Category: Buddhism

In Buddhism, the third of the Five Precepts states that one is to refrain from sexual misconduct. Among the many interpretations of what constitutes “sexual misconduct” are: sex outside of marriage (a relatively modern idea), sex with another person without the consent of your life partner, or the historically prevalent view that it was limited to describe rape, incest, and...

The first lay precept in Buddhism is usually translated as “I undertake the precept to refrain from destroying living creatures.” Many see this as implying that Buddhists should not eat the meat of animals. However, this is not necessarily the case. There is a divergence of views within Buddhism on the need for vegetarianism, with the majority of schools of...

Several Buddhist terms and concepts lack direct translations into English that cover the breadth of the original term. Below are given a number of important Buddhist terms, short definitions, and the languages in which they appear. In this list, an attempt has been made to organize terms by their original form and give translations and synonyms in other languages below...

Temples in Thailand are a very important symbol to the people, for whom religion is at the center of life. There are a total of 40,717 Buddhist temples (Thai: Wat) in Thailand as of 31 December 2004, of which 33,902 are in current use, according to the Office of National Buddhism. Contents Ayutthaya Bangkok Chiang Mai Chiang Rai Kanchanaburi Pathum...

From Bhutan to Mongolia, these temples, pagodas, shrines, and wats are as extraordinary as they are beautiful. Millions of people from different parts of the world flock to these temples of faith in search of peace. Buddhist temples and monasteries, sorted by location. Contents Australia Western Australia Canada Nova Scotia Ontario British Columbia China Beijing Fujian Guangdong Henan Jiangsu Jiangxi...

Buddhist symbolism appeared from around the 3rd century BCE, and started with aniconic symbolism, avoiding direct representations of the Buddha. Anthropomorphic symbolism appeared from around the 1st century CE with the arts of Mathura and the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara, and were combined with the previous symbols. Various symbolic innovations were later introduced, especially through Tibetan Buddhism. Contents Popular Buddhism...

The Buddhist Society, London was created in London as an offshoot of a Theosophical Lodge by Christmas Humphreys, a British judge and convert to Buddhism, along with his wife. The Buddhist Society, 58, Eccleston Square, London SW1V 1PH. Located (5 mins walk from Victoria Station). Tel: 020 7834 5858. e-mail . Open Monday to Friday 2pm to 6pm and 2pm...

GP Malalasekara of Sri Lanka wrote about Buddhist socialism in an article published in Studies in Indo-Asian Art and Culture, Volume 1., 1972. See also – Buddhism; – socialism.

The Buddhist Publication Society is a charity whose goal is to explain and spread the doctrine of the Buddha. It was founded in Sri Lanka in 1958 . This organization has published hundreds of book, plus two periodicals still edited : The Wheel and Bodhi leaves. In addition to publishing, the Buddhist Publication Society hosts a free online library of e-books...

Buddhist polemics revolve around the veracity and efficacy of doctrine and practice. It seems that from the very beginning Buddhists were involved in a struggle with non-believers to establish the Truth. What we see is a process of ultraism in which each group, including the authors of the earliest texts, is inclined to denigrate those that had come before it....

There are a great variety of Buddhist texts. Buddhists place varying value on them: attitudes range from worship of the text itself, to dismissal of some texts as falsification of the ineffable truth. They therefore cannot be called “scripture” in the sense of other religions. The texts can be categorized in a number of ways, but the most fundamental division...

There are many divisions and subdivisions of the schools of Buddhism. An extensive list of historical schools is given below according to lineage. Surviving schools can be roughly grouped under the categories of Theravāda, Mahāyāna, and Vajrayāna. Theravāda and Mahāyāna share common methods as sutric schools, while Vajrayāna can be seen as a tantric school. Contents Nikaya schools Theravada schools...

Buddhist philosophy is the branch of Eastern philosophy based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha (c. 563 BCE – c. 483 BCE). Buddhist philosophy deals extensively with problems in metaphysics, phenomenology, ethics, and epistemology. Contents Introduction Buddhism as philosophy Philosophical areas addressed in Buddhism Epistemology Metaphysics and phenomenology Issues arising from the doctrine of anatta Dependent Origination Interpenetration Ethics Historical...

The mission of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship (BPF), founded in 1978, is to serve as a catalyst for socially engaged Buddhism. Buddhist Peace Fellowship (BPF) is a leader in socially engaged Buddhism with a long and groundbreaking history of implementing projects that work toward ending suffering in the world. Determined not to be complicit with white supremacy and with deeply...