The Basics: What the Buddha Taught

The Buddha taught that all phenomena are impermanent. How is this teaching essential to enlightenment?

Buddhism does consider abortion to be the taking of a human life. At the same time, many western Buddhists are pro-choice. Is being pro-choice consistent with Buddhist teachings?

Do Buddhism and science agree? Do they have to agree? What if they disagree? Most of us, I suspect, in our own heads automatically interpret and "update" the ancient texts to match our knowledge of earth science. The nature of what we are trying to understand does not depend on believing in Four Great Elements rather than atoms and molecules. Is this OK?

There's more to Buddhism than shaving one's head, wearing orange robes and being blissful. Here is a guide to the basic basics for those who don't know nothin' about Buddhism.

Buddhists discuss renunciation in Buddhism.

Dependent Origination is a Buddhist teaching on the nature of existence -- nothing exists independently of other things.

The Buddha said there are twelve links (nidanas) in the "chain" of Dependent Origination. Dependent Origination is the Buddhist teaching on how things come to be, are, and cease to be. According to this teaching, no beings or phenomena exist independently of other beings and phenomena.

Buddhism is distinguished by four characteristics, called the Four Dharma Seals. Any religion or philosophy that contains these four seals is Buddhist, whether it calls itself "Buddhist" or not. By the same token, a "Buddhism" that contradicts any of the Four Seals is not Buddhism, whether it calls itself that or not.

The Buddha taught that everything in the physical world, including mental activity and psychological experience, is marked with three characteristics -- impermance, suffering and egolessness. Thorough examination and awareness of these marks helps us abandon the grasping and clinging that bind us.

The Buddha taught his monks to cultivate four states of mind, called the "Brahma-vihara," "four divine states of dwelling" or "Four Immeasurables." These are loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity.

The Five Niyamas are natural laws or causal factors that affect physical and mental phenomena. Karma is one of the Niyamas, but not the only one.

Is Buddhism a philosophy or a religion? Many have strong opinions it is one or the other. Clarifying this point is important to understanding Buddhism.

The word "faith" often is used as a synonym for religion; people say "What is your faith?" to mean "What is your religion?" But what do we mean by "faith," and what part does faith play in Buddhism?

The Buddha taught that compassion isn't just a nice virtue; it is essential to realizing enlightenment.

You may have heard that Buddhists are supposed to be free of attachments. But "attachment" may not mean what you think it means.

If there is an article of faith among many present-day Buddhists, it's that the more science discovers, the better scientific knowledge harmonizes with Buddhism. Is this true, and is it a good way to approach Buddhism?

Buddhists want to get enlightened so they can be blissed out all the time. And they believe in reincarnation, and if something bad happens to you it's because of something you did in a past life. And Buddhists have to be vegetarians. Everybody knows that. Unfortunately, much of what "everybody knows" about Buddhism isn't true.

Buddhists want to get enlightened so they can be blissed out all the time. And they believe in reincarnation, and if something bad happens to you it's because of something you did in a past life. And Buddhists have to be vegetarians. Everybody knows that. Unfortunately, much of what "everybody knows" about Buddhism isn't true. What do you think are the most common things people believe about Budd…

E.F. Schumacher built an economic theory on Buddhist values. Now his ideas, once considered heresy, seem prophetic.

Desires are inexhaustible, especially in our consumerist culture. What does Buddhism teach about greed and desire?

Buddhism opposes war, but sometimes Buddhists must go to war. Buddhism values pacifism, yet Buddhism is associated with martial arts. What does Buddhism teach about war?

Anger. Rage. Fury. Wrath. Whatever you call it, it happens to all of us, including Buddhists. However much we value loving kindness, we Buddhists are still human beings, and sometimes we get angry. How do you work with anger in your practice?

Buddhism teaches that abortion is the taking of a human life, but at the same time most Buddhists are reluctant to interfere with a woman's personal decision to abort. From a Buddhist perspective, these positions are not contradictory.

The Eight Awarenesses, or Aspects, of Enlightenment are a guide to Buddhist practice, but they are also the characteristics that distinguish a Buddha. It is said that to fully realize the Awarenesses is Nirvana.

Buddhism challenges us to think about sexual ethics and morals very differently from the way most of us have been taught to think about them. What does Buddhism teach about sex?

The Buddhist Approach to morality avoids absolutes and rigid commandments. Instead, Buddhists are encouraged to weigh and analyze situations to come to their own decisions about what is moral.

Religions usually are defined by their beliefs, and religious people are supposed to "believe in" the doctrines they are taught. But in Buddhism, beliefs are beside the point, and doctrines are a means to an end, not the end itself.

If atheism is the absence of belief in gods, then many Buddhists are atheists. Why then do Buddhists pray and bow to Buddha figures on altars?

This essay explores common conceptualizations of evil and compares them to Buddhist teachings on evil.

Anger is a poison and an obstacle to enlightenment, the Buddha said. Yet we all get angry. What does Buddhism teach about dealing with anger?

The historical Buddha and his disciples were not vegetarians. Why then did vegetarianism come to be associated with Buddhism?

The Buddha taught his disciples to develop equanimity. What do Buddhists mean by equanimity, and how do you develop it?

What does equanimity mean to you, and how do you practice it?