156 episodes

Welcome to Bright on Buddhism, a podcast where we discuss and explain topics of Buddhism in a casual, conversational, question and answer setting. My name is Nick Bright, scholar of East Asian Buddhism. I am currently studying for my Master’s degree in Religion at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, where I am specializing in pre-modern Japanese Buddhist architecture history. I have researched topics such as Japanese Buddhist responses to the Covid-19 pandemic, Buddhist Haiku poetry, and the Japanese history of science and religion. I will be joined by my friend Proven Paradox.

Bright On Buddhism Nicholas Bright Haight

    • Religion & Spirituality
    • 4.2 • 5 Ratings

Welcome to Bright on Buddhism, a podcast where we discuss and explain topics of Buddhism in a casual, conversational, question and answer setting. My name is Nick Bright, scholar of East Asian Buddhism. I am currently studying for my Master’s degree in Religion at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, where I am specializing in pre-modern Japanese Buddhist architecture history. I have researched topics such as Japanese Buddhist responses to the Covid-19 pandemic, Buddhist Haiku poetry, and the Japanese history of science and religion. I will be joined by my friend Proven Paradox.

    Vajrasekhara Sutra - Fascicle Three Part Two

    Vajrasekhara Sutra - Fascicle Three Part Two

    Bright on Buddhism - Vajrasekhara Sutra - Fascicle Three - Part Two

    Resources: https://www.bdkamerica.org/product/two-esoteric-sutras/; Bentor, Yael, and Meir Shahar, eds. Chinese and Tibetan esoteric Buddhism. Leiden ; Brill, 2017.; Orzech, Charles D., Henrik Hjort. Sorensen, and Richard Karl. Payne. Esoteric Buddhism and the Tantras in East Asia. Leiden ; Brill, 2011.; Goble, Geoffrey C. Chinese Esoteric Buddhism : Amoghavajra, the Ruling Elite, and the Emergence of a Tradition. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 2019.; Yamasaki, Taikō, Yasuyoshi. Morimoto, David Kidd, and Taikō Yamasaki. Shingon : Japanese Esoteric Buddhism. 1st ed. Boston: Shambhala, 1988.; Xie, Shiwei. Dao mi fa yuan : Dao jiao yu mi jiao zhi wen hua yan jiu = Syncretic traditions of Daoism and Esoteric Buddhism : a study on Daoist and Esoteric Buddhist cultures. