“Windows To Spirituality”
Four Noble Truths In Buddhism, the Four Noble Truths (catvāri āryasatyāni; cattāri ariyasaccāni) are “the truths of the Noble Ones,” the truths or realities which are understood by the “worthy ones” who have attained nirvana. The truths are: dukkha, “incapable of satisfying,” painful; samudaya, the “arising” of dukkha together with tanha (“thirst,” desire, craving); nirodha, “cessation” of dukkha by “confinement” of tanha; and marga, the...
The Basics Of Buddhist Wisdom The Four Noble Truths Life is suffering; Suffering is due to attachment; Attachment can be overcome; There is a path for accomplishing this. Suffering is perhaps the most common translation for the Sanskrit word duhkha, which can also be translated as imperfect, stressful, or filled...
Tirukkural: The Book Of Wisdom Ancient Text on Virtue, Wealth & Love The Tirukkural (திருக்குறள், literally Sacred Verses), or shortly the Kural, is a classic Tamil language text consisting of 1,330 couplets or Kurals. The text is divided into three books, each with aphoristic teachings on virtue (aram, dharma), wealth (porul, artha) and love (inbam, kama). Considered one...
Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (ཏཱ་ལའི་བླ་མ་) is a title given by the Tibetan people for the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or “Yellow Hat” school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest of the classical schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dalai Lama is Tenzin Gyatso, who lives as a refugee in India. See Also: Dalai Lama...
Prajñā in Buddhism Prajñā (Sanskrit) or paññā (Pāli), often translated as “wisdom“, is the state of understanding. It is described in Buddhist commentaries as the understanding of the true nature of phenomena. In the context of Buddhist meditation, it is the ability to understand the three characteristics of all things: anicca (impermanence), dukkha...
Gautama Buddha The Gautama Buddha (also known as The Buddha, Siddhattha Gotama or Siddhārtha Gautama) was a philosopher, mendicant, meditator, spiritual teacher, and religious leader who lived in Ancient India (c. 5th to 4th century BCE). He is revered as the founder of the world religion of Buddhism. He taught for around 45 years and...
Brahmanism Brahmanism is an ideology and a way of life, originating from the history of the Vedas, often called a philosophy, practised on the basis of specific inferred beliefs. The fundamental and principle belief of Brahmanism defines Brahman and its attributeless element that was first captured by the Rishis who compiled the Vedas. “That...
Prajna In Hinduism Prajna, Prajña or Pragya (प्रज्ञ) as प्रज्ञा, प्राज्ञ and प्राज्ञा is used to refer to the highest and purest form of wisdom, intelligence and understanding in Hinduism. Pragya is the state of wisdom which is higher than the knowledge obtained by reasoning and inference. Meaning The Sanskrit word...
Jain Epistemology According to Jain epistemology, sense perception is the knowledge which the Jīva (soul) acquires of the environment through the intermediary of material sense organs. Jainism made its own unique contribution to this mainstream development of philosophy by occupying itself with the basic epistemological issues. According to Jains, knowledge is the...
Buddhism Buddhism is the world’s fourth-largest religion with over 520 million followers, or over 7% of the global population, known as Buddhists. Buddhism encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and spiritual practices largely based on original teachings attributed to the Buddha and resulting interpreted philosophies. Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading...
Buddhism And Western Philosophy Buddhism and Western Philosophy include several parallels. Before the 20th century, a few European thinkers such as Arthur Schopenhauer and Friedrich Nietzsche had engaged with Buddhist thought. Likewise, in Asian nations with Buddhist populations, there were also attempts to bring the insights of Western thought to...
What Is Buddhist Modernism? Buddhist modernism (also referred to as modern Buddhism, modernist Buddhism, and Neo-Buddhism) are a new movement based on modern era reinterpretations of Buddhism. David McMahan states that modernism in Buddhism is similar to those found in other religions. The sources of influences have variously been an engagement of Buddhist...
Criticism Of Buddhism Criticism of Buddhism has taken numerous different forms, including that its practitioners act in ways contrary to Buddhist principles or that those principles systemically marginalize women. There are many sources of criticism, both ancient and modern, stemming from other religions, the non-religious, and other Buddhists. Criticism of...
Jain Vegetarianism Jain vegetarianism is practiced by the followers of Jain culture and philosophy. It is one of the most rigorous forms of spiritually motivated diet on the Indian subcontinent and beyond. The Jain cuisine is completely vegetarian and also excludes underground vegetables such as potato, garlic, onion etc, to prevent injuring small insects...
Kshanti Kshanti or khanti is patience, forbearance and forgiveness. It is one of the pāramitās in both Theravāda and Mahāyāna Buddhism. Canonical sources Examples in the Pāli canon identify using forbearance in response to others’ anger, cuckolding, torture and even fatal assaults. Dhammapada verses Khanti is the first word of the Ovada-Patimokkha Gatha (Pāli for “Patimokkha Exhortation Verse”), also found in the Dhammapada, verse...
What Is Kama? This article covers the answer to the question: “What Is Kama?“ Kama (काम) means “desire, wish, longing” in Hindu and Buddhist literature. The Kama often connotes sexual desire and longing in contemporary literature, but the concept more broadly refers to any desire, wish, passion, longing, the pleasure...
Ethics Of Jainism This article covers Ethics Of Jainism. Jain ethical code prescribes two dharmas or rules of conduct. One for those who wish to become ascetic and another for the śrāvaka (householders). Five fundamental vows are prescribed for both votaries. These vows are observed by śrāvakas (householders) partially and are termed as anuvratas (small vows)....
Ahimsa in Jainism Ahimsa (Ahinsā, ‘ahinsa’, अहिंसा, ahinsā, avihinsā) in Jainism is a fundamental principle forming the cornerstone of its ethics and doctrine. The term ahinsa means nonviolence, non-injury and absence of desire to harm any life forms. Vegetarianism and other nonviolent practices and rituals of Jains flow from the principle of ahimsa. The...
What Is Ayurveda? Ayurveda is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The study of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific while the practice can be classified as protoscience or unscientific. The main classical Ayurveda texts begin with accounts of the transmission of medical knowledge from the gods to sages, and then to human...
Marriage In Hinduism Hindu marriage joins two individuals for life, so that they can pursue dharma (duty), artha (possessions), and kama (physical desires). It is a union of two individuals as spouses, and is recognized by law. In Hinduism, marriage is followed by traditional rituals for consummation. In fact, marriage...
