- How Karma Works (Even if You Don't Believe in Rebirth)
Karma can be understood as a this-life, psychological process. It can also be understood as deeply involved in the process of rebirth into other lifetimes. We'll consider both ways of approaching karma, and what the Buddha had to say…
- Collective or Group Karma in Early Buddhism?
What is collective or group karma, and is it found in early Buddhism? We'll consider those questions, whether we might be able to make sense of the concept from a Buddhist perspective, and when and how the concept might prove useful in…
- Finding Ourselves in Our Appearance vs. Our Accomplishments
When we think about who we really are, often we will identify ourselves with our appearance. That's easy to see through, as one commenter on a video of mine recently noted. But we also identify ourselves with our accomplishments, or our…
- The Problem of Personal Continuity and Karma in Early Buddhism
Are we the same over time? We'll discuss the Buddha's answer to this question through various false leads that he rejects. We'll also look at the question of karma and the origin of suffering, and how it all relates to traditional notions…
- Is This How Karma Works?
Karma is partly about the results of our actions. We'll discuss that in this video, using the example of my recent skin surgery. We'll also look at the question of our own persistence through time: are we the same person now who did the…
- Emptiness in Buddhism: Early Doctrine and Development
What is the doctrine of emptiness in Buddhism? We'll look at its early history to see how the notion of emptiness may have began in response to ideas of the day, how it matured, and how it developed in later Buddhist dharma.