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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September 7th, 1973, Serial No. 00145 Samadhi, Big Mind, Religion, Precepts, Compassion |
Sep 07 1973 |
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June 18th, 1974, Serial No. 00159 Baso, Tozan, Religion |
Jun 18 1974 |
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June 18th, 1974, Serial No. 00513 Religion, Avalokiteshvara, Sixth Patriarch |
Jun 18 1974 |
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August 15th, 1974, Serial No. 00169 Bodhisattva Vow, Discrimination, Religion, Separation |
Aug 15 1974 |
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April 1st, 1975, Serial No. 00271 Sangha, Community, Religion, Nirvana, Doubt |
Apr 01 1975 |
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April 1st, 1975, Serial No. 00303 Sangha, Community, Religion, Nirvana, Doubt |
Apr 01 1975 |
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April 4th, 1975, Serial No. 00274 Kinhin, Darkness and Light, Five Ranks, Religion, Cultivation |
Apr 04 1975 |
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April 4th, 1975, Serial No. 00306 Religion, Rinzai, Darkness and Light, Five Ranks, Cultivation |
Apr 04 1975 |
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May 26th, 1975, Serial No. 02740 First Principle, Sanctuary, Intuition, Dragons, Passions, Religion |
May 26 1975 Green Gulch |
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September 5th, 1975, Serial No. 00072 Interdependence, Teacher-and-Student, Religion, Attachment, Interview, American... |
Sep 05 1975 |
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November 26th, 1975, Serial No. 00021 Silence, Mindfulness, Religion, Ceremony, realization |
Nov 26 1975 |
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March 15th, 1976, Serial No. 01824 Dependent Origination, Daily Life, Transmission, Faith, Nirvana, Mindfulness,... |
Mar 15 1976 SFZC |
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April 2nd, 1976, Serial No. 00030 Sixth Patriarch, Samadhi, Joshu, Religion, Nirmanakaya |
Apr 02 1976 |
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April 2nd, 1976, Serial No. 00199 Samadhi, Sixth Patriarch, Joshu, Religion, Nirmanakaya |
Apr 02 1976 |
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April 3rd, 1976, Serial No. 00031 Chanting, Religion, Rinzai, Samadhi, Lineage |
Apr 03 1976 |
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April 3rd, 1976, Serial No. 00195 Chanting, Religion, Rinzai, Samadhi, Dragons |
Apr 03 1976 |
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June 13th, 1976, Serial No. 00647 Baso, Religion, Oneness, Concentration, Non-discrimination |
Jun 13 1976 |
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June 19th, 1976, Serial No. 00037 Joshu, Breath, Sixth Patriarch, Emotions, Religion |
Jun 19 1976 |
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August 4th, 1976, Serial No. 00087 Passions, training, Religion, Pain |
Aug 04 1976 |
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On Kechimyaku, Inka and RobesSerial: SF-00028 Interviewed by Kazuaki Tanahashi; brief history of studies in Rinzai dojo; nature of being a roshi. Hate, Dana, Religion, Intuition, Lineage, Evil, Happiness, Freedom, Doubt |
Jan 09 1977 |
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August 26th, 1977, Serial No. 00094 realization, Buddha Nature, Dharma Transmission, Religion, lecture, Vinaya, Intention... |
Aug 26 1977 |
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August 30th, 1977, Serial No. 00098 Evil, Buddha Nature, Impermanence, Nirvana, confusion, Religion, realization,... |
Aug 30 1977 |
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September 5th, 1977, Serial No. 00069 Mandala, Truth, Conversation, Fasting, Religion |
Sep 05 1977 |
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September 5th, 1977, Serial No. 00352 Mandala, Truth, Conversation, Fasting, Religion |
Sep 05 1977 |
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November 6th, 1977, Serial No. 00596 Ego, Pain, Avalokiteshvara, Conversation, Religion |
Nov 06 1977 |
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Lama Govinda’s PaperSerial: SF-00010 AIBS Religion, Emptiness, Sanctuary, Dragons, Birth-and-Death, Lovingkindness, Passions,... |
