Bright On Buddhism

Bright on Buddhism - Evil - What is evil in Buddhism? How does the conception of evil change over time? According to the Buddhist scriptures, what ought to be done about evil? Content warning - This episode contains descriptions of violence and killing. Listener discretion is advised.  Resources: Curley, Melissa Anne-Marie, Jessica L. Main, and Melanie Coughlin. “The Self-Awareness of Evil in...

Bright on Buddhism - Kōan Series Episode 5 - Mind is Buddha Hello and welcome to a new type of episode of Bright on Buddhism, called the Kōan Series. In this series, we will read and discuss real Buddhist kōans to try and better understand them. We hope you enjoy. Resources: Episode 6 - https://anchor.fm/brightonbuddhism/episodes/What-is-non-attachment-and-the-Middle-Way-e17gp0u Episode 10 - https...

Bright on Buddhism Episode 56 - What is the Buddhist perspective of the family? How ought laypeople have and maintain a family? How ought monks and nuns have and maintain a family? Resources: Wilson, Liz. Family in Buddhism. Ed. Liz Wilson. Albany: SUNY Press, 2013. Print.; WILLIAMS, DUNCAN RYŪKEN. The Other Side of Zen: A Social History of Sōtō Zen Buddhism in Tokugawa Japan. Vol. 10. Princeton U...

Bright on Buddhism Episode 55 - Who is Mahakasyapa? What role does he play in the texts? How does this role change over time? Resources: Ambros, Barbara R (27 June 2016), "A Rite of Their Own: Japanese Buddhist Nuns and the Anan kōshiki", Japanese Journal of Religious Studies, 43 (1): 207–250, doi:10.18874/jjrs.43.1.2016.207-250; Analayo, B. (2016), The Foundation History of the Nuns' Order (PDF),...

Bright on Buddhism Episode 54 - What is the Eightfold Path? What role does it play in Buddhist practice? How have understandings of it changed over time? Resources: Bodhi, Bhikkhu (1999). The Noble Eightfold Path: The Way to the End of Suffering. Retrieved 4 July 2006.; Carter, John Ross and Palihawadana, Mahinda; tr. Buddhism: The Dhammapada. New York: History Book Club, 1992.; Ñanamoli Thera (tr...

Bright on Buddhism Episode 53 - Who is Maudgalyayana? What role does he play in the texts? What are some stories about him? Resources: Berezkin, Rostislav (21 February 2015), "Pictorial Versions of the Mulian Story in East Asia (Tenth–Seventeenth Centuries): On the Connections of Religious Painting and Storytelling", Fudan Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences, 8 (1): 95–120, doi:10.1007/s...

Bright on Buddhism Episode 52 - What are the tantras? What do they contain? How do they relate to other Asian religious traditions? Resources: http://www.dsbcproject.org/; Wallis, Christopher; THE TANTRIC AGE: A Comparison Of Shaiva And Buddhist Tantra, February, 2016; Grey, David B.; Tantra and the Tantric Traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism; Isaacson, Harunaga (1998). Tantric Buddhism in India (...

Bright on Buddhism Episode 51 - How does Buddhist doctrine view food? Is veganism or vegetarianism required? What is the typical Buddhist diet? Resources: http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma3/vegi.html; http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma3/meat.html; https://khenposodargye.org/meditations/vegetarianism-tibetan-buddhism/; Edward Farrey; Nancy O'Hara (16 May 2000). 3 Bowls: Vegetarian Recipes from an...

Tathagatagarbha Sutra - Join us as we read and discuss the Tathagatagarbha Sutra!  Resources: Grosnick, William H. (1995), The Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra (PDF), Princeton: In: Lopez, Donald S. Jr.; ed. Buddhism in Practice, Princeton University Press, archived from the original (PDF) on March 27, 2013; Hubbard, Jamie (2001), Absolute Delusion, Perfect Buddhahood, Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Pr...

Bright on Buddhism Episode 50 - What are the 4 Noble Truths? What is their role in the doctrine? How have understandings of the 4 noble truths changed over time? Resources: Bhikkhu Bodhi (2000), The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A New Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya, Boston: Wisdom Publications, ISBN 0-86171-331-1; Bhikkhu Nanamoli (translator) (1995), The Middle Length Discourses of the...

Bright on Buddhism - Kōan Series Episode 4 - Gutei's One Finger Hello and welcome to a new type of episode of Bright on Buddhism, called the Kōan Series. In this series, we will read and discuss real Buddhist kōans to try and better understand them. We hope you enjoy. Resources: Episode 6 - https://anchor.fm/brightonbuddhism/episodes/What-is-non-attachment-and-the-Middle-Way-e17gp0u Episode 10 - h...

Bright on Buddhism 2023 Preview Episode  Join us in 2022 for some great content, including but not limited to: 2022 in review - new episodes and milestones! Guest appearances on our show Turner Rives - Specialist in Yogacara Buddhism and Early Chinese Buddhism Rebecca Stover- Specialist in Library Sciences with Buddhist pilgrimage experience Ji Hye Robinson - Trained Korean Shaman and Special...

