Chris Deziel, Demand Media Siddhartha Gautama, or the historical Buddha, taught for 45 years, but none of what he said was transcribed as he spoke it. Instead, it was preserved in the memories of his disciples, who passed it on orally. By the third century B.C., some 200 years after the Buddha died, monks had compiled a collection of writings on leaves and stored them in three separate baskets. They are the earliest and most important collections of Buddhist texts.

The Tripitaka

In Sanskrit, a basket is a pitaka, so tripitaka (tipitaka in Pali, the probable language of the Buddha) means “three baskets.”…

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Stephanie Warsmith, Beacon Journal staff writer, Ohio.com: The Tibetan bell no longer tolls at Warstler Elementary in Plain Township.

The school had adopted a practice called mindfulness, but stopped after some parents and community members raised concerns the technique was linked too closely to Eastern religions like Buddhism.

“There was no malice from anyone in the district to bring something in that was not appropriate,” Superintendent Brent May said in a recent interview. “As we kept digging and researching, we found the roots to it. We have to be careful as a public school that we don’t cross over church and state.”

The Plain…

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Eleven, Myanmar: World famous Shwedagon Pagoda attracted some 400,000 merit-making local and foreign pilgrims on the first day of Myanmar calendar new year marking the arrival of the year 1375.

The auspicious Myanmar new year occasion was celebrated at 7 am at the Shwedagon Pagoda.

“Venerable monks started the recitation of Buddhist Dharma at 7 am, then circling around the whole platform area of pagoda, monks and pilgrims set the animals free,” said the pagoda’s office chief Win Kyaing.

The pagoda platform and praying halls were crowded with auspicious occasions of offering foods and drinks, preaching sermon speeches, and blood donation events…

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Poppy Damon, Varsity, Cambridge, UK: ‘Whether one believes in a religion or not and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn’t anyone who doesn’t appreciate kindness and compassion.’ Dalai Lama
When I was 14 I skipped school. It wasn’t to go drink VKS in the park like other ‘kids my age’. I went see the Dalai Lama speak at the ‘Burswood Dome’ in Western Australia, a venue graced by the likes of Elton John and boasting a humungous casino complex. In light of his recent visit to Cambridge and the very valid and interesting discussion that it has caused (for once)…

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Harold Mandel, Examiner.com: It is a dream of the Tibetan people to see the Dalai Lama safely return home to Tibet someday. Gerry Moriarty has reported for The Irish Times on April 19, 2013, Dalai Lama says he expects to return to his native Tibet someday. While on a recent visit to Ireland the Dalai Lama said he hopes to return home to Tibet someday. The Tibet Sun has also covered this story, Dalai Lama says he expects to return to his native Tibet someday.

When Marian Shanleywest from Drumlin Media TV in Cavan told the Dalai Lama she had a list of …

Yeshe Choesang, The Tibet Post International: Derry, Northern Ireland: – The spiritual leader of Tibet His Holiness the Dalai Lama said Buddhism is an important aspect of Tibetan identity during his short visit to a Tibetan Institute in Switzerland to hear what progress young Tibetans in the area have been making in programs to learn about Buddhist culture.

Offering a warm welcome to the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Tibetans young and old holding flowers, traditional white scarf and incense lined the road to greet him as he arrived at the Tibet Institute in Rikon of Zurich regon, Switzerland on 17 April 2013.

Addressing the gathering…

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James Stuart, Demand Media: Dharma and karma provide the the basis for Buddhist morality, but also influence the religion’s concept of justice. They form a cosmic path that guides the soul through reincarnation and toward the ultimate goal of enlightenment. This is possible because the two concepts are connected, with dharma teaching individuals to live in harmony with the world, allowing them to accrue positive karma and experience favorable events in this and the next life.

Harmony

The concept of dharma, or dhamma, posits that the natural state of the world is one of harmony, and humans should do everything in their power to preserve it. Acts…

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Liz Day, WalesOnline.com.uk:

You Buddha believe it!

This group of Welsh workers are meditating away the stresses of office life with Buddhism – and they hope their practices will make their company reach a state of Nirvana.

The Newport web and development agency Mettaengine was established in June last year by three kindred spirits, who met at a Buddhist centre.

Creative director Graham Shimell said: “We usually try to meditate together every morning – it’s a good way to start the day.”

The staff meditate three times a day in a specially-adapted shrine room, which contains a statue of Buddha, along…

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Lisa Jensen, Demand Media: For its followers, Buddhism is more than a religion; it is a way of life. While Buddhists take vows that are similar to those taken in other religions, including the vows not to kill, lie or steal, Buddhism does not prohibit its practitioners from following other religions. Additionally, it gives its followers autonomy in choosing the depth of practice. Buddhists may individually make certain commitments — like reciting a mantra a certain number of times or fulfilling the requests of a teacher — but they are not required; instead, they are self-imposed. Unlike many religions, a Buddhist nun or monk…

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From time to time one of the teachings from the Buddhist tradition will niggle at me for one reason or another. Often it’s because my mind, on some level, is dissatisfied with the traditional interpretation.

Even some of the most common teachings of Buddhism, like the four foundations of mindfulness or the twelve links of dependent origination have sometimes struck me as being a bit off, and I’ve ended up reinterpreting them in a way that makes more sense to me.

This recently happened with a teaching on “Three forms of suffering (dukkha)” The traditional interpretations struck me as being a bit random, and I could feel that niggle deep in …