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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July 20th, 1984, Serial No. 00389, Side B Religion, Priest, Instruction, American, War, training, Rinzai, Chanting, Mahayana,... |
Jul 20 1984 |
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Tao Wu and Lung Tan: Teaching Through ExampleSerial: BZ-00431A No Special Enlightenment, Saturday Lecture Daowu, Enlightenment, Religion, Instruction, Bell, Vows, Culture |
Mar 24 1984 Berkeley Zen Center |
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The Dharma of EffortSerial: BZ-01520B Saturday Lecture Effort, Mindfulness, Study Period, Concentration, Daily Life, Buddha Nature, Religion... |
Nov 27 1983 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Bodhisattva MindSerial: BZ-00003B Saturday Lecture Building, Enthusiasm, Mindfulness, Separation, training, Tassajara, Offering,... |
Apr 23 1983 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Scientific Validation of ZazenSerial: BZ-00044B Saturday Lecture zen meditation, Religion, Concentration, Buddha Nature, Describe, Priest, Beginners,... |
Jan 08 1983 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Home for the Holidays Practicing Our Koan: "What Is This?" Religion, Precepts, Dana, Big Mind, Observe, Offering, Duality |
Nov 27 1982 |
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Transient Nature of All Things and No-SelfSerial: BZ-00045A Saturday Lecture No-Self, Impermanence, Peace, Ego, Intuition, Birth-and-Death, Interdependence,... |
Nov 06 1982 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Zen Practice, Psychotherapy, and Feminism Culture, Zoom, Religion, Teacher-and-Student, Ego, Samadhi, Silence, Hate, Building,... |
Sep 12 1982 |
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Work Sesshin: Building the New Zendo Study Period, Building, Non-violence, Happiness, Mindfulness, Tassajara, Religion,... |
Aug 21 1982 |
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Work Sesshin: Building the New ZendoSerial: BZ-01528B One-Day Sitting Zendo, Sangha, Berkeley Zen Center, Building, Non-violence, Study Period, Karma,... |
Aug 21 1982 Berkeley Zen Center |
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1982.08.15-serial.00108 resistance, Freedom, Daily Life, Intuition, Politics, Echo, Religion, Ego, Intention... |
Aug 15 1982 |
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ZazenSerial: BZ-00034B Posture, Attention, Resistance, Naming, One-Day Sitting Posture, Harmonizing, resistance, Fox, Composure, Duality, Religion, Peace, Karma... |
Jul 16 1982 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Fundraising for the New ZendoSerial: BZ-00007B What is Our Basis?, Sesshin Day 4 Fundraising, Zendo, Berkeley Zen Center, Sangha, Building, Samadhi, Fundraising, Non-... |
May 22 1982 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Japanese Zen Practice in AmericaMeditation, Alan Watts, Buddha Nature, Obstacles, Posture, American, Priest,... |
May 07 1982 |
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April 30th, 1982, Serial No. 00158 Lotus Sutra, Culture, Religion, Building |
Apr 30 1982 |
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Title Unknown Attachment, Lay Practice, Bodhisattva Ceremony, Lay, Monastic Practice, Hindrances,... |
Apr 18 1982 |
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Six Paramitas and Four Ideas of Giving Lotus Sutra, Study Period, Patience, Hate, Religion, Lay |
Apr 10 1982 |
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The Meaning of DevotionSerial: BZ-00011A Saturday Lecture Buddha Nature, Emotions, Mahayana, Religion, Heart Sutra, Avalokiteshvara, Ego,... |
Apr 03 1982 Berkeley Zen Center |
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The Importance of StudySerial: BZ-00018 Saturday Lecture Religion, Study Period, Lotus Sutra, Concentration, Daily Life, Rinzai, Dragons,... |
Jan 23 1982 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Ideal versus Actual PracticeSerial: BZ-00022A Rohatsu Day 6 Zazen, Effort, Chanting, Emotions, Building, Anger, Observe, Conversation, Religion,... |
Dec 1981 Part 2 of 3 Berkeley Zen Center |
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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 |
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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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February 4th, 1981, Serial No. 00397 Continuous, Impermanence, Compassion, Silence, realization, Building, Bell, Religion... |
Feb 04 1981 |
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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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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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The Four Truths Happiness, Four Noble Truths, Religion, New Year, Don't Know Mind, Gratitude,... |
Oct 21 1979 |
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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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Lama Govinda’s PaperSerial: SF-00010 AIBS Religion, Emptiness, Sanctuary, Dragons, Birth-and-Death, Lovingkindness, Passions,... |
Aug 05 1978 |
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August 30th, 1977, Serial No. 00098 Evil, Buddha Nature, Impermanence, Nirvana, confusion, Religion, realization,... |
Aug 30 1977 |