A vegetarian dinner at a Korean Buddhist restaurant.

Buddhist Vegetarianism

Buddhist Vegetarianism Buddhist vegetarianism is the belief in following a vegetarian diet is implied in the Buddha‘s teaching. In Buddhism, however, the views on vegetarianism vary between different schools of thought. The Mahayana schools generally recommend a vegetarian diet; according to some sutras the Buddha himself insisted that his followers should not eat the flesh of any sentient being. Early...

The Sendai Daikannon is the largest statue of a woman in the world.

Buddhist Deities

Buddhist Deities Buddhist deities include a wide array of divine beings that are venerated in various rituals and popular contexts. Initially, they included mainly Indian figures such as vedic devas and yakshas, but later came to include other Asian spirits and local gods. Buddhist deities range from enlightened Buddhas to regional spirits adopted...

Devas in Heaven

Deva In Buddhism

Deva In Buddhism A deva (देव, Mongolian tenger (тэнгэр)) in Buddhism is one of many different types of non-human beings who share the godlike characteristics of being more powerful, longer-lived, and, in general, much happier than humans, although the same level of veneration is not paid to them as to buddhas. The concept of devas was...

Jogyesa Temple Seon temple in Seoul, South Korea

Korean Seon

Korean Seon Seon, or Seon Buddhism or Sŏn Buddhism (Korean: 선, 禪) is the Korean name for Chan Buddhism, a branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism commonly known in English as Zen Buddhism. Seon is the Sino-Korean pronunciation of Chan (Chinese: 禪; pinyin: chán) an abbreviation of 禪那 (chánnà), which is a Chinese transliteration of the Sanskrit word of dhyāna (“meditation“). Seon...

Chinese: "Buddha"

Chan Buddhism

Chan Buddhism Chan (禅, 禪; Chán; 禪那; chánnà), from Sanskrit dhyāna (meaning “meditation” or “meditative state”), is a Chinese school of Mahāyāna Buddhism. It developed in China from the 6th century CE onwards, becoming dominant during the Tang and Song dynasties. After the Yuan dynasty, Chan more or less fused with Pure Land Buddhism. Chan is the originating tradition of Zen Buddhism (the...

Meditation Reflection Universe Person Middle

Sati

Sati (Mindfulness in Buddhism) Sati (from सति; स्मृति smṛti) is mindfulness or awareness, a spiritual or psychological faculty (indriya) that forms an essential part of Buddhist practice. It is the first factor of the Seven Factors of Enlightenment. “Correct” or “right” mindfulness (Pali: sammā-sati, Sanskrit samyak-smṛti) is the seventh element of the Noble Eightfold Path. Definition The Buddhist term translated...

Typical interior of a Buddhist temple

Three Marks Of Existence

Three Marks Of Existence In Buddhism, the three marks of existence are three characteristics (tilakkhaṇa; त्रिलक्षण, trilakṣaṇa) of all existence and beings, namely impermanence (aniccā), unsatisfactoriness or suffering (duḥkha), and non-self (anattā). These three characteristics are mentioned in verses 277, 278 and 279 of the Dhammapada. That humans are subject to delusion...

Buddhist Weddings in Bali

Buddhist View Of Marriage

Buddhist View Of Marriage The Buddhist view of marriage considers marriage a secular affair and as such, it is not considered a sacrament. Buddhists are expected to follow the civil laws regarding marriage laid out by their respective governments. While the ceremony itself is civil, many Buddhists obtain the blessing from monks at the...

The Buddha, represented by the Bodhi tree, attended by animals, Sanchi vihara.

Animals In Buddhism

Animals In Buddhism The position and treatment of animals in Buddhism is important for the light it sheds on Buddhists’ perception of their own relation to the natural world, on Buddhist humanitarian concerns in general, and on the relationship between Buddhist theory and Buddhist practice. Etymology In the Pali language, the translation is Tira-acchanā. Tira means against and Acchanā means a being...

Detail from a Nepalese Kama Sutra manuscript. Photo courtesy the Wellcome Collection

Buddhism And Sexuality

Buddhism And Sexuality Although only a limited number of scholarly studies have appeared to date on the topic of Buddhism and sexuality, most concur, explicitly or implicitly, that teachings such as the ‘Sermon on Burning’ (Ādittapariyāya-sutta) from the Saṃyutta-nikāya (35.28) in which the Buddha warns his monks that sense perception...

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Japanese Zen

Japanese Zen Japanese Zen refers to the Japanese forms of Zen Buddhism, an originally Chinese Mahāyāna school of Buddhism that strongly emphasizes dhyāna, the meditative training of awareness and equanimity. This practice, according to Zen proponents, gives insight into one’s true nature, or the emptiness of inherent existence, which opens the way to a liberated way of living. History...

