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 | |
---|---|---|
August 14th, 1999, Serial No. 00192, Side A Lay, Lay Practice, Bodhisattva Ceremony, Aspects of Practice, Describe, Beginners,... |
Aug 14 1999 |
|
April 24th, 1999, Serial No. 00073, Side B Priest, Culture, War, American, Precepts, Religion, Peace, Emotions, Anger, Rinzai... |
Apr 24 1999 |
|
April 1st, 1999, Serial No. 00862 Lotus Sutra, Chanting, Mahayana, Peace, Vows, Happiness, Priest, Lay, Buddha Nature,... |
Apr 01 1999 |
|
Warm-hearted PracticeSerial: BZ-00190B Saturday Lecture Precepts, stubbornness, Composure, Bodhisattva Precepts, Posture, Religion, American... |
Jan 23 1999 Berkeley Zen Center |
|
January 9th, 1999, Serial No. 00189, Side B War, Precepts, Separation, Culture, Religion, Building, Renunciation, Hate, Doubt,... |
Jan 09 1999 |
|
On His Health & BZC's FutureSerial: BZ-00186 Rohatsu Day 6 Sojun Mel Weitsman, Doubt, Emotions, Practice Period, Describe, Tassajara,... |
Dec 05 1998 Berkeley Zen Center |
|
December 3rd, 1998, Serial No. 00184, Side B Demons, Priest, Interview, Tassajara, Precepts, Religion, Non-attachment, War,... |
Dec 03 1998 |
|
November 28th, 1998, Serial No. 00168, Side A Lay, Sangha, Culture, Liberation, Bodhisattva Vow, Monastic Practice, Mahayana, Birth... |
Nov 28 1998 |
|
November 19th, 1998, Serial No. 00837 Chanting, Separation, Harmonizing, Lotus Sutra, Subject-and-Object, Offering,... |
Nov 19 1998 |
|
October 3rd, 1998, Serial No. 00439, Side B Dharma Transmission, Transmission, Berkeley Zen Center, Precepts, Religion, Priest,... |
Oct 03 1998 |
|
October 3rd, 1998, Serial No. 01068 Dharma Transmission, Transmission, Precepts, Tassajara, Bowing, Religion, Priest,... |
Oct 03 1998 |
|
September 26th, 1998, Serial No. 00439, Side A Dragons, Religion, American, Vimalakirti, Priest, Lineage, Describe, Evil, Culture,... |
Sep 26 1998 |
|
Universe As MedicineSerial: BZ-00356B Saturday Lecture Ummon, Koan, Religion, Manjushri, Bell, Sixth Patriarch, Demons, Ego, Attachment,... |
Aug 22 1998 Berkeley Zen Center |
|
Five Aspects of PracticeSerial: BZ-00352B Sesshin Day 3 Practice, Five Ranks, Absolute-and-Relative, Continuous, Renunciation, Aspects of... |
Jun 26 1998 Berkeley Zen Center |
|
June 6th, 1998, Serial No. 00350, Side A cognitive process, Observe, Mahayana, Dependent Origination, Describe, Religion,... |
Jun 06 1998 |
|
January 24th, 1998, Serial No. 00341, Side A Culture, Ego, American, Building, Religion, Darkness and Light, Bodhidharma, Duality... |
Jan 24 1998 |
|
1998.MM.DD-serial.00137B Posture, Desire, Bowing, confusion, Zazen, Balance, Doubt, Religion, Gratitude,... |
1998 |
|
ForgivenessSerial: BZ-00339B Saturday Lecture Forgiveness, Forgiveness, Anger, Buddha Nature, New Year, Karma, confusion, Samsara,... |
Dec 13 1997 Berkeley Zen Center |
|
Bankei And Horse SenseSerial: BZ-00321B Saturday Lecture Bankei, Bell, Religion, Separation, Absolute-and-Relative, War, Conversation, Duality... |
Sep 13 1997 Berkeley Zen Center |
|
Save The Redwoods - Mother Theresa and Lady DianaSerial: SF-00088 Saturday lecture. Vows, Precepts, Interdependence, Gratitude, Enemies, Religion |
Sep 06 1997 City Center |
|
June 16th, 1997, Serial No. 00114 Ordinary Mind, Conversation, Buddha Nature, Silent Illumination, Religion, soto,... |
Jun 16 1997 |
|
June 16th, 1997, Serial No. 00779 Ordinary Mind, Silent Illumination, Conversation, soto, Buddha Nature, Religion,... |
Jun 16 1997 |
|
June 5th, 1997, Serial No. 00536 Anger, Nirvana, Addiction, Precepts, Religion, Evil, Teacher-and-Student, Describe,... |
Jun 05 1997 |
|
1997.04.26-serial.00059 Four Noble Truths, Subject-and-Object, Ego, Non-duality, Duality, Zazen, Religion,... |
Apr 26 1997 |
|
April 10th, 1997, Serial No. 00846 Evil, Four Noble Truths, Sangha, Lay, Darkness and Light, Non-violence, Religion,... |
Apr 10 1997 |
|
Faith/Belief, DeathSerial: BZ-00361A Saturday Lecture Faith, Death, Religion, Birth-and-Death, Practice Period, Evil, Hate, War |
Mar 29 1997 Berkeley Zen Center |
|
March 29th, 1997, Serial No. 01555 Religion, Birth-and-Death, New Year, Heart Sutra, Evil, War |
Mar 29 1997 |
|
March 29th, 1997, Serial No. 01556 Religion, Birth-and-Death, Heart Sutra, Evil, War |
Mar 29 1997 |
|
March 13th, 1997, Serial No. 00850 Religion, Buddha's Birthday, Renunciation, Vows, Lotus Sutra, Describe,... |
Mar 13 1997 |
|
Recollections of Early Zen Priest, Demons, Vinaya, Funeral, Religion, Ceremony, Lay Practice, Six Realms,... |
Feb 08 1997 2 of 3 Green Gulch Farm |