- What Does It Mean to Be a Stream-Enterer in Early Buddhism?
We'll look at the traditional notion of "stream-entry" in early Buddhism, as well as one scholar's historical reconstruction of how the concept might have developed. Then we'll turn to some practical relevancies of stream-entry to us…
- Is Meditation Necessary?
Is meditation necessary for our practice? Or does avoiding it make us "bad Buddhists" somehow? We'll look at that question and how it is reflected in an early dialogue the Buddha had with a laywoman about lay practice.
- Gauging Progress on the Buddhist Path: The Traditional Four Stages
In early Buddhism we find four stages through which we progress in our journey to awakening. We will discuss each of the four and look at one recent scholarly history that may uncover how these stages developed. We will then consider how…
- Hidden History: Were There Originally Two Buddhist Refuges?
Nowadays traditional Buddhism involves taking the so-called "three refuges": refuge in the Buddha, dharma, and sangha. How many refuges were there in the Buddha's day? We'll look at the early accounts where the Buddha recommended we have…