- Buddha's First Sermon: Metaphor, History, Teachings
The sutta on the Rolling Forth of the Wheel of the Dharma is purported to be the Buddha's first sermon. We will consider the relevance of the metaphor of the wheel in this discourse. Then we'll turn to some historical questions and…
- Should You Live in City or Country? Buddha's Answer
What sort of lifestyle is best for dharma practice? The Buddha had a bit to say about the differences between living in the village versus living in the wilderness of the forest or countryside. We'll look at some of what he had to say,…
- A Couple of Thoughts on "Who was the Buddha" by @ReligionForBreakfast
The engaging and popular YouTube channel @ReligionForBreakfast has put out a number of videos on Buddhism recently. Their video on "Who was the Buddha?" is a good intro to the topic that raised questions around the idea of a historical…
- What Does "Buddha" Mean? A Recent Article May Change Your Mind
We'll take a look at a recent article by scholar and translator Bhikkhu Bodhi on the meaning of "Buddha" and his related realization. Some recent scholars have argued that it should be termed "awakening" and Buddha should therefore be…
- Is Deep Meditative Absorption (Jhana) Necessary for Enlightenment?
Do we need to have achieved the jhānas -- four deep states of meditative absorption -- in order to become enlightened? We'll look at some early texts for clues as to what the Buddha might have thought about this complex and controversial…
- Was the Buddha Human or Divine?
We see aspects of both humanity and divinity in the Buddha of the early texts. I'll discuss some of those aspects and propose some ways the historical development might have proceeded.