the DharmaRealm

Surprise! During our “karma sessions,” we had a lot to say. So we’ve got a short little bonus podcast to wrap up our conversation about karma, the Sharon Stone gaffe, and how karma causes earthquakes.

No, no, karma doesn’t cause earthquakes! But we do we do talk about whether or not China’s ruling party has lost the Mandate of Heaven, how to totally transcend karma, and the karmic mechanism that is Dharmakara’s vow.

There’s some good little gems in this short “out-take.” Enjoy!

In the second installment of our conversation on karma, we start with a critique of Sharon Stone’s comments on karma, the Chinese government, and earthquakes, exploring the problems with her essentialist claims. We don’t linger there long, though, and wander off to discuss good versus evil karma and whether or not those who do intentionally bad things are beyond redemption. Questions of the “evil” person, of course, bring up Shinshu (and specifically Shinran’s) doctrine about akunin and the problem of evil.

One of the many words from Indian philosophy that has found its way into modern English, the concept of karma is often equated with a kind of fatalistic good (or bad) fortune. Our conversation today covers a lot of ground, from popular (mis)conceptions of what karma means to the relationship of karma to reincarnation and Buddhist conceptions of morality, to how karma is generated through actions of body, speech, and mind. And we don’t even talk about Sharon Stone — yet! You’ll have to check back later in the month for that!

Also, a couple of books mentioned in this episode are Robinson and Johnson’s The Buddhist Religion, and Santideva’s classic, the Bodhicaryavatara.

Our second conversation on the Buddha, and what “the Buddha” means, we begin by talking about the Buddha in a specifically Pure Land Buddhist context. In particular we talk about Shinran’s take on the Buddha, Dharmakara, and Amida. Shin Buddhist thought is both a part of Mahayana thought and somehow separate. We explore some of these complexities of Shin thought before concluding with a reflection on our sometimes too-strong attachment to our founders.

What is the buddha? What are the ways people have conceived of the Buddha? Was he just a person? Teacher? Doctor? Historical figure? A transcendental super-human soteriological reality? All of these and more?! These are but some of the questions we raise in our discussion of the Buddha. Siddhartha Gautama, the eternal Sakyamuni Buddha, Buddha-bodies (that’s the nirmanakāya, sambhogakāya, and Dharmakāya), and even Jesus Christ come up in this episode of the DharmaRealm. And don’t forget to listen to the next episode where this conversation turns toward Shin Buddhist conceptions of the Buddha.

An extra Friday this month gets you an extra episode of the DharmaRealm podcast!

In today’s episode, Harry and I wrap up our conversation on interdependence, touching on everything from the complex web of karmic causes and conditions knowable only to Buddhas to the daily lives of our cats. Finally, we place this topic back in the context of how to live our lives knowing that all our actions are intimately interconnected to the whole of the existence.

In today’s podcast we discuss the concept of interdependence. Beginning with the Sanskrit term pratityasamutpada, or Dependent Coarising, interdependence has played a fairly central role in Buddhist thought, over the centuries influencing Hua-yen philosophy and Buddhist relationships to nature.

And because there’s an extra Friday this month (and because we sure can talk a lot!), be sure to tune in for a bonus podcast on May 30th.

In part two of our episode on American Buddhism, our conversation meanders from such topics as: How does one become a Buddhist? What is the relationship between becoming a Buddhist and intellectual study? How import is taking the three refuges? How important is community? We also discuss the important role that Buddhist art and images can play in introducing people to Buddhism, and our ambivalent feeling about “tourist Buddhism” and Buddhist commercialism.

In a separate post, we’ll be adding links to some of the resources discussed in the podcast.Thanks for listening!

In our conversation today, we discuss the difficulty of talking about the large, diverse set of practice traditions collectively known as “American Buddhism.” How can you talk meaningfully about such a wide array of Buddhist communities, beliefs, and practices? And how do we engage non-Buddhists and those new on the path who may have their own ideas about Buddhism, correct or a little off the path, in a deep and compassionate way?

Part two of this conversation will be posted shortly, so please check back soon.

Thanks for listening!

In part two of our inaugural, two-part podcast, we finish our discussion of mindfulness practice not only in Buddhism more generally but how it relates to the nembutsu; nembutsu practice is mindfulness practice in that it “brings to mind” Amida Buddha.

Thanks for listening!