Aug 05 1978 |
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October 16th, 1978, Serial No. 00587 Religion, Breath, Dragons, Posture |
Oct 16 1978 |
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October 16th, 1978, Serial No. 00588 Religion, Nirvana, Avalokiteshvara, confusion, Issan |
Oct 16 1978 |
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March 5th, 1979, Serial No. 00112 Silence, Compassion, Building, Balance, Culture, Breath, Religion, Suffering... |
Mar 05 1979 |
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March 5th, 1979, Serial No. 00128 Silence, Building, Balance, Compassion, Suffering, Enemies, Culture, Breath, Religion... |
Mar 05 1979 |
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April 4th, 1979, Serial No. 00605 Religion, Concentration, Issan, Pain, Truth |
Apr 04 1979 |
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The Four Truths Happiness, Four Noble Truths, Religion, New Year, Don't Know Mind, Gratitude,... |
Oct 21 1979 |
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January 27th, 1980, Serial No. 01856 Balance, Separation, Equanimity, Priest, Religion, Peace, Lay, Doubt, Ordination,... |
Jan 27 1980 SFZC |
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January 27th, 1980, Serial No. 01857 Subject-and-Object, Observe, Balance, confusion, training, Religion, Intuition,... |
Jan 27 1980 SFZC |
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January 27th, 1980, Serial No. 01839 Liberation, Politics, Nirvana, Passions, Renewal, Freedom, Intimacy, Commitment, Bell... |
Jan 27 1980 SFZC |
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Browning's Sordello Religion, Current Events, Enthusiasm, Lay, Faith, Peace, Intuition, Demons, Dragons,... |
Feb 10 1980 SFZC |
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Browning's Sordello Politics, Describe, Religion, Peace |
Feb 10 1980 SFZC |
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Browning's Sordello Beginners, Lay, Emotions, Doubt, Religion |
Feb 18 1980 SFZC |
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March 2nd, 1980, Serial No. 01842 Dragons, Religion, Renunciation, Intuition, Liberation, Freedom |
Mar 02 1980 SFZC |
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March 2nd, 1980, Serial No. 01841 Dragons, Freedom, Demons, Religion, Evil, Liberation, Balance, resistance, Enemies,... |
Mar 02 1980 SFZC |
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March 2nd, 1980, Serial No. 01840 Balance, Religion, Equanimity, Priest, Ordinary Mind, Nirvana, Liberation, Doubt,... |
Mar 02 1980 SFZC |
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March 9th, 1980, Serial No. 01884 Instruction, Greed, Doubt, Religion, Sanctuary, Intuition, Politics, Evil, Emotions... |
Mar 09 1980 SFZC |
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March 9th, 1980, Serial No. 01883 Continuous, Silence, Balance, Conversation, Lay, confusion, Hate, Religion |
Mar 09 1980 SFZC |
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May 11th, 1980, Serial No. 01814 Evil, Obstacles, Passions, Balance, Emotions, Anger, Religion, Duality, Interview,... |
May 11 1980 SFZC |
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Unification of Body and MindSerial: BZ-01058A Lecture Religion, Precepts, Buddhism, Priest, Darkness and Light, American, Tassajara, War,... |
May 16 1980 Tassajara Zen Mountain Center |
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February 3rd, 1981, Serial No. 00399 Consciousness, Bell, Teacher-and-Student, Concentration, Right Speech, Buddha Nature... |
Feb 03 1981 |
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February 4th, 1981, Serial No. 00397 Continuous, Impermanence, Compassion, Silence, realization, Building, Bell, Religion... |
Feb 04 1981 |
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Dining Room class Silence, Current Events, Religion, Monastic Practice, Faith, Sanctuary, Fox, Patience... |
Jun 14 1981 1 Tassajara |
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Children's Talk Religion, Priest |
Oct 06 1981 Green Gulch |
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The Three TreasuresSerial: BZ-00023 Saturday Lecture Three Treasures, Precepts, Effort, Sangha, Monastic Practice, Lotus Sutra, Daily Life... |
Nov 14 1981 Berkeley Zen Center |