In classical Buddhist cosmology there are six realms into which we can be reborn. We all know the human realm but below it there are also the animal, hungry ghost and hell realms, and the realms of the fighting spirits (asuras) and gods or devas above. Most notably these are depicted in the beautiful wheel […]
Tag Archives: buddhism
Within each faith tradition we don’t have to look far before we come across rules. Within Buddhism there are five precepts for the lay community, and 227 for the monastic sangha. A question can arise for us around some of these these rules – are they really of any value? At times it may not […]
I’ve always rather liked the Buddhist analogy of the ‘sea of samsara’, meaning the apparently endless ocean we must cross, lifetime after lifetime to reach that far distant shore – termed in Buddhism Nibbana. It’s relevant on a number of levels; the trials and tribulations of life can leave us feeling cast adrift as the […]
I was at my local Buddhist monastery last week and one of the anagarikas (one who hs gone forth – a sort of probationary stage in Western Theravada Buddhism) told me he had decided not to take Pabbajja ordination and become a samanera but to return to lay life. He explained, ‘You’re expected to continually […]
Today I sat with a friend, having lunch and chatting. She’s a very spiritual person and as our conversation trundled along it moved into deeper and more spiritual matters as has happened before. She knows I attend a local Buddhist monastery and so she asked me, ‘What do Buddhists do to alleviate suffering in the […]
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