They say there's one in every family. In the Buddha's family, that "one" was his cousin (and brother-in-law) Devadatta. Come listen to his story, and muse on the question of why the wise Buddha put up with him. All this on today's episode of-- TEMPLE TALES! FULL Show Notes at SubstackClick for audio and podcast links »

A dragon is mysterious, right? And never more so than when it runs past the largest collection of carved Buddhist grottoes in China. Come tour Longmen with Lila and me in this episode of-- TEMPLE TALES! FULL Show Notes at SubstackClick for audio and podcast links »

Imagine walking down a lovely, tree-lined street in suburban Tokyo. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the sky is blue--and under your feet, the earth has been soaked in the blood of tens of thousands. Learn all about it on today's "haunting" episode of-- TEMPLE TALES! FULL Show Notes at SubstackClick for audio and podcast links »

Did you know that the "California Mission Trail" doesn't stop at the Mexican border? In 1990, and again in 1993, I was privileged to seek out Spanish missions in Baja California, Mexico's "Thousand-Mile peninsula." Learn how those mission came to be planted, and what I saw, in this exciting episode of-- TEMPLE TALES! FULL Show Notes at SubstackClick for audio and podcast links »

In this episode we'll look back at that time in 2006 when I stayed in a Chinese Buddhist temple and taught English to more than a hundred kids. No, it's not an English lesson! Instead, it's about meeting a great Master, and learning from learned monks. Intrigued? Then stick around for this episode of TEMPLE TALES! FULL Show Notes at SubstackClick for audio and podcast links »

A friend of mine once asked, "Why so many temples, James? I mean, aren't they all pretty much the same?" No, Jesse, they're not. Every temple has its unique features, rarities, even eccentricities--like the one I'll tell you about today: the secret behind two statues at a small temple in Saitama, Japan. Hear all about it on today's episode of-- TEMPLE TALES! FULL Show Notes at SubstackClick for audio and podcast links »

Today, "Let's talk about death, Bay-BEE." (Apologies.) The Buddha's original dilemma centered around the suffering inherent in being alive. Birth itself leads inevitably to death. And yet, many of us toddle along as though death will never happen, and that we will live forever. Bhikkhu Bodhi has grouped three relatively short passages in the very first section of his book, calling attention to the foundational nature of the Buddha's teachings on death. I paraphrase them for you in today's episode of-- TEMPLE TALES! The Buddha's "Four Sights" FULL Show Notes at SubstackClick for audio and podcast links »

He's usually called a Buddha, but he's not one--yet. He's the Buddhist version of Santa Claus. He's the favorite garden ornament of thousands. And in Japan, he's both a Bodhisattva and a "Lucky God"--but in very different guise. He's the Laughing Buddha, and he's the main focus of Episode 003 of... All this on today's episode of-- TEMPLE TALES! FULL Show Notes at SubstackClick for audio and podcast links »

Some of you know temples like the back of your head (that's right, ain't it?) But others have never had the pleasure of visiting one. Well, today we're going to fix that by taking a brisk walk through a Chinese Buddhist temple in Episode 002 of-- TEMPLE TALES! Click here for a large version of this image FULL Show Notes at SubstackClick for audio and podcast links »

Gong Hei Fat Choy! Xin Nian Kuai Le! In other words, Happy Chinese New Year! Today, we'll talk about this ginormous festival, including when it happens, and for how long; what the bleep all this has to do with temples; how to greet people; and, especially, where the BLEEP is everyone going? All this on today's unusually long episode of-- TEMPLE TALES! Chinese Years (Wikipedia) FULL Show Notes at SubstackClick for audio and podcast links »