The Platform Sutra, attributed to Huineng (638-713), the sixth patriarch of Chan (Zen) Buddhism, contains the main elements of this Mahayana school: the way of sudden enlightenment through “no-thought”; universal Buddha nature pervading all reality; and the sunyata (emptiness) of all phenomena.

Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk and a world-renowned teacher of socially and politically conscious “engaged Buddhism.” In 1966 Thich Nhat Hanh was invited by the Fellowship of Reconciliation to tour the United States so he could explain to the American public why Buddhists were leading demonstrations against the American-supported Saigon government. As a result of his outspoken appraisal of the Saigon government’s policies, Nhat Hanh faced certain imprisonment upon his return to Vietnam. He took asylum in France, where he founded Plum Village, an important center for meditation... Read more about Hanh, Thich Nhat

The Buddha’s first sermon is called “The setting in motion of the wheel of the Dharma.. Hence, an eight-spoked wheel is often employed to represent the Buddhist tradition as a whole.

Higan is a week-long Japanese Buddhist festival in which people offer respect to the dead. It is celebrated twice each year, once in the spring, starting on March 18 or 19, and again in the fall beginning on either September 20 or 21. The term higan is linked to the Sanskrit term paramita, which means literally “going to the other shore.” In the Japanese Pure Land and True Pure Land traditions, this “other shore” is identified with Amida’s Pure Land.

Vihara means “residence” in Sanskrit and Pali; the term is used to designate the living quarters for Buddhist monks, i.e. a Buddhist monastery. In addition to the living area for the monastic community, a Vihara will typically include a Buddha image, a stupa (reliquary mound), and a Bodhi Tree.

The formal handing over of the lineage succession from teacher to student is called Dharma transmission. This transmission ensures the continuity of the Dharma as it has developed in the teaching and practice of a particular school of Buddhism. The student receiving transmission from his or her teacher becomes the Dharma heir of that master.