Religion Talks
Religion is a range of social-cultural systems, including designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relate humanity to supernatural, transcendental, and spiritual elements—although there is no scholarly consensus over what precisely constitutes a religion. Different religions may or may not contain various elements ranging from the divine, sacredness, faith, and a supernatural being or beings.
The origin of religious belief is an open question, with possible explanations including awareness of individual death, a sense of community, and dreams. Religions have sacred histories, narratives, and mythologies, preserved in oral traditions, sacred texts, symbols, and holy places, that may attempt to explain the origin of life, the universe, and other phenomena.
Religious practices may include rituals, sermons, commemoration or veneration (of deities or saints), sacrifices, festivals, feasts, trances, initiations, matrimonial and funerary services, meditation, prayer, music, art, dance, or public service.
There are an estimated 10,000 distinct religions worldwide, though nearly all of them have regionally based, relatively small followings. Four religions—Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism—account for over 77% of the world's population, and 92% of the world either follows one of those four religions or identifies as nonreligious, meaning that the remaining 9,000+ faiths account for only 8% of the population combined. The religiously unaffiliated demographic includes those who do not identify with any particular religion, atheists, and agnostics, although many in the demographic still have various religious beliefs.
Many world religions are also organized religions, most definitively including the Abrahamic religions Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, while others are arguably less so, in particular folk religions, indigenous religions, and some Eastern religions. A portion of the world's population are members of new religious movements. Scholars have indicated that global religiosity may be increasing due to religious countries having generally higher birth rates.
The study of religion comprises a wide variety of academic disciplines, including theology, philosophy of religion, comparative religion, and social scientific studies. Theories of religion offer various explanations for its origins and workings, including the ontological foundations of religious being and belief.
Title | Speaker | |
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Sangha Jewel American, Building, Religion, Ordination, Dana |
Jun 19 2021 Berkeley Zen Center |
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The Four Noble Truths Big Mind, Four Noble Truths, Religion, Precepts, Patience |
May 22 2021 |
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Buddha's Story Global Warming, Buddha Nature, Religion, Lineage |
Apr 10 2021 |
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Hai! Here I Am Zazen Mind, Religion, Observe, Politics, Beginners |
Feb 20 2021 |
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Hunger Mindfulness, Four Noble Truths, Four Foundations, Lay, Bodhisattva Vow, Greed,... |
Oct 03 2020 |
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Buddha's Birthday Birth-and-Death, Buddha's Birthday, Continuous, Instruction, Religion, American... |
Apr 11 2020 |
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Historical Context and the Evolution of Buddhist Understanding of Karma Karma, causation, Mahayana, Religion, Greed, Tassajara, Vows, Culture, American, War... |
Feb 15 2020 |
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Buddha Has Reasons For Teaching Non-Self And Buddha Has Reasons For Teaching Self Addiction, Nirvana Sutra, Impermanence, Religion, Nirvana, Letting Go, practicing... |
Feb 01 2020 AM No Abode Hermitage |
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Beloved CommunitySerial: BZ-02698 Study Sesshin PM
Enemies, Hate, Lotus Sutra, Evil, Bodhisattva Way, Vows, Oneness, Bodhisattva Vow,... |
Sep 07 2019 |
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Inspirations for Practice Right Speech, Religion, Ego, Equanimity, Lineage, Conversation |
Jul 06 2019 |
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Daowu's Condolence CallSerial: BZ-02687 Sesshin Day 4
Blue Cliff Record, Doubt, Teacher-and-Student, Birth-and-Death, Funeral, Lineage,... |
Jun 22 2019 |
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Zenki Class 3Serial: BZ-02680 PP Class 3
