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.
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February 27th, 2003, Serial No. 00465 Four Noble Truths, Greed, Hate, Sangha, Six Realms, Religion, Doubt, Absolute-and-... |
Feb 27 2003 |
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February 22nd, 2003, Serial No. 00182, Side A Confession-and-Repentance, Separation, Patience, Emotions, Conversation, Culture,... |
Feb 22 2003 |
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2003.02.20-serial.00165 Meditation, Sixth Patriarch, Dharma Transmission, Religion, Instruction, Breath,... |
Feb 20 2003 |
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2003.02.18-serial.00167 Continuous, Dependent Origination, Don't Know Mind, Dragons, Offering, Culture,... |
Feb 18 2003 |
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2003.02.17-serial.00032 Anger, Religion, Compassion, Politics, Patience, Interview, Greed, Emotions, Freedom... |
Feb 17 2003 |
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2003.02.16-serial.00163 Precepts, Continuous, Daily Life, confusion, Vinaya, Describe, Fundraising, Interview... |
Feb 16 2003 |
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February 2nd, 2003, Serial No. 00466 Four Noble Truths, Religion, Fasting, Renunciation, Demons, Interview, Chanting,... |
Feb 02 2003 |
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Keeping the PreceptsSerial: BZ-00177A Ocku Bhikku, Saturday Lecture Precepts, Precepts, Intuition, New Year, War, Vows, Anger, Interdependence, Passions... |
Dec 14 2002 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Sogen Shaku Scroll and Zen and WarSerial: BZ-00176 Rohatsu Day 6 War, War, Emotions, Priest, Soto Zen, Rinzai, Judgement, Religion, American, Ego,... |
Dec 07 2002 Berkeley Zen Center |
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State of the Union; First Anniversary of September 11.Serial: BZ-00209B Saturday Lecture Current Events, War, Current Events, Peace, Evil, American, Politics, Composure,... |
Sep 07 2002 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Zazen as Middle WaySerial: BZ-00150B Sesshin Day 2 Zazen, Mahayana, Birth-and-Death, Emotions, Intuition, Lotus Sutra, Religion, Don... |
Jun 20 2002 Berkeley Zen Center |
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2002.03.15-serial.00174 training, Practice Period, Religion, Continuous, zen, Fundraising, Rinzai, Repentance... |
Mar 15 2002 |
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2002.03.13-serial.00070 Intimacy, Anger, Greed, Dependent Origination, confusion, Subject-and-Object,... |
Mar 13 2002 |
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Tenth PreceptSerial: BZ-00140B "Shoes Outside the Door", Saturday Lecture Precepts, Richard Baker, Religion, Sangha, Birth-and-Death, Buddha Nature, Intuition... |
Mar 09 2002 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Buddha's ParinirvanaSerial: BZ-00139A One-Day Sitting Parinirvana, Nirvana, Birth-and-Death, Obstacles, Precepts, Liberation, Buddha Nature... |
Feb 16 2002 Berkeley Zen Center |
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February 14th, 2002, Serial No. 00470 Passions, Attachment, Gratitude, Intuition, Concentration, Instruction, Religion,... |
Feb 14 2002 |
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January 24th, 2002, Serial No. 00473 Separation, Culture, Religion, Diversity, Politics, Echo, Oneness, Observe, Passions... |
Jan 24 2002 |
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January 19th, 2002, Serial No. 00061, Side A Enemies, Hate, Evil, Non-violence, Religion, Separation, Karma, Birth-and-Death,... |
Jan 19 2002 |
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Blue Cliff Record: Case #86Serial: BZ-00064B Rohatsu Day 4 BCR-86, Meal Serving, Samadhi, Ego, Big Mind, Addiction, Chanting, Precepts, Religion... |
Dec 05 2001 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Pros and Cons of ReligionSerial: BZ-00096 Saturday Lecture Religion, Religion, Evil, Dream World, Diversity, Karma, Discrimination, Bodhisattva... |
Dec 01 2001 Berkeley Zen Center |
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"Evil" and "Good"Serial: BZ-00095B Saturday Lecture Evil, Evil, Buddha Nature, War, Priest, Enemies, Happiness, Passions, Describe,... |
Nov 24 2001 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Mumonkan: Case #35Serial: BZ-00093B Saturday Lecture MM-35, Buddha Nature, Buddha Mind, Separation, Rinzai, Karma, Lay, Samsara,... |
Oct 27 2001 Berkeley Zen Center |