Buddhism is a non-theistic tradition, meaning that it does not involve a belief in God. The focus of Buddhism is on the nature of mind. What concerns Buddhists is an understanding of how consciousness works, not only in theory but more importantly in practise. Our goal is to take charge of our own mental continuum,...
Do animals have souls that go to heaven?
There was quite a stir when it was reported that Pope Francis had told a young boy that animals have souls which go to heaven. The story grabbed the headlines because it was the opposite of the previous Papal position. Within 24 hours the story had been repeated so often that it was an assumed...
The bardo states and achieving positive rebirth
In the past I have blogged about the death process according to Tibetan Buddhism. I have been very encouraged by the number of readers showing an interest in what I believe is such an important subject. This blog is about the Tibetan Buddhist approach to after-death bardo states and rebirth. For the sake of brevity,...
A meditation for this precious New Year
Happy New Year! You and I, dear reader, are among the top 0.0000001% of the world’s population. How can I make such an extraordinary pronouncement? The population to which I refer is that of all sentient beings – not just humans. To be born as one of only 7 billion humans on a...