Birth-and-Death, Blue Cliff Record, Liberation, Buddha Mind, Samsara, Religion, Heart... |
May 30 2019 |
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Shuso Way-Seeking Mind Talk Berkeley Zen Center, training, Practice Period, Religion, Emotions, Forgiveness,... |
May 13 2019 |
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Four Focuses Emotions, Gaining Mind, Mindfulness, Hindrances, Anger, Attachment, Buddha Ancestors... |
Mar 30 2019 |
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Three Treasures: Liberty, Equality, Fraternity Bodhisattva Ceremony, Precepts, Sangha, Chanting, Greed, Non-violence,... |
Feb 23 2019 |
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Taking Refuge Impermanence, Heart Sutra, Conversation, Four Foundations, resistance, Mindfulness,... |
Feb 09 2019 |
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Compassion Flexibility the Victims of Paradise Building, Global Warming, Right Speech, Offering, American, Happiness, Religion, Ego... |
Nov 17 2018 |
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Ending Racism Mindfulness, Bodhisattva Ceremony, Current Events, American, Happiness, Observe,... |
Aug 25 2018 |
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Universal Cosmic StillnessSerial: BZ-02628 SESSHIN
Ordinary Mind, Samsara, Observe, Discrimination, Religion, Peace, Emotions |
Aug 04 2018 |
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Prodigal Daughter Gaining Mind, Repentance, Religion, Ego, Instruction, Gratitude, Silence, Hindrances... |
Jul 07 2018 |
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Witness to the Rohingas Religion, Greed, Liberation, Culture, American, Peace, Fox, Patience, resistance,... |
Mar 31 2018 |
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Ambebkar and Buddhism Building, training, Anger, Discrimination, Liberation, Precepts, Instruction,... |
Feb 24 2018 |
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Beloved CommunityCommunity, Non-violence, Vows, War, Hindrances, Evil, Bell, Conversation, Hate,... |
Jan 20 2018 |
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Mind WavesSerial: BZ-02584 Day 1
Big Mind, Samadhi, Duality, Composure, Patience, Non-duality, Religion, Five Ranks,... |
Dec 03 2017 |
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Not Always So Religion, Priest, Gratitude, Ordination, Teacher-and-Student, Enemies, Culture,... |
Mar 18 2017 |
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Skillful Means and Anger Anger, Greed, Four Noble Truths, Observe, Religion, Peace, Attachment, Diversity,... |
Mar 05 2017 |
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Dogen's Uji: Time Being Part 3 Duality, Buddha Nature, training, Nirvana, Rinzai, Obstacles, Lotus Sutra, Culture,... |
Feb 12 2017 |
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The Five Hijabs Evil, Religion, Hate, Building, Describe, Attachment |
Jan 21 2017 |
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Beyond ConsciousnessSerial: BZ-02517 Rohatsu Day 4
Karma, Intuition, Anger, Composure, Precepts, Religion, Big Mind, Building, Echo,... |
Dec 07 2016 |
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Original Buddhism and Beyond Consciousness Karma, Fox, Posture, Aspects of Practice, soto, Religion, Mindfulness, Subject-and-... |
Nov 19 2016 |
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Naturalness training, Vows, Practice Period, Posture, Aspects of Practice, Intuition, Describe,... |
Nov 05 2016 |
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Yunmen's Medicine and Sickness Heal Each OtherSerial: BZ-02469 Class Blue Cliff Record 67
BCR-67, Cultivation, Heart Sutra, Birth-and-Death, Darkness and Light, Light-and-... |
Mar 28 2016 |
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The State of the Dysfunction War, Composure, Separation, Non-attachment, Oneness, Attachment, Religion, Peace,... |
Mar 12 2016 |
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Blue Cliff Record Case 53Serial: BZ-02460 Class BCR-53, Buddha Nature, Don't Know Mind, Composure, Heart Sutra, Doubt, Intimacy... |
Feb 27 2016 |
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Medicine and Science Mutual CureSerial: BZ-02454 Blue Cliff Record Case 87
BCR-87, Anger, Duality, Manjushri, Peace, Forgiveness, War, Blue Cliff Record,... |
Jan 16 2016 |
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What is the World: An Appropriate Response Teacher-and-Student, Blue Cliff Record, Book of Serenity, Dharma Transmission,... |
Jan 09 2016 |