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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 summarized 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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Embracing Energy Beyond Thought ConstraintsSerial: RB-01112 Practice-Week_Actualizing_Mind Practice, Buddha, Time |
Feb 26 1999 Johanneshof |
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Shaping Zen: Embodied RealizationSerial: RB-01104 Seminar_Dogen Buddha, Practice, Dogen |
Nov 22 1998 Crestone Zen Mountain Center |
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Dogen's Zen: Stillness and ShiftSerial: RB-01102 Seminar_Dogen Posture, Buddhism, Buddha |
Nov 21 1998 Crestone Zen Mountain Center |
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Unveiling Zen: Sit, Inquire, RealizeSerial: RB-01103 Seminar_Dogen Buddha, Meditation, Dogen |
Nov 21 1998 Crestone Zen Mountain Center |
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Embrace Uncertainty, Find EnlightenmentSerial: RB-01098 Sesshin Practice, Buddha, Buddhism |
Nov 07 1998 Johanneshof |
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Zen Mind: Needing Nothing, Embracing AllSerial: RB-01099 Sesshin Buddha, Practice, Zazen |
Nov 07 1998 Johanneshof |
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Zen Balance: Tradition Meets TransformationSerial: RB-01096 Sesshin Buddha, Posture, Practice |
Nov 07 1998 Johanneshof |
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Embodied Connection in Modern SanghaSerial: RB-01093 Congress_DBU Sangha, Practice, Buddha |
Oct 24 1998 Freiburg |
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Vows Over Karma: Zen's PathSerial: RB-01089 Seminar_The_Three-Jewels Buddha, Vow, Time |
Oct 02 1998 Berlin |
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Embodying Dharma: Zen's Living ArtSerial: RB-01088 Seminar_The_Three-Jewels Practice, Buddha, Time |
Oct 02 1998 Berlin |
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Embracing Interdependence Through PresenceSerial: RB-01086 Seminar_The_Three-Jewels Time, Buddhism, Buddha |
Oct 02 1998 Berlin |
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Boundaryless Mindfulness: Unveiling ImpermanenceSerial: RB-01087 Seminar_The_Three-Jewels Buddha, Practice, Breath |
Oct 02 1998 Berlin |
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Anchoring Presence: The Power of BuddhaSerial: RB-01076 Talk_Amithaba_Buddha Buddha, Practice, Samadhi |
Sep 30 1998 Johanneshof |
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Zen Beyond Monastery WallsSerial: RB-01079 Practice-Week_Lay-Practice Practice, Buddha, Work |
Sep 07 1998 Johanneshof |
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Liberating the Mind Through ZenSerial: RB-01071 Seminar_The_Buddhist_Understanding_of_Freedom Practice, Buddha, Enlightenment |
Jul 24 1998 Johanneshof |
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Beyond Self: Weaving InterconnectionSerial: RB-01063 Sesshin Breath, Practice, Buddha |
Jul 04 1998 Roseburg |
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Breath as Path to PresenceSerial: RB-01062 Talk Breath, Practice, Buddha |
Jul 03 1998 Hamburg |
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Interconnected Selfhood in Zen PracticeSerial: RB-01058 Seminar_Study_Yourself Buddha, Dogen, Koan |
Jun 26 1998 Wien |
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Consciousness Unbound: Zen's Living PresenceSerial: RB-01054 Sesshin Practice, Buddha, Enlightenment |
May 23 1998 Johanneshof |
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Buddhism and Therapy: Beyond SelfSerial: RB-01569 Buddhism_and-Psychotherapy Buddha, Separation, Work |
May 20 1998 Schlierbach |
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Realms of Mindful TransformationSerial: RB-01044 Seminar_Buddhism_and_Psychotherapy Buddha, Work, Buddhism |
May 20 1998 Schlierbach |
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Buddhism Meets Psychotherapy: Transformative PathsSerial: RB-01045 Seminar_Buddhism_and_Psychotherapy Buddha, Separation, Work |
May 20 1998 Schlierbach |
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Transcending Thought: Zen's Hidden OrderSerial: RB-01035 Sesshin Practice, Time, Buddha |
Apr 1998 Crestone Zen Mountain Center |
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Beyond Perception: The Path UnseenSerial: RB-01017 Workshop_The_Power_and_Neccessity_of_Views Practice, Breath, Buddha |
Sep 1997 |
