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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State of the World Address: Causes and ExcusesSerial: BZ-01175 Power: Manipulation Through Maintaining Chaos, Saturday Lecture Politics, Religion, War, Peace, Evil, Emotions, Anger, Attachment, Forgiveness,... |
Jul 22 2006 Berkeley Zen Center |
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What Does It Mean to Practice Prajna Paramita?Serial: BZ-01167 Sesshin Day 2 Heart Sutra, Religion, Nirvana, Four Noble Truths, Practice Period, Non-duality,... |
Jun 15 2006 Berkeley Zen Center |
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(I, along with) All Beings, Am the World Honored OneSerial: BZ-01227B Saturday Lecture Buddha's Birthday, Buddha Nature, Buddha's Birthday, Buddha Ancestors,... |
Apr 08 2006 Berkeley Zen Center |
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2006.01.29-serial.00118 Gratitude, causation, Dependent Origination, Culture, Politics, Religion, Ego,... |
Jan 29 2006 |
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Lecture on Four VowsSerial: BZ-01208 Kid Zendo, Saturday Lecture Vows, Vows, Four Noble Truths, Bodhisattva Ceremony, Manjushri, Religion, Culture,... |
Dec 17 2005 Berkeley Zen Center |
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2005.11.06-serial.00193 Precepts, Family Practice, Heart Sutra, Intention, Vows, Subject-and-Object, Observe... |
Nov 06 2005 |
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2005.11.04-serial.00190 true dharma, Daily Life, Vows, Impermanence, Demons, Gratitude, Samsara, Repentance,... |
Nov 04 2005 |
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August 6th, 2005, Serial No. 01340 Bell, Tassajara, Instruction, Humility, Intimacy, Greed, Culture, Religion |
Aug 06 2005 |
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June 16th, 2005, Serial No. 01551 Offering, Birth-and-Death, Tassajara, Equanimity, Nirvana, Religion |
Jun 16 2005 |
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June 9th, 2005, Serial No. 01552 Daily Life, Duality, Absolute-and-Relative, Humility, Don't Know Mind, Non-... |
Jun 09 2005 |
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May 21st, 2005, Serial No. 01324 Discrimination, Peace, resistance, Instruction, American, Anger, Greed, confusion,... |
May 21 2005 |
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2005.05.06-serial.00180 Buddha Nature, Dependent Origination, Intention, Subject-and-Object, Interview,... |
May 06 2005 |
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2005.04.25-serial.00214 Instruction, Religion, Bell, resistance, Chanting |
Apr 25 2005 |
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March 15th, 2005, Serial No. 00766 Culture, Precepts, Practice Position, Bodhisattva Precepts, Evil, Patience, Religion... |
Mar 15 2005 |
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February 26th, 2005, Serial No. 01311, Side B Vows, Bodhisattva Vow, Greed, Mahayana, Daily Life, Religion, American, Priest,... |
Feb 26 2005 |
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Shikantaza: Calm MindSerial: BZ-00570 Sesshin Day 1 Shikantaza, Birth-and-Death, Posture, Silent Illumination, Bowing, Big Mind, Buddha... |
Feb 20 2005 |
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February 18th, 2005, Serial No. 00772 Buddha Nature, Silent Illumination, Mahayana, Heart Sutra, Describe, Nirvana Sutra,... |
Feb 18 2005 |
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2005.01.30-serial.00279 Buddha Nature, Don't Know Mind, Ordinary Mind, confusion, Religion |
Jan 30 2005 |
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2005.01.30-serial.00037 Buddha Nature, Don't Know Mind, Ordinary Mind, confusion, Religion |
Jan 30 2005 |
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January 20th, 2005, Serial No. 00776 Precious Mirror, Ego, Oneness, Offering, confusion, Ordinary Mind, Religion, Doubt,... |
Jan 20 2005 |
