- Did the Buddha Only Teach Suffering and Its Cessation?
It's often understood that the Buddha claimed only to teach about suffering (dukkha) and its cessation. But is this really so? We'll consider a recent paper by scholar and translator Bhikkhu Bodhi, and how to better understand the…
- Is Pleasure the Way to the Good Life? (Epicurus, JS Mill, and the Buddha)
A little comparison today: we'll look at two philosophers from the European tradition, Epicurus and JS Mill, and their idea that ethics and the good life stemmed from a life of maximal pleasure and minimal pain. We'll also compare these…
- What Does "Tathagata" Mean?
The Buddha often referred to himself as "the Tathāgata". But what does that epithet mean, and where does it come from? I'll look at some scholarly opinions, and then turn to the interesting history of the term. Recorded before our house…