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Trusting Emptiness: Zen's Transformative PathSerial: RB-01578 Practice-Week Vow, Buddhism, Buddha |
May 1997 Johanneshof |
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Finding Trust Through Zen RefugeSerial: RB-01579 Practice-Week Anger, Practice, Buddha |
May 1997 Johanneshof |
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May 1997 talk, Serial No. 01582, Side ASerial: RB-01582A Practice-Week Precepts, Practice, Buddha |
May 1997 Johanneshof |
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Embracing Buddha Nature Through PracticeSerial: RB-01583B Practice-Week Buddha, Buddha Nature, Intention |
May 1997 Johanneshof |
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Lineage as Living Wisdom PracticeSerial: RB-00980 Practice-Period_Talks Sixth Patriarch, Buddha, Practice |
Apr 06 1997 Crestone Zen Mountain Center |
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Awakening Beyond Polishing the TileSerial: RB-00978A Practice-Period_Talks Meditation, Time, Buddha |
Apr 02 1997 Crestone Zen Mountain Center |
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Aligning Presence in Zen PracticeSerial: RB-01023 Sesshin Manjushri, Practice, Buddha |
1997 Roseburg |
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Awaken to Jewel Mirror Consciousness Meditation, Time, Buddha |
1997 Crestone Zen Mountain Center |
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Zen Harmony: Proportion Over MeasureSerial: RB-00973 Sesshin Buddha, Practice, Time |
Nov 1996 Johanneshof |
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Embodied Awareness in Zen PracticeSerial: RB-00974 Sesshin Buddha, Practice, Time |
Nov 1996 Johanneshof |
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Mindful Alchemy: Transforming Ego's FunctioningSerial: RB-00975 Sesshin Practice, Buddha, Consciousness |
Nov 1996 Johanneshof |
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Interconnectedness through Zen's Doubtful VisionSerial: RB-00960 Seminar_Zen-Dharma,_Its_Teaching_and_Practice Buddha, Faith, Practice |
Jun 30 1996 |
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Blissful Cognition in Zen PracticeSerial: RB-01591 Seminar Buddha, Consciousness, Work |
May 1996 Münster |
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Awakening: Cultivating Unconstructed ConsciousnessSerial: RB-01592 Seminar Buddha, Intention, Consciousness |
May 1996 Münster |
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Embracing Bliss Through Zen MeditationSerial: RB-01612A Sesshin Buddha, Practice, Concentration |
Apr 1996 Roseburg |
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Embodied Dignity Through Zazen PracticeSerial: RB-01613 Sesshin Buddha, Practice, Consciousness |
Apr 1996 Roseburg |
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Beyond Traditions: Zen's Hidden NourishmentsSerial: RB-01615 Sesshin Buddha, Practice, Koan |
Apr 1996 Roseburg |
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Embodied Wisdom in Zen PracticeSerial: RB-00936 Sesshin Buddha, Practice, Posture |
Apr 07 1995 Crestone Zen Mountain Center |
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Embodied Presence Through Zen PracticeSerial: RB-00926 Seminar_Mindfulness Intention, Mindfulness, Buddha |
Feb 1995 Chiemsee |
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Precepts as Pillars in Zen PracticeSerial: RB-00919 Sesshin Precepts, Buddha, Practice |
Dec 07 1994 Crestone Zen Mountain Center |
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Zen Simplicity: Path to EnlightenmentSerial: RB-00906B Sesshin Buddha, Meditation, Vow |
Sep 1994 Roseburg |
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Awakening Consciousness Through InterconnectionSerial: RB-00881A Sesshin Practice, Buddha, Buddhism |
May 1994 Roseburg |
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Dreams and Reality: Zen OnenessSerial: RB-00882 Sesshin Buddha, Practice, Buddhism |
May 1994 Roseburg |
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Embodying Wisdom: The Heart Sutra JourneySerial: RB-00867 Seminar_Teaching_and_Practice_of_the_Heart_Sutra Emptiness, Buddha, Culture |
Feb 1994 Chiemsee |
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Living Koans: Awakening Through SanghaSerial: RB-00895 Seminar_Have_a_Cup_of_Tea Practice, Koan, Buddha |
1994 München |
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Catching Dragons: Unconventional Zen Paths Buddha Nature, Practice, Buddha |
1994 Berlin |