The Japanese Zen master Dōgen (1200–53) famously said, “To study the Buddha way is to study the self.”* A popular meditation manual known and used
Wisdom and Means, Emptiness and Compassion: Philosophical Problems In this column’s first segment, we explored how Shantideva’s idea of compassion, noble as it was, led to
In this two-part column series, we will visit the philosophical nuances and tensions in the thought of Shantideva, an important Indo-Tibetan philosopher (circa 8th century CE). To understand
Editor’s note: This poem was first published in the now-retired Bodhi Journal, Issue 8, June 2008. It is a general assumption of the most scholars that
Editor’s note: This feature was first published in the now-retired Bodhi Journal, Issue 7, March 2008. The 6th century BC, the period of rigorous religious
The Heart Sutra (the shortest of the Prajnaparamita body of scriptures) needs almost no introduction. It represents for many Buddhists the most recognizable treasure of Mahayana literature, a text
Song of the Truthful Mind Jianzhi Sengcan was the Third Ch’an or Zen Patriarch in China, who has been credited with composing a verse called Xinxin
“Emptiness” is a cornerstone of Buddhist philosophy and yet the term itself is not the easiest to grasp and understand, especially when approaching Buddhism for
A few weeks ago, a fellow classmate concluded that if everything is empty, then words themselves are empty; so why even talk about it? This
