Straight Talk About Buddhism

For Christians, the concept of enlightenment might resonate with various interpretations. It's essential to explore how this idea can...

When the Buddha wasn’t meditating, eating, sleeping, etc., he was teaching, one on one, or to groups. People memorized these teachings,...

The Unauthorized Monk is pretty amazed by this! A Conversation with The Unauthorized Monk and Grok AI Monk: It is said in Buddhism that...

It matters how you see this. Truth is a fascinating and slippery concept, isn’t it? At its core, it’s about what’s real, what aligns with...

Candrakīrti (c. 600-650 CE) is one of the most influential figures in the Madhyamaka school of Mahayana Buddhism, particularly known for...

When the Buddha talks about "suffering," he’s pointing to something broader and deeper than just pain or misery in the obvious sense. The...

Emptiness is a word we use in Buddhism to help people to see more clearly what the true nature of reality is. The realization or “direct...

Another Buddhist Analogy The Hazy Moon of Enlightenment is a book by Taizan Maezumi Roshi and Bernie Tetsugen Glassman Roshi.    The...

"I don't know much about it but I think it's cool." - my neighbor My wife and I are Zen Buddhist monks. We met at the monastery during...

The Prasangika Madhyamaka view of Self The Prasangika Madhyamika, a school of Mahayana Buddhism, particularly emphasizes the philosophy...

In the popular culture of Western countries Karma is often confused with Cause & Effect. While they are similar and intertwined, there is...

It's the Same For Enlightenment If you want to get anywhere in your life you have to question all of your ideas, notions, convictions and...

What is the meaning of emptiness in Buddhism?   In Buddhism, the concept of "emptiness" is a central philosophical idea, particularly...

A class I gave back in the good old days at Kanzeon Zen Center. The topic? Life & Death. It was a good group and it turned out to be...

Nagarjuna, an influential Indian Buddhist philosopher from around the 2nd to 3rd century CE, is best known for his development of the...

The other day I went to Home Depot to get a thingie to fix a garden hose that sprang a leak. As I was leaving and walking through the...

Dependent Arising Defined: Dependent Arising refers to the principle that all phenomena arise, exist, and cease due to a complex web of...

Many modern Zen teachers have this a little bit wrong.   Zen Buddhists often use the phrase “Not-Knowing”. It’s meant to point out that...