- Don't Idolize People (Even the Buddha Made Mistakes)
Often religions are built around the ideal of a perfected being, but such ideals mask historical reality. We will look at a hint of this in early Christianity as well as several examples from early Buddhism of the Buddha's own fallibility…
- Buddha Nature
What is Buddha nature or the "Tathāgatagarbha"? We'll begin by looking at the roots for these concepts in the early Buddhist texts. Then we'll turn to the origins of the mature concepts in later Mahāyāna texts. Finally we'll turn to some…
- The Preeminence of Dharma Among the Buddhist Refuges or Jewels
Many of us will be familiar with the three refuges or three jewels of Buddha, dharma, and sangha. But how do they interrelate? We will look at a number of early suttas that indicate the Buddha's approach to them, and that suggest the…