Bright On Buddhism

Bright on Buddhism Episode 40 - What is Buddhist psychology? What are its doctrinal foundations? What is its influence in the West? Resources: Caroline Brazier: A Buddhist Perspective On Mental Health. Paper for Nurturing Heart and Spirit: A National Multi-Faith Symposium; Held under the auspices of the Nimhe Spirituality Project, Staffordshire University and The Spirituality and Mental Health For...

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 Episode 39 - What is upaya? What are the different meanings of this word? How do its meanings change over time?  Resources: Federman, Asaf (2009), "Literal means and hidden meanings: a new analysis of skillful means" (PDF), Philosophy East and West, 59 (2): 125–141, doi:10.1353/pew.0.0050; Matsunaga, Daigan and Alicia (1974). The concept of upāya in Mahāyāna Buddhist philos...

Bright On Buddhism - Buddhish Episode 8 - 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 celebrating 1 year of Bright on Buddhism being on the air!!! We are extremely proud to have committ...

Bright On Buddhism - Buddhish Episode 7 - 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 AI in relation to personhood in Buddhism. What does sentience and sapience mean for AI?...

Bright on Buddhism Research Series episode 1 - Killing Mosquitoes: Kobayashi Issa’s Buddhist Literary Practice 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 other disciplines...

Bright on Buddhism Episode 38 - What is Pure Land Buddhism? How does it differ from other schools of Buddhism? How do those differences play out in ritual and practice? Resources: Kevin Trainor: Buddhism: An Illustrated Guide; Donald Lopez: Norton Anthology of World Religions: Buddhism; Chan Master Sheng Yen: Orthodox Chinese Buddhism; The Bodhisattva Vow: A Practical Guide to Helping Others, page...

Bright on Buddhism - Kōan Series Episode 2 - Two hands clap and there is a sound. What is the sound of one hand? 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-att...

Bright on Buddhism Episode 37 - What are the 5 aggregates? How do they fit into the Buddhist understanding of reality, death, and reincarnation? How have understandings of them changed over time? Resources: Kevin Trainor: Buddhism: An Illustrated Guide; Donald Lopez: Norton Anthology of World Religions: Buddhism; Chan Master Sheng Yen: Orthodox Chinese Buddhism; The Bodhisattva Vow: A Practical Gu...

Bright On Buddhism - The Heart Sutra- Join us as we read and discuss the Heart Sutra. Resources:  Episode 17 - https://anchor.fm/brightonbuddhism/episodes/Who-is-Avalokitesvara-e1cjkqg Episode 18 - https://anchor.fm/brightonbuddhism/episodes/What-is-the-Buddhist-philosophy-of-speech--language--and-words-e1dgqu9 Episode 24 - https://anchor.fm/brightonbuddhism/episodes/What-are-mantra-in-Buddhi...

Bright on Buddhism Episode 36 - Who is Maitreya/Mile/Miroku? What are some stories about him? What sort of devotional texts/rituals are there for him? Resources: Kevin Trainor: Buddhism: An Illustrated Guide; Donald Lopez: Norton Anthology of World Religions: Buddhism; Chan Master Sheng Yen: Orthodox Chinese Buddhism; The Bodhisattva Vow: A Practical Guide to Helping Others, page 1, Tharpa Publica...

Bright on Buddhism - Kōan Series Episode 1 - A monk asked Zhàozhōu, "Does a dog have Buddha nature or not?" Zhaozhou said, "Wú". 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 10 - https://anchor.fm/brightonbudd...

Bright On Buddhism - Buddhish Episode 6 - 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 the assassination of Japanese Former PM Shinzo Abe. This is a shocking historical event...

Bright on Buddhism - Guest Appearance - Rebecca Stover Disclaimer: Nick's audio is very low quality due to some technical difficulties. We apologize.  This week, Bright on Buddhism welcomes our 3rd special guest, Rebecca Stover! Rebecca is an MA student in Library and Information Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She specializes in the curation of Buddhist materials for...

Bright on Buddhism Episode 35 - What is Buddhist cosmology? How does that play out in ritual and practice? How does it change over time?  Resources: Mahathero, Punnadhammo. The Buddhist Cosmos: A Comprehensive Survey of the Early Buddhist Worldview; According to Theravāda and Sarvāstivāda Sources. Independently published, 2018.; Kevin Trainor: Buddhism: An Illustrated Guide Donald Lopez: Nort...

Bright On Buddhism - Buddhish Episode 5 - 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 talking about the US Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade. We abhor this hateful, small-...

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,...

Bright on Buddhism Episode 34 - Who is King Yama? Where does he come from? How does he fit into the system of karma and reincarnation? 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 Madhyamakarika); Conze, Edward, trans. The Perfection of...

Bright on Buddhism Episode 33 - What is emptiness? What are the different definitions of this word? How does the definition 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; Nagarjuna: Verses of The Middle Way (The Madhyamakarika); Conze, Edward, trans. The Perfe...

Bright on Buddhism Episode 32 - What are kōans? What is the doctrine behind them? How are they used? 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 Madhyamakarika); Conze, Edward, trans. The Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines a...

Bright on Buddhism Episode 31 - What are some notable Buddhist cults? What do they believe? How can one tell if an organization is a cult or not? Resources: https://cult-escape.com/; Pearce, Thomas H. “Tenchi Seikyō: A Messianic Buddhist Cult.” Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 21, no. 4 (1994): 407–24. http://www.jstor.org/stable/30234142.; https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/sexual-...

Bright on Buddhism Episode 30 - How does one get started learning about Buddhism? How can you tell if the sources you are looking at are unreliable? How does one become a Buddhist? 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 Madhyamak...

Bright on Buddhism Episode 29 - What does "poa" actually mean? Why is it important? How has the understanding of this term changed over time? Resources :Bayer, Achim. “From Transference to Transformation: Levels of Understanding in Tibetan ‘Ars Moriendi.’” The Eastern Buddhist 44, no. 1 (2013): 77–96. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44362527.; Halkias, Georgios T. “Tantric Transfer in Sukhāvatī.” In L...

Bright On Buddhism - Buddhish Episode 4 - Hello and welcome to a new 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 talking about the growing wave of hate-driven laws in the US. Bright on Buddhism has pledged to match up...

Bright on Buddhism Episode 28 - Who is Samantabhadra/Puxian/Fugen? What are some stories about Samantabhadra/Puxian/Fugen? What sort of devotional texts/rituals are there for Samantabhadra/Puxian/Fugen? Resources: https://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/fugen.shtml ; Kato, Bunno (1993). The Threefold Lotus Sutra. Tokyo: Kosei Publishing Company. p. 348. ISBN 4333002087.Archive index at the Wayback...