Source: https://buddhism.net/learn-buddhism/
Buddhism for All
Welcome to the Buddhism for All web series. It teaches you all the essentials you need to know about Buddhism. This content is designed to be approachable even to beginners, yet deep and comprehensive enough to illuminate the path to enlightenment. You’re welcome.
This series is also available as a book, both in paperback and ebook formats.
About the Authors
Meet the authors and find out what nice guys like them are doing in a place like this.
Articles:
- Meng’s story: How Buddhism Saved My Life.
- Soryu’s story: All Life Depends on This.
- Buddhism Day Sale: Buy Meng, Get Soryu Free.
Topic #1: Dharma and the Features of Buddhism
Dharma generally refers to the teachings of the Buddha. Here, we learn what Dharma really is, and some of the most important features of Buddhism.
Articles:
- What is Dharma? Dharma is Not Banging Your Head Against the Wall.
- Buddhism is So Serious We Have to Laugh.
- Buddhism is Seriously Cool With Science.
- Yes, Empiricism and Faith Can Play Together.
- A Secular Religion? Isn’t That Like a Joke?
- Buddhism Frees You.
- Buddhism is Needed in the World.
- Why We Use the Early Buddhist Texts So Much.
- Laugh Your Way to Enlightenment.
- Abbot’s Commentary: Why Buddhism Fascinates Me.
Topic #2: The Buddha
The Buddha is the founder of Buddhism. Besides getting to know him, you will begin to see some fascinating features of Buddhism. For example, you will find that gods play no role whatsoever in the enlightenment of the Buddha, which explains the nontheistic nature of Buddhism. You will also find the central role of joy and investigation in the Buddha’s enlightenment, again foretelling their central role in his eventual teachings.
Articles:
- His Friends Call Him Bud: About the Buddha’s Story
- The Buddha Formerly Known as Prince.
- The Four Sights, Four Signs, and Four Sighs
- The Noble Search, Without Google
- When Mara Met Siddhattha
- The Buddha’s Findings: The Middle Way and The Four Noble Truths
- Abbot’s Commentary: How the Buddha’s Story is Useful
Topic #3: The First Noble Truth
The solution to suffering begins with the willingness to face suffering. A key insight here is that suffering arises from clinging to the five aggregates.
Articles:
- Suffering An Extremely Lucky Birth
- Dukkha is Suffering-plus-plus
- Five Aggregates
- Where Do You Draw the Line on the Aggregates?
- Clinging Onto Aggregates is Like Grabbing Hold of Water
- Life is Not All Suffering, and That is a Problem
- Turns Out You Didn’t Have to Order the Self-Destruct Option
- Abbot’s Commentary: Suffering is Not Inherent
Topic #4: The Second Noble Truth
The second noble truth leads us to an extremely important insight, that suffering is caused. Therefore, the solution to suffering is simply to “uncause” the causes of suffering. Easy peasy. Here, we also begin the explore the mystical side of Buddhism.
Articles:
- How to Stop a Bomb
- Where Suffering Stops Being About Religion and Starts Being About Cause and Effect
- Craving for Sensual Pleasure
- Craving for Existence and Non-Existence
- Not Mine, Not I, Not My Self
- You Already Have Gold in that Ball of Dung
- Solve Problems Not By Creating More
- Abbot’s Commentary: Everyone Can Put It Down
Topic #5: The Third Noble Truth
What is it like to be totally free of suffering? That is the topic of the third noble truth.
Articles:
Topic #6: The Fourth Noble Truth and the Noble Eightfold Path
How do you get to the state of total freedom from suffering? The path is contained within the fourth noble truth. It comes in eight parts, which is why is it also called <drumroll…> the Noble Eightfold Path.
Articles:
Topic #7: Right Mindfulness
What is right mindfulness? What are its features? How does one establish it? All your questions about right mindfulness answered here. Rightly and mindfully, of course.
