July 2008 « Daily Buddhism

Koan: Is That So?

By Brian Schell, on July 16th, 2008%

The Zen master Hakuin was praised by his neighbours as one living a pure life. A beautiful Japanese girl whose parents owned a food store lived near him. Suddenly, without any warning, her parents discovered she was with child. This made her parents angry. She would not confess who the man was, but . . . → Read More: Koan: Is That So?

Bodhisattvas

By Brian Schell, on July 15th, 2008%

Bodhisattvas

We all know Buddha achieved his enlightenment and reached Nirvana. But many others have done it as well. Then what? Well, no one knows and we can only speculate on what really happens when a being reaches Nirvana and leaves the cycle of rebirth. However, what happens if a person achieves Enlightenment and chooses NOT . . . → Read More: Bodhisattvas

Book: The Universe in a Single Atom, by the Dalai Lama

By Brian Schell, on July 14th, 2008%

Book Review:The Universe in a Single Atom
by the Dalai Lama

Several blog posters and readers had mentioned this book a while back, and that served as a reminder to me that I’d never actually read this one. I know I’ve read excerpts, but never gone through the whole thing. So it was time to get with it . . . → Read More: Book: The Universe in a Single Atom, by the Dalai Lama

Mara The Tempter

By Brian Schell, on July 11th, 2008%

Mara The Tempter

We’ve briefly mentioned Mara a few times already. Last week (http://www.dailybuddhism.com/archives/83), we talked about four Maras that Buddha had to overcome. Those maras were symbolic representations of hindrances on his path to Nirvana. However, quite often Mara is portrayed as a physical manifestation of temptation. Much like Yama is sometimes considered . . . → Read More: Mara The Tempter

Yama & Naraka

By Brian Schell, on July 10th, 2008%

Yama & Naraka: Death and Hell

Yama is the personification of death, or, in the more religious versions of Buddhism, as a the god of the dead. He’s usually depicted with green or red skin, and reigns over Naraka, the Buddhist version of Hell.

Naraka is ‚Äúhell‚Äù for Buddhists. People go to . . . → Read More: Yama & Naraka