The twelve nidanas explain the rebirth / reincarnation mechanism in Buddhism. Starting with Avidya (ignorance, misconception) as first. The 12 nidanas are often shown in wheel of life's outer rim (above) in the traditional bhavachakra. This is a derivative work on File:Traditional bhavachakra wall mural of Yama holding the wheel of life, Buddha pointing the way out.jpg available on wikimedia, under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic. Please see that file for attributions and any special restrictions.

Pratityasamutpada

Pratityasamutpada Pratityasamutpada or pratītyasamutpāda (प्रतीत्यसमुत्पाद, pratītyasamutpāda; पटिच्चसमुप्पाद, paṭiccasamuppāda), commonly translated as dependent origination, or dependent arising, is a key doctrine of Buddhist philosophy, which states that all dharmas (“phenomena”) arise in dependence upon other dharmas: “if this exists, that exists; if this ceases to exist, that also ceases to exist”. The principle is expressed in the...

In the Prajñaparamita sutras, the emptiness of phenomena is often illustrated by metaphors like drops of dew.

Sunyata

Sunyata Sunyata or Śūnyatā (शून्यता, śūnyatā; suññatā) – pronounced in English as (shoon-ya-ta), translated most often as emptiness and sometimes voidness – is a Buddhist concept which has multiple meanings depending on its doctrinal context. It is either an ontological feature of reality, a meditative state, or a phenomenological analysis of experience. In Theravada Buddhism, suññatā often refers to...

Nagarjuna, protected by the Nagassnake spirits who are said to be the guardians of the Prajnaparamita sutras.

Madhyamaka

Madhyamaka Madhyamaka (“Middle way” or “Centrism”; मध्यमक, 中觀見; Zhōngguān Jìan, dbu ma pa) also known as Śūnyavāda (the emptiness doctrine) and Niḥsvabhāvavāda (the no svabhāva doctrine) refers to a tradition of Buddhist philosophy  and practice founded by the Indian philosopher Nāgārjuna (c. 150-250 CE). The foundational text of the Mādhyamaka tradition is Nāgārjuna’s Mūlamadhyamakakārikā (Root Verses on the Middle Way). More...

Buddhist Ritual Water Buddhism Meditation Ancient

Buddhist Monasticism

Buddhist Monasticism Buddhist monasticism is one of the earliest surviving forms of organized monasticism and one of the fundamental institutions of Buddhism. Monks and nuns, called bhikkhu (Skt. bhikshu) and bhikkhuni (Skt. bhikshuni), are responsible for the preservation and dissemination of the Buddha‘s teaching and the guidance of Buddhist lay people. Three surviving traditions...

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Kensho

Kensho Kensho or Kenshō (見性) is a Japanese term from the Zen tradition. Ken means “seeing”, shō means “nature, essence“. It is usually translated as “seeing one’s (true) nature”, that is, the Buddha-nature or nature of mind. Kenshō is an initial insight or awakening, not full Buddhahood. It is to be followed by further training to deepen this insight, and learn...

Depiction of the Buddha, bodhisattvas, a monk and a layperson, from Shotorak monastery in Kapisa, Afghanistan. Kapisa was one of the western capitals of emperor Kaniska, who was a great supporter of Sarvāstivāda.

Skandha

Skandha Skandhas or khandhas means “heaps, aggregates, collections, groupings”. In Buddhism, it refers to the five aggregates of clinging (Pañcupādānakkhandhā), the five material and mental factors that take part in the rise of craving and clinging. They are also explained as the five factors that constitute and explain a sentient being’s person and personality,...

The chief disciples of the Buddha, Mogallana (chief in psychic power) and Sariputta (chief in wisdom).

Middle Way

Middle Way The Middle Way or Middle Path is the term that Gautama Buddha used to describe the character of the Noble Eightfold Path he discovered that leads to liberation. Theravada Buddhism and the Pali canon Dhamacakkappavattana Sutta In the Pāli Canon of Theravada Buddhism, the term “Middle Way” was used in the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, which the Buddhist tradition regards to be the...

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Anatta

Anatta In Buddhism, the term anattā (Pali) or anātman (Sanskrit) refers to the doctrine of “non-self”, that there is no unchanging, permanent self, soul or essence in phenomena. It is one of the seven beneficial perceptions in Buddhism, and one of the three marks of existence along with dukkha (suffering) and anicca (impermanence). The Buddhist concept of anatta or anatman is one of...

Buddha Meditation Contemplation Statue Peace Zen

Buddhism And The Body

Buddhism And The Body This article covers the relationship between Buddhism and the body. In contrast with many Indian religious traditions, Buddhism does not regard the body and the mind or spirit as being two entirely separate entities – there is no sense in Buddhism that the body is a “vessel” that...