Buddha
What the Buddhist text Therigatha teaches about women’s enlightenment
By Jue Liang — March 22, 2024
(The Conversation) — The Therigatha, a collection of poems written in Pāli by Buddhist nuns, reveals that women’s enlightenment may not necessarily require renunciation of domestic life.
What is Bodhi Day? And when do Buddhists celebrate it?
By Luis Andres Henao — December 8, 2023
(AP) — Also called Buddha’s Enlightenment Day, it commemorates when Siddhartha Gautama attained awakening some 2,600 years ago, becoming the Buddha.
How sacred images in many Asian cultures incorporate divine presence and make them come ‘alive’
By Michael Naparstek — December 6, 2023
(The Conversation) — Through the power of rituals, inanimate objects can be understood to transform into agents who can see, hear, taste and respond to the concerns of those who worship them.
Myanmar’s generals unveil giant Buddha statue as they seek to win hearts and minds during civil war
By Grant Peck — July 24, 2023
BANGKOK (AP) — The military-controlled government of strife-torn Myanmar on Friday showed off a new giant statue of a sitting Buddha that is scheduled to be consecrated on Aug. 1.
What is Theravada Buddhism? A scholar of Asian religions explains
By Brooke Schedneck — May 31, 2023
(The Conversation) — Theravada Buddhism is the dominant religious system in several parts of South and Southeast Asia, but there is a rich diversity of beliefs and practices in this tradition.
Happy birthday, Buddha! Why the founder of Buddhism has so many different birthdays around the world
By Megan Bryson — May 24, 2023
(The Conversation) — Buddha’s birthday has not always been a major holiday for Buddhists, but is now celebrated in diverse ways throughout Asia.
Meditative mothering? How Buddhism honors both compassionate caregiving and celibate monks and nuns
By Liz Wilson — May 12, 2023
(The Conversation) — The lines between family life and Buddhist monasticism are not so ‘either/or’ as they might seem.
Japan’s Laughing Buddha Hotei is merging into Santa Claus — both are roly-poly sacred figures with a bag of gifts
By Megan Bryson — December 14, 2022
(The Conversation) — Hotei, a Japanese god who carries a large sack, has come to be identified with Santa Claus – except that he brings the goodies on New Year’s Day instead of Christmas.
What is a bodhisattva? A scholar of Buddhism explains
By Pierce Salguero — October 18, 2022
(The Conversation) — Buddhists believe that bodhisattvas reside in heavenly realms but can also appear on Earth disguised as humans, animals or other types of beings.
‘We’ve been here all along’: Author pushes back against erasure of young Asian American Buddhists
By Alejandra Molina — June 3, 2021
(RNS) — In her debut book, ‘Be the Refuge,’ author and former Buddhist chaplain Chenxing Han asks: ‘Where are all the young adult Asian American Buddhists, and what can we learn from them?’
Interfaith group: No Buddhist or Hindu statues in nightclubs
By William Kole — July 2, 2020
BOSTON (AP) — An interfaith coalition is launching a campaign to stop what organizers call the ‘disrespectful’ use of sacred Buddhist and Hindu statues as decor in nightclubs.
Is religious kitsch offensive? The answer is in the eye of the beholder
By Menachem Wecker — May 10, 2019
(RNS) — The line between well-intentioned kitsch and bad taste, experts in religious artwork say, can be blurry.
Buddhist nun shares art of eating mindfully
By G. Jeffrey MacDonald — August 24, 2018
(RNS) — In her book, Thubten Chodron teaches the Five Contemplations, which are aimed at fostering mindful eating. They're short verses designed to inspire reflections.
Malaysian Buddhists celebrate Vesak
By Alexandra Radu — May 31, 2018
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (RNS) — In Malaysia, as it is across the Buddhist world, a holiday celebrating the Buddha's birth, death and enlightenment is celebrated with floats, burning joss sticks and lotus-shaped candles. The national holiday, also known as Buddha Day or Buddha's birthday, bring together Buddhist communities from many of the country's widely diverse ethnic and social groups.
Photos of the Week
By Kit Doyle — May 19, 2018
This week’s gallery includes images from the start of Ramadan, protests over the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, and more.
Page 1 of 2