Bright on Buddhism Episode 49 - What is the Tripitaka? What are its contents? What are the differences between the three baskets? Resources: Hoiberg, Dale H., ed. (2010). "Abhidharma Pitaka". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. I: A-ak Bayes (15th ed.). Chicago, Illinois: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. pp. 30–31. ISBN 978-1-59339-837-8.; Swearer, Donald K. (1992). "A Summary of the Seven Books of the Abhi...

Bright on Buddhism Episode 48 - What are dharani? What is their doctrinal significance? What are some famous dharani and their usages? Resources: Walshe, Maurice (1995). The Long Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Digha Nikaya. Wisdom Publications. pp. 471–478.; "Atanatiya Sutta: Discourse on Atanatiya". Buddhist Publication Society. 1999.; Roberts, Peter Alan (2012). Translating Trans...

Bright on Buddhism Episode 47 - How does one actually maintain social relationships while also avoiding idle chatter? What actually is idle chatter? How does this apply to lay people and monks similarly and differently? Resources: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.117.than.html; https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.141.than.html; https://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/right...

Bright on Buddhism Episode 46 - If there is no soul in Buddhism, how do we account for spirits and ghosts? Why is this important? How does this affect how Buddhism is practiced across East Asia? Resources: Kevin Trainor: Buddhism: An Illustrated Guide; Donald Lopez: Norton Anthology of World Religions: Buddhism; Chan Master Sheng Yen: Orthodox Chinese Buddhism; Nagarjuna: Verses of The Middle Way...

The Mahaparinibbana Sutta - Join us as we read and discuss the Mahaparinibbana Sutta Resources: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.16.1-6.vaji.html ; https://suttacentral.net/dn16/?view=normal; Blum, Mark. “Death.” In Encyclopedia of Buddhism. Vol. 1. Edited by Robert E. Buswell Jr., (New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2004), pp. 203-210.; Cuevas, Bryan J., and Jacqueline Stone, eds. T...

Bright on Buddhism Research Series episode 2 - Philosophy and Ecology in "The World of Living Things" by Imanishi Kinji 今西錦司 Hello and welcome to a new type of episode of Bright on Buddhism. In this series, I will be presenting and discussing some of my own original research, which covers a broad range of topics in Japanese Buddhism, and discussing it in the context of East Asian Buddhism and...

Bright On Buddhism - Buddhish Episode 9 - Hello and welcome to a different kind of episode of Bright on Buddhism called "Buddhish"! These episodes are unscripted, untimed, and unedited. Note that we're speaking less formally here and explicit language used. Listener discretion advised! Today, we are discussing a new tabletop gaming system that our very own Proven Paradox devised and play-tested! D...

Bright on Buddhism Episode 45 - What is Buddha-nature? What are the doctrinal roots of this idea? How meanings of this word change over time? Resources: Kevin Trainor: Buddhism: An Illustrated Guide; Donald Lopez: Norton Anthology of World Religions: Buddhism; Chan Master Sheng Yen: Orthodox Chinese Buddhism; Williams, Paul, Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations, Routledge, 2008, pp. 195–19...

Bright on Buddhism Episode 44 - Who is Sariputra? What role does he play in the texts? How does this role change over time? Resources: Kevin Trainor: Buddhism: An Illustrated Guide; Donald Lopez: Norton Anthology of World Religions: Buddhism; Silk, Jonathan A. (2019), Brill's encyclopedia of Buddhism Vol Two, Hinüber, Oskar von,, Eltschinger, Vincent,, Bowring, Richard, 1947-, Radich, Michael, Lei...

Bright on Buddhism Episode 43 - What were the 4 major persecutions of Buddhism in Chinese history? Why did they happen? What were their historical effects? Resources: Spence, Jonathan D. 2013. The Search for Modern China. New York, W.W. Norton & Company. ; Ebrey Patricia Buckley. 1999. The Cambridge Illustrated History of China 1St pbk. ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.; Chan, Wing-ts...

Bright on Buddhism Episode 42 - What are the 4 rupajhanas? What are the 4 arupajhanas? How do they function in the context of meditation? Resources: Kevin Trainor: Buddhism: An Illustrated Guide; Donald Lopez: Norton Anthology of World Religions: Buddhism; Chan Master Sheng Yen: Orthodox Chinese Buddhism; Robert E Buswell: Encyclopedia of Buddhism: Zen; Dhyana; Jhana; Arbel, Keren (2017), Early Bu...

Bright on Buddhism - Kōan Series Episode 3 - Huìnéng asked Hui Ming, "Without thinking of good or evil, show me your original face before your mother and father were born." Hello and welcome to a new type of episode of Bright on Buddhism, called the Kōan Series. In this series, we will read and discuss real Buddhist kōans to try and better understand them. We hope you enjoy. Resources:  Episo...

Bright on Buddhism Episode 41 - What is dependent origination? What are the doctrinal implications of it? How does understanding it lead to enlightenment? Resources: Boisvert, Mathieu (1995), The Five Aggregates: Understanding Theravada Psychology and Soteriology, Wilfrid Laurier University Press, ISBN 978-0-88920-257-3; Buddhaghosa (2010), The Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga), translated by B...