Articles:
- Mindfulness, My Foot
- A Definitive Definition of Mindfulness
- How to Establish Right Mindfulness
- Mindfulness of the Body
- Mindfulness of Sensations (Vedanā)
- Mindfulness of Mind (Citta)
- Mindfulness of Dharmas
- Five Hindrances
- Is There Such a Thing As Wrong Mindfulness?
- Abbot’s Commentary: Mindfulness is Relevant Always
Topic #8: Right Samadhi
The Buddha taught a practice for meditative concentration that can not only lead people to nirvana, it is also immensely joyful and, more importantly, is accessible be everyone. Yeah, I’m excited too!
Articles:
Topic #9: By Virtue of Virtue
Virtue is so powerful and essential that it shows up in virtually every single step of the Buddhist training.
Articles:
Topic #10: Dude, Where’s My Karma?
The Four Noble Truths are impressive enough, but underlying it is an entire body of foundational teachings, including karma, emptiness, and dependent origination. Let’s dig deep.
- Those Giant Heads Turn Out to Have Bodies
- Three Marks of Existence and Four Dharma Seals
- Dukkha Due to Formations
- It’s Cause and Effect All Over Again
- Karma is What Our Parents Taught Us At Six
- How to Karma Without Your Self
- Dependent Origination, the Full Causal Chain of Suffering
- Breaking the Causal Chain of Suffering
- Emptiness is So Full
- Two Levels of Truths, When One Just Isn’t Enough For You
- Abbot’s Commentary: Karma is Power
Topic #11: How to Nirvana Yourself
Here, we aim right for the bullseye, with a topic on how we can all use the knowledge we gained above to see nirvana directly.
Articles:
Topic #12: A Hero’s Journey to Nirvana
Here, we present the exciting story of how one of Soryu’s students arrived at the direct experience of nirvana. From that story, you will also gain a deeper understanding of liberation.
Articles:
- A Hero’s Story
- The Journey to Nirvana is a Hero’s Journey
- Susan’s Excellent Adventure, Part I: Early Victories
- Susan’s Excellent Adventure, Part II: From Drudgery to Wisdom
- Susan’s Excellent Adventure, Part III: Breaking Unstoppable Resistance
- Looking Forward to Your Own Excellent Adventure to Nirvana?
- Abbot’s Commentary: Your Journey to Enlightenment
Topic #13: Gods Just Want to Have Fun
This may be very surprising to you, but it turns out that early Buddhism doesn’t care about miracles or gods. We also answer the question of whether Buddhism is a religion or not.
Articles:
- That’s Why Buddhist Monks Are Not Allowed to Levitate
- If You See the Buddha on the Road, Please Don’t Kill Him
- The Greatest Miracle of All: The Miracle of Instruction
- The Gods are Merely Our Friends
- Wait, Didn’t Brahmā Create the Universe or Something?
- So Is Buddhism a Religion or Not?
- The Passing of Sāriputta
- Abbot’s Commentary: No One is In Charge
Topic #14: Buddhism and Modern Science Sitting Together
The unexpectedly intimate relationship between Buddhism and science. It turns out, they are even in cahoots.
Articles:
Topic #15: How Early Buddhism was Preserved
The fascinating story of how a small group of enlightened monks heroically preserved early Buddhism. We also examine what the early Buddhist texts look like, and the compelling evidence supporting their authenticity.
Articles:
Topic #16: Having Sects in Buddhism
How we ended up having sects in Buddhism, and how we can all enjoy sects.
Articles:
- Like Separated Children of One Mother
- Having Sects in Buddhism
- Fifty Shades of Saffron
- We Are One Big Buddhist Family
- Common Core and Common Realization in Buddhism
- Just Because It’s Not Historical Doesn’t Mean It’s Not Dharma
- What is a Good Modern Buddhist to Do About Sects?
- The Abbot’s Teacher’s Commentary: About Soryu Forall
Topic #17: You Don’t Have to be a Buddhist to be a Buddhist
How inclusive Buddhism can be, and how you really don’t have to be a Buddhist to be a Buddhist.
Articles:
Topic #18: Epilogue
And you thought you were finally rid of us. Not so fast! Here are two last articles to close the Buddhism for All series.
Articles:
