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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March 5th, 1994, Serial No. 00965, Side A Family Practice, Posture, Precepts, Perfect Wisdom, Daily Life, Sangha, Anger,... |
Mar 05 1994 |
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February 23rd, 1994, Serial No. 00225 Religion, Four Noble Truths, Dharma Transmission, Transmission, Practice Period, War... |
Feb 23 1994 |
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February 2nd, 1994, Serial No. 00224 Lotus Sutra, Chanting, Birth-and-Death, Lineage, Nirvana, Composure, Six Realms,... |
Feb 02 1994 |
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January 12th, 1994, Serial No. 00982 Karmic Consciousness, Peace, Attachment, Rinzai, Culture, Religion, Enemies,... |
Jan 12 1994 |
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January 9th, 1994, Serial No. 00983, Side A Beginners, Gratitude, Birth-and-Death, Bell, Silence, Separation, Culture, Religion,... |
Jan 09 1994 |
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Mountain Practice, City Practice; RenunciationSerial: BZ-00959B Leaving for Tassajara, Saturday Lecture Monastic Practice, Daily Life, Renunciation, Cultivation, Soto Zen, Aspects of... |
Jan 08 1994 Berkeley Zen Center |
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November 13th, 1993, Serial No. 00660, Side A Big Mind, Buddha Mind, Tassajara, Posture, Anger, Oneness, Discrimination, confusion... |
Nov 13 1993 |
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Nagarajuna and Dogen on BuddhanatureSerial: BZ-00659B Happiness, Reward, and Love, One-Day Sitting Buddha Nature, Happiness, Love, Buddha Nature, Happiness, Birth-and-Death, Daily Life... |
Nov 07 1993 Berkeley Zen Center |
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October 2nd, 1993, Serial No. 00656, Side A Diversity, Religion, Politics, Culture, American, Priest, Vinaya, Ordination,... |
Oct 02 1993 |
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1993 Parliament of World ReligionsSerial: BZ-00628A Seeking Common Ground, Sesshin Day 1 Religion, Current Events, Religion, American, Politics, Separation, Buddha Nature,... |
Sep 04 1993 Berkeley Zen Center |
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August 28th, 1993, Serial No. 00627, Side B training, Oneness, Anger, Enemies, Lineage, Evil, Hate, Precepts, Posture, Religion... |
Aug 28 1993 |
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August 14th, 1993, Serial No. 00655, Side B Monastic Practice, Precepts, Religion, American, Emotions, Mindfulness, Daily Life,... |
Aug 14 1993 |
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The Spiritual Life is Not Separate from the MundaneSerial: BZ-00668B Saturday Lecture Emptiness, Happiness, Mundane Life, Greed, Teacher-and-Student, Religion,... |
Jul 18 1993 Berkeley Zen Center |
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July 3rd, 1993, Serial No. 01515, Side B Mill Valley, Observe, Culture, Describe, Mindfulness, Tassajara, Conversation, Hate,... |
Jul 03 1993 |
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1993.06.30-serial.00282 Blue Cliff Record, Sutra, Sesshin, Offering, Religion |
Jun 30 1993 |
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1993.05.14-serial.00114 Thich Nhat Hanh, Practice Period, Don't Know Mind, Greed, Religion |
May 14 1993 |
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March 21st, 1993, Serial No. 00285, Side B Priest, Ordination, Happiness, Precepts, Culture, Religion, War, Lay |
Mar 21 1993 |
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March 11th, 1993, Serial No. 00263 Four Noble Truths, Culture, Nirvana, Religion, Karma, Enthusiasm, Anger, Hindrances,... |
Mar 11 1993 |
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ial No. 00215 Precepts, Fifth Precept, Humility, Sangha, Gratitude, New Year, Happiness, Religion,... |
1993 |
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ial No. 00216 Sangha, Religion, Fifth Precept, Precepts, Describe, Culture, Aspects of Practice,... |
1993 |
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ial No. 00217 Religion, Transmission, Evil, Chanting, Beginners, American, Liberation, Vinaya,... |
1993 |
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ial No. 00220 Nirvana, Religion, Daily Life, Happiness, Evil, Liberation, Silence, Interview,... |
1993 |
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December 12th, 1992, Serial No. 00645, Side B Concentration, Nirvana, Culture, Buddha Nature, Attachment, Beginners, Describe,... |
Dec 12 1992 |
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Title UnknownSerial: BZ-00645A Rohatsu Day 7 resistance, Doubt, stubbornness, Duality, Fundraising, Harmonizing, Obstacles,... |
Dec 06 1992 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Women in Japanese Soto ZenSerial: SF-00097 Author reading from her book on the subject. Soto Zen, training, Monastic Practice, Ordination, soto, Ceremony, Religion, Lay,... |
Nov 25 1992 |
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October 3rd, 1992, Serial No. 00639, Side A Happiness, Right Effort, Offering, Enthusiasm, Mindfulness, Patience, Heart Sutra,... |
Oct 03 1992 |
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September 12th, 1992, Serial No. 00637, Side B Buddha Mind, Religion, Politics, Non-violence, Doubt, Concentration, American, Peace... |
Sep 12 1992 |
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Family, Friends, and PracticeSerial: BZ-00636A Sesshin Day 1 Family Practice, Mundane Life, Family Practice, Daily Life, American, Anger,... |
Sep 05 1992 Berkeley Zen Center |
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August 22nd, 1992, Serial No. 00635, Side A Subject-and-Object, Big Mind, Absolute-and-Relative, Duality, Religion, Impermanence... |
Aug 22 1992 |
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Mumonkan: Case #45: Who Is that Other?Serial: BZ-00711B Buddha and Maitreya Are Servants to Another, Saturday Lecture Buddha, Maitreya, MM-45, Ego, Anger, Five Ranks, Absolute-and-Relative, Bodhisattva... |
Jun 13 1992 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Mumonkan: Case #19Serial: BZ-00711A Ordinary Mind Is the Way, Saturday Lecture Ordinary Mind, MM-19, Ordinary Mind, Doubt, confusion, Religion, Hate, Culture,... |
Jun 07 1992 Berkeley Zen Center |
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May 18th, 1992, Serial No. 00713, Side B American, Monastic Practice, Demons, Culture, Silence, Lineage, Describe, Religion... |
May 18 1992 |
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March 1st, 1992, Serial No. 00686, Side A Posture, Right Effort, Culture, Lineage, training, Beginners, Vows, Religion... |
Mar 01 1992 |
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Is Buddhism a Religion? Yes, NoSerial: BZ-00684A Saturday Lecture Religion, Buddhism, Religion, Subject-and-Object, Pure Existence, Discrimination, zen... |
Jan 25 1992 Berkeley Zen Center |
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January 23rd, 1992, Serial No. 00281 Four Noble Truths, Impermanence, Heart Sutra, Lay, Sangha, Karma, Buddha Mind,... |
Jan 23 1992 |
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January 16th, 1992, Serial No. 00282 Four Noble Truths, Lay, Renunciation, Religion, Lineage, Fasting, Dependent... |
Jan 16 1992 |
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January 11th, 1992, Serial No. 00683, Side A training, Religion, New Year, War, Chanting, Priest, Forgiveness, Demons, Commitment... |
Jan 11 1992 |
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Song of the Jewel Mirror Samadhi, Tozan's Five RanksSerial: BZ-00732 Sesshin Day 4 Concentration, Religion, Absolute-and-Relative, Doubt, Mindfulness, Transmission,... |
Dec 16 1991 |
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December 14th, 1991, Serial No. 00681, Side A Eka, Echo, Bodhidharma, Four Noble Truths, Buddha Ancestors, Soto Zen, Greed, Birth-... |
Dec 14 1991 |
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Title UnknownSerial: BZ-00693B Rohatsu Day 7 Religion, Ordinary Mind, Discrimination, Duality, Don't Know Mind, Greed,... |
Dec 07 1991 Berkeley Zen Center |
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November 9th, 1991, Serial No. 00703, Side B American, Building, Heart Sutra, Interview, Tassajara, Posture, Religion, War, Peace... |
Nov 09 1991 |
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Talk to Tokubetsu SesshinSerial: BZ-00624 Sesshin Practice Period, Tassajara, Building, Gratitude, confusion, American, Dragons, soto,... |
Oct 13 1991 |
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July 19th, 1991, Serial No. 00970, Side B true dharma, Religion, Composure, resistance, Heart Sutra, Concentration, Daily Life... |
Jul 19 1991 |
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Suffering and IntentionSerial: BZ-00968A Sesshin Day 5 Suffering, Intention, Emotions, Karma, Don't Know Mind, Religion, Lay, Tassajara... |
Jun 30 1991 Berkeley Zen Center |
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June 6th, 1991, Serial No. 00276 Birth-and-Death, Subject-and-Object, Interview, Duality, Religion, War, Emotions,... |
Jun 06 1991 |
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May 23rd, 1991, Serial No. 00277 Birth-and-Death, Buddha Nature, Thoroughness, Religion, Separation, Obstacles, Lay,... |
May 23 1991 |
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World Peace Through Compassion and Non-Violence Non-violence, Peace, Religion, Happiness, Freedom, Politics, Hate, Patience, Greed,... |
Apr 09 1991 |