“There are four places, Ananda, that a pious person should visit and look upon with feelings of reverence. What are the four? “‘Here the Tathagata was born!’ [Lumbini] This, Ananda, is a place that a pious…

We’re finishing up week 2 of Rita Gross’s Tricycle Retreat, “Buddhist History for Buddhist Practitioners,” today. This week Gross discussed India’s spiritual scene at the time of the Buddha. She reminds us that the Buddha didn’t…

Week 2 of Rita Gross’s Tricycle Retreat, “Buddhist History for Buddhist Practitioners,” starts today. This week, entitled “The Buddha’s Original Ideas,” explores the questions: How much of what the Buddha taught was original? How much of…