Traditional Tibetan Rugs - artelino

All major world religions have developed over many centuries into different denominations, directions and sects. Buddhism does not make an exception. There are basically three types of Buddhism - Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana. However, in contrast to Christianity or Islam, the followers of these different types of Buddhism have - to my knowledge - never fought war against each other.

This article explains the difference between these types of Buddhism and why things developed this way.

This page shows a marvelous BBC documentary about the historical Buddha, Siddartha Gautama, in 5 video sequences. The film shows how British archeologists rediscovered the sites of Buddha's birth place in Lumbini and the place where he grew up, Tilaurakot in Nepal, capital of the former kingdom of Kapilavastu.

The story of Buddha's life is told in cinematic episodes starting with his birth in Lumbini and ending with his death from food poisoning at the age of roughly 80.

Tibetan thangkas are religious paintings on scroll. They serve as meditation aid or as a tool to teach aspects of Buddhism to a wide audience. Thangkas follow certain basic image patterns. One of these iconographic patterns is the story of the life of the historic Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama who lived circa 563 BC to 483 BC.

This article is about the major events of the life of the historical Buddha as it can be found on a thangka of this design type, simply called 'Buddhas Life'.

Nirvana is the ultimate goal of Buddhist believers. It is the end of the cycle of rebirths and the end to all worldly suffering.

The way to Nirvana is by achieving enlightenment, a complete understanding of things.

Buddhism is not a consistent concept, but there are different schools with different interpretations and emphasis. Tibetan Buddhism for instance puts emphasis on the exertion of compassion towards others to achieve Nirvana.

The Four Noble Truths are a basic element of Buddhist philosophy. This article explains what it is all about. Easy to read, and easy to understand.

This article tells a legend from the life of the historical Buddha illustrated by a Tibetan thangka. The story is about the evil demon Mara who tried to keep Buddha away from finding the ultimate enlightenment.

Maya Devi was the mother of the historical Buddha who was born circa 563 BC. She died several days after giving birth to her son.

This article is another 'easy to understand, easy to read' introduction to the more frequently depicted gods and goddesses of the Tibetan and Buddhist pantheon. This page is about Buddha Amitabha, always shown in red.

The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people and of Tibetan Buddhism. He is not only revered by Tibetans, but he has attained a worldwide popularity, mainly in Western cultures. In 1989 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Price.

"We have always known that heedless self-interest was bad morals: now we know that it is bad economics." (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

The following is an article written by Rod Nelson, a UK artist, after having recently attended the 20th Annual Mind and Life Conference in Zurich, which was entitled 'Altruism and Compassion in Economic Systems'. The article is planned to be published by Resurgence Magazine. Copyright Rod Nelson. The integrated slide show features woodblock prints by Rod Nelson.