buddhism

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been looking at some of the basics of Buddhist teaching as a kind of mirror to help us better understand our own Christian faith. Today’s final post will explore one final Buddhist concept, the bodhisattva, which I think will provide a perfect summary for the series as a whole. … Continue reading For the Life of the World: Bodhisattvas and the Incarnation

Last time, we saw how in Buddhist thought, both the capstone and cornerstone of the Eightfold Path is the idea of right concentration: it’s the cornerstone because it’s necessary for any and all of the other steps of the path; it’s the capstone because it also refers to the ultimate fulfillment of the path. But … Continue reading The Buddha Within, The Christ Within

Today we come to the end of our exploration of the Buddha’s Eightfold Path. Last time, we looked at right mindfulness and discussed both mindfulness in the world and specific meditation practices that help cultivate it. Today we’ll complete the puzzle with its eighth and final piece, often called in English ‘right concentration’. As usual, … Continue reading The Eightfold Path, Part 8: Right Concentration

Six posts into this introduction to the Buddha’s Eightfold Path (as part of our broader attempt to hold Buddhism up as a mirror to help us better understand our own Christian faith), and some of the things we immediately think about Buddhism have barely been mentioned: meditation, enlightenment, and that wonderful 2010s buzzword, mindfulness. Well … Continue reading The Eightfold Path, Part 7: Right Mindfulness

We’ve all seen it: a new convert gets super excited and does everything their new faith has to offer only to burn out after a few weeks; or conversely the person who’s been on the outskirts of the community for years and decades but who hasn’t seen any change in their life of faith. This … Continue reading The Eightfold Path, Part 6: Right Effort