The history of Buddhism is the story of one man's spiritual journey to Enlightenment, and of the teachings .


Published on May 10, 2015
Gautama Buddha, also known as Siddhārtha Gautama, Shakyamuni, or simply the Buddha, was a sage on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. He is believed to have lived and taught mostly in eastern India sometime between the sixth and fourth centuries BCE.

The word Buddha means "awakened one" or "the enlightened one". "Buddha" is also used as a title for the first awakened being in an era. In most Buddhist traditions, Siddhartha Gautama is regarded as the Supreme Buddha (Pali sammāsambuddha, Sanskrit samyaksaṃbuddha) of our age. Gautama taught a Middle Way between sensual indulgence and the severe asceticism found in the Sramana (renunciation) movement common in his region. He later taught throughout regions of eastern India such as Magadha and Kośala.

Gautama is the primary figure in Buddhism and accounts of his life, discourses, and monastic rules are believed by Buddhists to have been summarized after his death and memorized by his followers. Various collections of teachings attributed to him were passed down by oral tradition and first committed to writing about 400 years later.

Scholars are hesitant to make unqualified claims about the historical facts of the Buddha's life. Most accept that he lived, taught and founded a monastic order during the Mahajanapada era in India during the reign of Bimbisara, the ruler of the Magadha empire, and died during the early years of the reign of Ajatshatru who was the successor of Bimbisara, thus making him a younger contemporary of Mahavira, the Jain teacher.[7] Apart from the Vedic Brahmins, the Buddha's lifetime coincided with the flourishing of other influential sramana schools of thoughts like Ājīvika, Cārvāka, Jain, and Ajñana. It was also the age of influential thinkers like Mahāvīra, Pūraṇa Kassapa , Makkhali Gosāla, Ajita Kesakambalī, Pakudha Kaccāyana, and Sañjaya Belaṭṭhaputta, whose viewpoints the Buddha most certainly must have been acquainted with and influenced by.[8][9][note 7] Indeed, Sariputta and Maudgalyāyana, two of the foremost disciples of the Buddha, were formerly the foremost disciples of Sañjaya Belaṭṭhaputta, the skeptic. There is also evidence to suggest that the two masters, Alara Kalama and Udaka Ramaputta, were indeed historical figures and they most probably taught Buddha two different forms of meditative techniques. While the most general outline of "birth, maturity, renunciation, search, awakening and liberation, teaching, death" must be true, most scholars do not consistently accept all of the details contained in traditional biographies.

The times of Gautama's birth and death are uncertain. Most historians in the early 20th century dated his lifetime as circa 563 BCE to 483 BCE. More recently his death is dated later, between 411 and 400 BCE, while at a symposium on this question held in 1988, the majority of those who presented definite opinions gave dates within 20 years either side of 400 BCE for the Buddha's death. These alternative chronologies, however, have not yet been accepted by all historians.

The evidence of the early texts suggests that Siddhārtha Gautama was born into the Shakya clan, a community that was on the periphery, both geographically and culturally, of the northeastern Indian subcontinent in the 5th century BCE. It was either a small republic, in which case his father was an elected chieftain, or an oligarchy, in which case his father was an oligarch. According to the Buddhist tradition, Gautama was born in Lumbini, nowadays in modern-day Nepal, and raised in Kapilavastu (Shakya capital), which may either be in present day Tilaurakot, Nepal or Piprahwa, India.[note 1] He obtained his enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, gave his first sermon in Sarnath, and died in Kushinagara.

No written records about Gautama have been found from his lifetime or some centuries thereafter. One edict of Emperor Ashoka, who reigned from circa 269 BCE to 232 BCE, commemorates the Emperor's pilgrimage to the Buddha's birthplace in Lumbini. Another one of his edict mentions several Dhamma texts, establishing the existence of a written Buddhist tradition at least by the time of the Mauryan era and which may be the precursors of the Pāli Canon. The oldest surviving Buddhist manuscripts are the Gandhāran Buddhist texts, reported to have been found in or around Haḍḍa near Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan and now preserved in the British Library. They are written in the Kharoṣṭhī script and the Gāndhārī language on twenty-seven birch bark scrolls, and they date from the first century BCE to the third century CE.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_...

