- Is Early Buddhism the "Real" Buddhism? (A Buddhist View)
Doug distinguishes the scholarly category of "early Buddhism" — texts and teachings closest to the historical Buddha — from a normative claim that earlier means more authentic or authoritative, arguing that historical priority does not…
- The Buddha in the Voting Booth: Buddhist Political Thought
What would the Buddha have told us about political involvement? We'll look at a couple of recent scholarly takes on this question that suggest political disengagement. Then we'll turn to some of the Buddha's political views, and how it…
- What is Early Buddhism?
What is early Buddhism? On this channel I highlight early Buddhist teachings from a contemporary perspective. We will look at early Buddhism and its sources and consider some of its doctrines and pitfalls.
- Did the Buddha Exist?
Did the Buddha really exist? It's a question that concerns some of us today, given the paucity of hard evidence from the early period of the Buddha's lifetime. We'll look at some of the issues involved in reconstructing that early history…