Newcomers to our Buddhist centres often ask “What is Buddhism?“. Is it a religion? Is it a philosophy, or psychology? Buddhism goes beyond all of these disciplines. It is not only conceptual like philosophy, but changes the practitioner at a deep level through meditation. Buddhism also goes beyond everything personal, transcending psychology.
People often say that it is a religion, which in some ways is a valid answer. His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, Trinley Thaye Dorje, however, when asked “What is Buddhism?” said that Buddhism is rather a way of life, and that one can even think of it more like a science.
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Posts Tagged ‘Buddhism’
What is Buddhism? Video from Space for Mind exhibition
Tuesday, April 1st, 2014
FollowLama Ole Nydahl – The Nature of Reality
Saturday, May 15th, 2010Einstein said “If there is any religion that could respond to the needs of modern science, it would be Buddhism”. Cutting-edge science and the ancient wisdom of Buddhism have come together to reveal that our true essence is space and joy. In this video Lama Ole Nydhal briefly explains why the science of elementary particles is important to everyday life and what consciousness has to do with science.
16th Karmapa Meditation: Explanations by Lama Ole Nydahl
Monday, April 26th, 2010This interview was conducted by Stefan Watzlawek and Melanie Zaremba on May 24, 2006, in Houston, Texas and appeared in Volume 20 of the Magazine Buddhism Today published in 2007 and is also held on the Buddhachannel.tv online portal. It concerns the main practice taught in Diamond Way Buddhist Centres worldwide, the “Guru Yoga” Meditation on the 16th Karmapa.
16th Karmapa wearing the Black Crown
Lama Ole Nydahl on Happiness
Thursday, April 15th, 2010Lama Ole Nydahl gave this talk at a Seminar on Psychology in Basel, Switzerland. It was originally printed in the magazine Buddhism Today in 1998 and can also be read here.
Lama Ole Nydahl
Happiness, by Lama Ole Nydahl
What do Buddhist teachings say concerning happiness?.. Basically, in Buddhism one makes a separation between conditioned and unconditioned happiness, between a relative and an absolute kind. Relative happiness has to do with experiences, absolute happiness has to do with experiencer itself. When one watches the outer world, the factories, streets, houses and cars, it is evident that they were made because beings wanted to experience something pleasant. Hospitals and prisons, on the other hand, were built in order to avoid certain kinds of suffering. Actually, beings constantly try to change outer conditions with the aim of (more…)
Books in Diamond Way Centres: Recommended reading Pt.1
Monday, April 12th, 2010In the first of a series of blog entries, we present Buddhist books from the “recommended reading list” for students of Diamond Way Buddhism by various authors, together with links to a reliable UK-based supplier, Wisdom Books. These books are also available, for example, in the libraries of many of our UK groups and centres. This first group of books cover general topics in Buddhism.
The Way Things Are – A Living Approach to Buddhism for Today’s World
Lama Ole Nydahl
In this new and updated edition, Lama Ole Nydahl asks: What is Buddhism today? How do the Buddha’s teachings utilize the full potential of our being? Through which practices may we experience mind as limitless space and bliss? How can one use the daily joys and difficulties of one’s job, family, or partnerships for spiritual growth? A very good introduction to Buddhism in General and the Diamond Way in particular.
O Books Publishing (2008) ISBN: 978-1-84694-042-2
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The Dharma That Illuminates All Beings Impartially
Kalu Rinpoche
A complete manual of the Buddhist path. This collection of teachings by the late renowned Kagyu master Kalu Rinpoche, one of the main teachers of Hannah and Lama Ole Nydahl, were given in America in 1982 and cover a wide range of topics, including the Four Dharmas of Gampopa, accomplishments, women in Buddhism, the Four Noble Truths, the Bardo, mandala offerings, taking refuge, commitments and the levels of (more…)
Shamar Rinpoche – “Dharma is the best”
Friday, March 26th, 2010This is an excerpt from a teaching by Shamar Rinpoche entitled “Enlightenment is Within You”, originally printed in a 1995 edition of Kagyu Life International.
Shamar Rinpoche
The common problem is that people think, “I must achieve the results quickly, I cannot wait more than 5 or 6 years. Otherwise, I don’t like it.” But otherwise, after 6 years what do you have in life? You have nothing else. You cannot achieve the results of the Dharma practice within 6 years. You simply cannot. But still you are doing something meaningful. After 6 years, if you have another goal which you could achieve, then forget the Dharma and chose the other one. But the sentient beings’ life has no other goal besides enlightenment. I am not trying to discourage you from being human, but there is no other thing to do in life. You can try to get rich, but then what? Suppose you can be a successful politician, become a president or something like that, but then what? The problem is (more…)
Science and Buddhism – video by Lama Ole Nydahl
Wednesday, March 24th, 2010See how two of the world’s most fruitful traditions for understanding the nature of reality and promoting human well-being modern science and Buddhism – come together. Lama Ole Nydhal provides an insight about the revolution which is taking place through modern physics, as well as philosophy. He shows how Buddhism, as a religion of experience, can extend our knowledge and integrates the diverse dimensions of our world.
Modern physics and life sciences have developed enormously in the last years. The natural meeting ground between science and Buddhism is thus at one of the most active research frontiers today; bridging the gap between external and internal descriptions.
Lama Ole Nydahl on “Producing Buddhism”
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010Lama Ole Nydahl made this statement in a teaching in San Fransico in 1995 which perfectly expresses the essence of Diamond Way Buddhism.
Lama Ole Nydahl in San Francisco 1995
“We want to produce Buddhism, not consume it. We want each of us to develop into a temple and not create one somewhere outside. We want to allow each of us to possess the ability to really benefit others. Because we do not want to believe or believe in a fanatic way, we really want to develop everyone’s potential and everyone’s power. You have to understand that you have to stay conscious and to keep producing Buddhism in your lives.
You are Buddhism. Buddhism is not something outside, it is not something else. Buddhism is the way you eat, drink, make love, think, feel; all this is Buddhism. Never have there been so many educated, independent people with so much ability as we find today. This has never happened before. For the first time in history we are on a world-wide scale, held together by friendship and idealism that can produce this wonderful thing called Mahamudra communities. Where we are all really close together, we are already friends, trusting each other back from former lives. (more…)