Saturday 16 May 2015

Mindfulness Defines by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/mindfulnessdefined.html

   Mindfulness Defined

by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

What does it mean to be mindful of the breath? Something very simple: to keep the breath in mind. Keep remembering the breath each time you breathe in, each time you breathe out. The British scholar who coined the term “mindfulness” to translate the Pali word sati was probably influenced by the Anglican prayer to be ever mindful of the needs of others—in other words, to always keep their needs in mind. But even though the word “mindful” was probably drawn from a Christian context, the Buddha himself defined sati as the ability to remember, illustrating its function in meditation practice with the four satipatthanas, or establishings of mindfulness.
“And what is the faculty of sati? There is the case where a monk, a disciple of the noble ones, is mindful, highly meticulous, remembering & able to call to mind even things that were done & said long ago. (And here begins the satipatthana formula:) He remains focused on the body in & of itself — ardent, alert, & mindful — putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. He remains focused on feelings in & of themselves... the mind in & of itself... mental qualities in & of themselves — ardent, alert, & mindful — putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world.”

Thursday 14 May 2015

Tricycle: Letting Go of Spiritual Experience

http://www.tricycle.com/dharma-talk/letting-go-spiritual-experience


Letting Go of Spiritual Experience

Stop clinging to peak moments and open to true realization.
Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche


Spiritual Experiences and Realizations
There will be all sorts of experiences on the spiritual path. Positive periods of development—those that are reassuring and comforting—are an important part of the process. It is important to realize, however, that even positive experiences will fluctuate. We will rarely, if ever, perceive a steady development of them, precisely because experiences are fickle by nature. Enjoying a series of good experiences does not ensure that they will continue indefinitely; they may stop suddenly. Even so, they remain an important part of spiritual practice, not least because they help to maintain our motivation to continue practicing.

AUDIOBOOK This Moment Is the Perfect Teacher 10 Buddhist Teachings Full

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O12_VYF3gTY

AUDIOBOOK This Moment Is the Perfect Teacher 10 Buddhist Teachings Full

by Pema Chodron

Tuesday 12 May 2015

ANATTA: From a Scientific Perspective

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnyFL4Hj6n0

ANATTA: From a Scientific Perspective

Published on Mar 1, 2013
K SRI DHAMMANANDA LECTURE SERIES 2013
Buddhist Maha Vihara, Kuala Lumpur
27th February 2013

Exploring scientific explanations how personalization of the body and its experiences give rise to clinging and attachment ("upādāna") that lead to the mental construction of a subjective "self".

Sharing by Bro. Billy Tan (billy.tan@hotmail.com)

Bro. Billy Tan is a Professional Trainer and Business Development Consultant who has trained countless corporate executives and business professionals in more than 20 countries over the past three decades. Bro. Billy is a Certified Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), and a Certified Six Sigma Black Belt practitioner, as well as being certified by the International Association of Counselors and Therapists, USA, in Clinical Hypnotherapy. Bro. Billy Tan co-authored the business book entitled "The Streetwise Marketer: Marketing Leadership Approaches They Don't Teach At Business Schools" published by Malaysian Institute of Management (MIM).

In recent years Bro. Billy has conducted several professional training programs for resident and visiting Monks at the Buddhist Maha Vihara, Brickfields, in the areas of Emotional Intelligence, Communication, Professional Presentation, Public Relations, Community Services, Leadership, and Management. In sharing the Dhamma, Bro. Billy researches discoveries from the fields of Neuroscience and Psychology to present teachings of the Buddha from a scientific perspective.

Currently, Bro. Billy offers talks, seminars, workshops and professional training programs to Buddhist community centers and charity organizations.

Bhante Anandajoti:The Birth, Awakening and Passing of the Buddha

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFsfvRWeyEY

Bhante Anandajoti:The Birth, Awakening and Passing of the Buddha

Published on May 12, 2015
An illustrated and annotated talk given by Bhante Anandajoti during the Vesak celebrations in the Bodhi Lankarama Temple, Taiping, Malaysia describing the Birth, Awakening and Passing Away of the Buddha.

Monday 11 May 2015

NATRE: Voices of Faith and belief in schools

http://timabbott.co.uk/2014/01/29/2054/

http://www.natre.org.uk/uploads/Free%20Resources/Voices%20of%20faith%20and%20belief%20in%20schools.pdf

Voices of Faith and belief in schools


NATRE: Guidance and code of conduct

NATRE, has released an update to its guidance for religious visitors to schools which can be downloaded here.
As an organisation working with schools in the Colchester area we adopt this guidance as a standard for the way we work with the schools we serve. It recognises both the significant benefit that visitors representing faith or belief groups (whether religious or not) can bring to schools as well as the responsibility of these groups to work in an educational and inclusive way. The guidance can be summarised by this question:
If a member of another religion or belief visited my child’s school and contributed in the same way as I have done, would I, as a parent, be happy with the education given?
The guidance covers:
  • Principles and good practice
  • Code of Conduct
  • Schools’ responsibilities
  • The three main contexts where visitors might contribute to school life
  • The basics of communicating effectively with children and young people
It concludes:
Much wonderful RE, and many inspiring acts of collective worship or assemblies, result from the visit of a person willing to share his or her faith or belief. From the point of view of NATRE, schools are encouraged to welcome these visitors whenever possible, and communities of faith and belief are encouraged to contribute to the curriculum and collective worship some of the treasures of their living beliefs.

