Author Archives
Buddhism Now is an online Buddhist magazine based upon the teachings of the Buddha.
Buddhist Publishing Group (BPG) was formed in 1983 and published the paper issue of Buddhism Now between 1989-2007.
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Ippen’s Pure Land
Pure Land Buddhism is one of the major schools in the East, yet has hardly made a dent here. I remember once hearing it being described as too ‘Christian’ for Westerners, yet almost all of the other schools encompass the notion of a Pure Land in some way or other. Even in Theravada the three Refuges can easily be interpreted in a Pure Land way. The very essence of it is that one is taking refuge…
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We need to put ourselves into perspective, by Ajahn Sumedho
Existence is something that can strengthen us, rather than weaken us. We need to put ourselves into perspective; we need to see ourselves in terms of the mass as well as in terms of the individual. When we take life on the extreme level of ‘me’ as a person, we forget the common problem that we share with the rest of humanity…
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Scroll of Mudras
This handscroll depicts hand gestures known as mudras in Sanskrit, the Indian language in which many early Esoteric Buddhist texts were written. In Japan, the gestures are called insō, the Japanese term for a Chinese word that combines the characters for ‘seal’ and ‘form.’
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Whom do we Believe? by Buddhadasa Bhikkhu
For instance, the Buddha taught that greed, anger, and misunderstanding are the causes that give rise to suffering. If we ourselves are not yet acquainted with greed, anger, and misunderstanding, then there is no way we can believe this. But to believe it would be foolish. When we know ourselves what greed, anger and delusion are like, and that whenever they arise in the mind, they produce suffering like a fire burning us, then we can believe it on the basis of our own experience…
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Digitising manuscripts at Gangtey Monastery in Bhutan
Since the decline of Buddhism in Tibet, Mongolia and other parts of the Northern Buddhist world, the Kingdom of Bhutan has come to be seen as the last bastion of Mahayana Buddhism. With its long history of isolation and independence, Bhutan has remained a unique repository of the cultural and religious wealth of the Buddhist Himalaya. Its secluded monasteries and temples today represent a literary treasure trove that is largely unharmed and still unexplored.
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The Thirteenth Dalai Lama on the Run (1904-1906)
The Thirteenth Dalai Lama fled from the British invasion of Tibet to Mongolia in search of support from Russia. Although the mission failed, his extended sojourn in Mongolia marked the beginning of political modernity in both Mongolia and Tibet. The Thirteenth Dalai Lama on the Run is a facsimile collection comprising 150 hitherto unpublished archival documents from Mongolia about this historical episode…
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The Three Refuges, by Ajahn Sumedho
The post discusses the underestimated significance of the three Buddhist refuges: Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha.
These aren’t merely traditional markers but pointers to reality. They elucidate that refuge in Buddha is mindful awareness, going beyond the body’s confines, potentially accessible to every human being. -
The Laughing Buddha Humour and the Spiritual Life, by Dennis Sibley
Fun and laughter are also central to the story of Maitreya, the future Buddha, as taught in Mahayana literature.
Buddhism now 