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Buddha Talks

Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (lit. 'the awakened one'), was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was born in Lumbini, in what is now Nepal, to royal parents of the Shakya clan, but renounced his home life to live as a wandering ascetic. After leading a life of mendicancy, asceticism, and meditation, he attained nirvana at Bodh Gayā in what is now India. The Buddha then wandered through the lower Indo-Gangetic Plain, teaching and building a monastic order. Buddhist tradition holds he died in Kushinagar and reached parinirvana ("final release from conditioned existence").
According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha taught a Middle Way between sensual indulgence and severe asceticism, leading to freedom from ignorance, craving, rebirth, and suffering. His core teachings are summarised in the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, a training of the mind that includes ethical training and kindness toward others, and meditative practices such as sense restraint, mindfulness, dhyana (meditation proper). Another key element of his teachings are the concepts of the five skandhas and dependent origination, describing how all dharmas (both mental states and concrete 'things') come into being, and cease to be, depending on other dharmas, lacking an existence on their own (svabhava).
While in the Nikayas, he frequently refers to himself as the Tathāgata; the earliest attestation of the title Buddha is from the 3rd century BCE, meaning 'Awakened One' or 'Enlightened One'. His teachings were compiled by the Buddhist community in the Vinaya, his codes for monastic practice, and the Sutta Piṭaka, a compilation of teachings based on his discourses. These were passed down in Middle Indo-Aryan dialects through an oral tradition. Later generations composed additional texts, such as systematic treatises known as Abhidharma, biographies of the Buddha, collections of stories about his past lives known as Jataka tales, and additional discourses, i.e., the Mahāyāna sūtras.
Buddhism evolved into a variety of traditions and practices, represented by Theravāda, Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna, and spread beyond the Indian subcontinent. While Buddhism declined in India, and mostly disappeared after the 8th century CE due to a lack of popular and economic support, Buddhism has grown more prominent in Southeast and East Asia.
Title | Speaker | |
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The Blue Cliff Record Letting Go, Buddha, Karma |
May 31 1997 3 Green Gulch Farm |
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Wang Bo's Zen: Beyond Dregs Buddha, Practice, Time |
May 26 1997 |
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Sunday Talk Buddha, Pain, Liberation |
May 18 1997 Green Gulch Farm |
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Interwoven Paths of Meditation Truth Buddha, Practice, Suffering |
May 09 1997 |
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Transcending Duality Through Mindful Liberation Pain, Samsara, Buddha |
Apr 20 1997 Green Gulch Farm |
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Embodied Path to True Nature Practice, Buddha, Practice Period |
Apr 14 1997 |
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Finding Zen in Everyday Interactions Buddha, Time, Intimacy |
Apr 13 1997 |
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Bowing Beyond Duality Buddha, Time, Practice |
Apr 01 1997 |
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Navigating Liberation Through Right Action Karma, Buddha, Right Speech |
Mar 26 1997 |
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Balancing Right Action for Enlightenment Time, Buddha, Buddha Nature |
Mar 19 1997 |
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Zen Encounter: Unveiling True Nature Buddha, Work, Ego |
Mar 17 1997 |
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Embracing Light in Life's Mud Faith, Buddha, Practice |
Mar 16 1997 |
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The Path of Pure Presence Buddha, Practice, Wisdom |
Mar 15 1997 |
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Boundless Presence: Embracing Buddha's Space Buddha, Dharmakaya, Buddha Nature |
Mar 04 1997 |
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Embracing Enlightenment: Buddha's Timeless Teachings Buddha, Practice, Suffering |
Feb 15 1997 |
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Awakening Presence Through Mindfulness Practice, Buddha, Suffering |
Jan 28 1997 |
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Zen Lineages: Divergence in Unity Karmic Consciousness, Time, Buddha |
Aug 05 1996 |
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Compassionate Awakening Through Emptiness Suffering, Compassion, Buddha |
Jul 25 1996 |
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Embracing Anxiety for Enlightenment Pain, Time, Buddha |
Jun 19 1996 |
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Awakening Through Upright Presence Buddha, Delusion, Pain |
Jun 15 1996 |
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Swimming In Delusion Delusion, Ceremony, Buddha |
Jun 06 1996 Tassajara |
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Unity in Koans: Embracing Non-Duality Buddha, Buddha Nature, Time |
Apr 22 1996 |
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Path to Freedom Through Interdependence Suffering, Freedom, Buddha |
Apr 14 1996 |
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Interdependence: Pathway to Liberation Suffering, Buddha, Pain |
Mar 31 1996 |
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Embrace Pain for True Freedom Pain, Buddha, Time |
Mar 26 1996 |
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Embracing Emptiness: Interdependence and Compassion Delusion, Buddha, Compassion |
Mar 20 1996 |
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Weaving Zen: Unraveling Reality's Fabric Time, Buddha |
Mar 12 1996 |
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Liberation: Beyond Freedom's Illusion Buddha, Practice, Liberation |
Feb 10 1996 |
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Karma and Causation in Zen Practice Practice, Time, Buddha |
Jan 26 1996 |
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Interdependent Liberation through Bodhisattva Precepts Buddha, Practice, Precepts |
Jan 22 1996 |
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Refuge in Buddha: Path to Freedom Buddha, Practice, Pain |
Jan 19 1996 |
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Awakening and Interconnection Through Zen Name, Bodhisattva, Buddha |
Jan 14 1996 |
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Zen's Paradox: Interconnected Truths Explored Suffering, Buddha, Nirvana |
Jan 09 1996 |
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Awakening the Altruistic Mind Bodhisattva, Buddha, Practice |
Jan 08 1996 |
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Seeing Through Illusion to Enlightenment Emptiness, Buddha, Time |
Dec 20 1995 Tassajara |
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Nagarjuna's Path: Beyond Dogma Buddha, Time, Love |
Oct 14 1995 Tassajara |
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Ego and Impermanence in Zen Time, Buddha, Meditation |
Jul 24 1995 |
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Transcending Evil: A Journey Within Evil, Buddha, Practice |
Jul 18 1995 |
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Enlightenment Through Selfless Engagement Renunciation, Practice, Buddha |
Jul 10 1995 |
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Awakening Desire: Cultivating Buddha's Vow Suffering, Buddha, Compassion |
Jul 09 1995 |
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Breath Pathways to True AwakeningSerial: RA-01234A In the subtle round mouth the pivot of the spiritual work turns meditation on breath, on enlightenment
Delusion, Enlightenment, Buddha |
Apr 02 1995 Green Gulch Farm |
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Zen Silence: The Art of Non-Thinking Practice, Study, Buddha |
Feb 20 1995 |
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Backward Step: Embracing Zen Koans Study, Koan, Buddha |
Feb 06 1995 |
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Embrace the Wall Mindset Time, Nirvana, Buddha |
Feb 05 1995 |
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Catching the Wooden Duck: Zen Freedom Buddha, Instruction, Pain |
Jan 30 1995 |
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Path Without Signs Buddha, Evil, Time |
Jan 25 1995 |
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Flowing Beyond Boundaries Together Time, Compassion, Buddha |
Jan 18 1995 |
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Zen Arrows: Unbinding Consciousness Buddha, Practice, Time |
Apr 18 1994 |
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Embrace the Robe of Liberation Buddha, Desire, Concentration |
Mar 18 1994 |
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Zen Path to Total Oneness Practice, Precepts, Buddha |
Feb 27 1994 Green Gulch Farm |