Thursday 7 May 2015

TRANSCULTURAL BUDDHISM: Buddhist Philosophy

http://seanrobsville.blogspot.co.uk/

TRANSCULTURAL BUDDHISM: Buddhist Philosophy

1.Introduction

Buddhism is founded on two fundamental beliefs, from which the rest of the philosophy is derived. These two basic premises are:


(i) The underlying nature of reality is process and change, rather than stable entities. 

(ii) Processes can be divided into two categories -  mental processes ('nama')  and physical/mechanistic processes ('rupa').

Living the Compassionate Life

http://www.lionsroar.com/living-the-compassionate-life/?utm_source=Shambhala+Sun+Community&utm_campaign=6ec2a388e8-SF_Weekly_May_5_20155_4_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1988ee44b2-6ec2a388e8-20974389#

Living the Compassionate Life

This teaching by the Dalai Lama explains how the Buddhist teachings of mindfulness and compassion lead inevitably to feelings of self-confidence and kindness.

The Buddha - A Documentary Story Of The Buddha's Life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIO4YO812Ro

The Buddha - A Documentary Story Of The Buddha's Life

Published on May 7, 2015
This documentary by award-winning filmmaker David Grubin and narrated by Richard Gere, tells the story of the Buddha's life, a journey especially relevant to .

The Buddha - A Story Of The Buddha's Life| Discovery History Channel Documentary HD More Video At: This is . This documentary by award-winning filmmaker .

Download: The history of Buddhism is the story of one man's spiritual journey to Enlightenment, and of the teachings .

महामानव बुद्ध की महान विद्या, विपश्यना का उदगम और विकास (Part 1 of 4) The Origin and Spread of Vipassana.


Buddhist Recovery Network

http://www.buddhistrecovery.org/

This is the official website of the Buddhist Recovery Network.

The Buddhist Recovery Network promotes the use of Buddhist teachings and practices to help people recover from the suffering caused by addictive behaviors and is open to people of all backgrounds, and respectful of all recovery paths.This website presents resources that can help illuminate the Buddhist path to freedom from alcoholism and addiction. To view these resources, please click on any of the buttons above the picture.

Dharma Documentaries

http://dharma-documentaries.net/

Dharma Documentaries 

Dharma, Culture, Ecology

Wednesday 6 May 2015

ARC: Buddhism and Ecology

http://www.arcworld.org/faiths.asp?pageID=66

Faiths and Ecology


This statement was prepared by Kevin Fossey, Buddhist educator and representative of Engaged Buddhism in Europe; Somdech Preah Maha Ghosananda, Patriarch of Cambodian Buddhism; His Excellency Sri Kushok Bakula, 20th Reincarnation of the Buddha’s Disciple Bakula, head of Ladakhi Buddhism, and initial rebuilder of Mongolian Buddhism; and Venerable Nhem Kim Teng, Patriarch of Vietnamese Buddhism.

V&A (London) Buddhist Resources

http://www.vam.ac.uk/page/b/buddhist-pilgrimage/
http://www.vam.ac.uk/page/b/buddhism

V&A (London) Buddhist Resources

Lotusinthemud: Buddhism and Japan

http://lotusinthemud.typepad.com/sujatin/2015/05/part-i-a-brief-history-of-buddhism-in-japan.html

1. Buddhism Introduced to Japan
Presentation of Korean Buddhist Materials

http://lotusinthemud.typepad.com/sujatin/2015/05/part-ii-the-japanese-and-buddhism.html

2. Japanese Buddhism Today
Secularization of Japanese Society


http://lotusinthemud.typepad.com/sujatin/2015/05/japanese-buddhism-part-iii-toward-the-future.html

3. What Does Buddhism Contribute to World Peace?

Tuesday 5 May 2015

A Buddhist Theory of Language

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kidspirit/a-buddhist-theory-of-language-_b_7204560.html

A Buddhist Theory of Language


Kid Spirit, Posted: Updated: 

«The Joy of Living by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche» (Full AudioBook Online)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBHJZBSE3KQ

«The Joy of Living by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche» (Full AudioBook Online)


Published on Apr 25, 2015
«The Joy of Living by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche (Full AudioBook Online)» - An illuminating perspective on the science of meditation—and a handbook for transforming our minds, bodies, and lives

In The Joy of Living, world-renowned Buddhist teacher Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche—the “happiest man in the world”—invites us to join him in unlocking the secrets to finding joy and contentment in the everyday. Using the basic meditation practices he provides, we can discover paths through our problems, transforming obstacles into opportunities to recognize the unlimited potential of our own minds.