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January 20th, 2005, Serial No. 00796 Precious Mirror, Oneness, Ego, confusion, Offering, Ordinary Mind, Religion,... |
Jan 20 2005 |
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History of Soto Zen: First Dharma Heritage CeremonySerial: BZ-01283C Zuisse Ceremony and Dharma Transmission, Saturday Lecture Zuisse, Soto Zen, Dharma Transmission, Dharma Transmission, Transmission, Religion,... |
Oct 09 2004 Berkeley Zen Center |
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"Evo-revolution"Serial: BZ-01242 Working with Our Problems, Saturday Lecture Bodhisattva Vow, Koan, Manjushri, Bodhisattva Ceremony, Buddha Mind, Religion,... |
Aug 28 2004 Berkeley Zen Center |
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July 10th, 2004, Serial No. 01274, Side B Vows, Bodhisattva Vow, Bodhisattva Ceremony, American, Patience, Religion, Monastic... |
Jul 10 2004 |
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May 27th, 2004, Serial No. 01024, Side A Teacher-and-Student, Greed, Bodhidharma, Chanting, Soto Zen, Instruction, Religion,... |
May 27 2004 |
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2004.05.09-serial.00303 Buddha's Birthday, Religion, War, Letting Go, Instruction |
May 09 2004 |
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April 10th, 2004, Serial No. 01259 Demons, Religion, Funeral, Offering |
Apr 10 2004 |
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Eihei Shingi: The KaninSerial: BZ-01375 Conclusion, Rohatsu Day 6 Eihei Shingi, Big Mind, Emotions, Buddha Ancestors, Monastic Practice, Daily Life,... |
Dec 06 2003 Berkeley Zen Center |
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October 9th, 2003, Serial No. 00288 Four Noble Truths, Two Truths, Dependent Origination, Heart Sutra, Bodhisattva Way,... |
Oct 09 2003 |
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October 2nd, 2003, Serial No. 00289 Dependent Origination, Heart Sutra, Religion, Duality, Building, Nirvana, Emotions,... |
Oct 02 2003 |
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September 13th, 2003, Serial No. 01357, Side B Heart Sutra, Mindfulness, Four Foundations, Emotions, Separation, Religion,... |
Sep 13 2003 |
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September 6th, 2003, Serial No. 01356 Silence, Berkeley Zen Center, Book of Serenity, Ordinary Mind, Don't Know Mind,... |
Sep 06 2003 |
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Religion: A Necessary EvilSerial: BZ-01355 Sesshin Day 3 Religion, Evil, Religion, Fox, Doubt, Buddha Nature, Evil, Intuition, soto, Lotus... |
Sep 01 2003 Berkeley Zen Center |
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August 2nd, 2003, Serial No. 01352, Side A Peace, Right Effort, Don't Know Mind, War, Happiness, Describe, Daily Life,... |
Aug 02 2003 |
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KarmaSerial: BZ-01348 Revolution in Iran, Saturday Lecture Karma, War, Karma, Karmic Consequences, zen meditation, War, Fox, Culture, training,... |
Jun 28 2003 Berkeley Zen Center |
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June 20th, 2003, Serial No. 01345, Side B Peace, Mindfulness, Subject-and-Object, Observe, Tassajara, Religion, Zoom, Bowing,... |
Jun 20 2003 |
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May 12th, 2003, Serial No. 00135, Side B Heart Sutra, Religion, Politics, Tassajara, Practice Period, Conversation, training,... |
May 12 2003 |
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May 1st, 2003, Serial No. 00295 Lotus Sutra, Teacher-and-Student, Religion, Precepts, Bodhisattva Precepts, Chanting... |
May 01 2003 |
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April 26th, 2003, Serial No. 01527, Side A Peace, Culture, War, Religion, Non-violence, Diversity, Echo, Patience, resistance,... |
Apr 26 2003 |
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April 1st, 2003, Serial No. 00542 Bell, Doubt, Daily Life, Attachment, Religion, Anger, Rinzai, Chanting, Mindfulness,... |
Apr 01 2003 |