If you like «The Joy of Living» - Subscribe to the channel or Share link with your friends!!!

Every Moment, Every Step: The Practice of Buddhism

http://buddhism.about.com/od/becomingabuddhist/u/practicepath.htm

Every Moment, Every Step: The Practice of Buddhism

Being a Buddhist is not a matter of accepting a belief system or memorizing doctrines. To be a Buddhist is to practice Buddhism. This section discusses Buddhist practice -- what it is, how it's done. Here find basic information on how to begin walking the path of Buddhism; an introduction to ritual, liturgy, and other formal practices; and discussions of how Buddhism teaches us to deal with the moral and ethical problems we encounter in our lives.

J. Bertetta's Lectures on Buddhism, Free University

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZF_1K8peZY

Siddhartha Gotama: Birth to Enlightenment (University Lecture)


Josh Bertetta, Ph.D, Published on Apr 18, 2015
The first lecture of our Buddhism unit begins by discussing a little about why and how Buddhism can often be challenging for modern peoples raised in Western society. We then move on to discussing the Buddha's life, beginning with his birth and issues concerning his birth narrative. From there we trace the Buddha's life, focusing on the episode known as the Four Sights, the trouble it caused him, then his eventual decision to leave his palace home in his search for a way to overcome suffering. Our discussion concludes by looking at the various periods of his meditation while sitting under the bo tree, culminating with his Enlightenment.

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS2aPDzb4Uk

Buddhism: Three Characteristics of Existence and the First Two Noble Truths (University Lecture)

Published on Apr 20, 2015
This, the second day of our Buddhism Unit, begins with a discussion of the Three Characteristics of Existence (impermanence, anatta, and nirvana). From there we look at what makes us who we are (The Five Aggregates) followed by a discussion of the first two Noble Truths, paying particular attention to the term "dukkha," often translated as suffering.



Noble Truths Three and Four, Nirvana, and Codependent Arising (University Lecture)


Published on May 3, 2015
Beginning with a method by which to address our suffering, our discussion then moves on to the Third Noble Truth, pausing on Nirvana. We then discuss the Fourth Noble Truth, paying particular attention to the Noble Eightfold Path. The lecture concludes with an examination of Co-dependent Arising with an example of how the teaching works.

Friday 1 May 2015

Holkhongam Haokip - A 3 part series on Buddhism in Manipur

Holkhongam Haokip - A 3 part series on Buddhism in Manipur


  • Buddhism in Manipur :: Part 1
  • Buddhism in Manipur :: Part 2
  • "How Buddhism Became a Religion."




    April 10th, 2015, from 4:30 to 6:30. Dodd Hall Auditorium. By Dr. Jason Josephson, Williams College talk about "How Buddhism Became a Religion."
    >>Flyer

    >>MP3

    FSU: Tessa J. Bartholomeusz Lecture Series

    http://religion.fsu.edu/buddhist_lectures_Bartholomeusz.html

    Tessa J. Bartholomeusz Lecture Series




    The Tessa J. Bartholomeusz Lecture in Religion has been established by the faculty of the Department of Religion, Florida State University, in memory of our late colleague. Tessa Bartholomeusz (1958-2001) came to Florida State as assistant professor in 1993, following an appointment at Indiana University/Purdue University at Indianapolis and the completion of a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia in 1991. She was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 1997, and to full professor in 2001. While at Florida State, Professor Bartholomeusz established a reputation as a leading interpreter of Buddhism through such works as Women Under the Bo Tree (Cambridge, 1994), Buddhist Fundamentalisms and Minority Identities in Sri Lanka (State University of New York, 1998), In Defense of Dharma (Curzon Press, 2002), and numerous articles in scholarly journals. Professor Bartholomeusz also received a number of awards for teaching at Florida State University, served as treasurer for the American Institute of Sri Lanka Studies and as the book review editor for the Journal of Asian Studies. The Tessa J. Bartholomeusz Lecture is supported by the Department of Religion through its account at the Florida State University Foundation. Anyone wishing to join in supporting this project is invited to contact the Department of Religion at 850-644-1020, or to speak with one of the faculty.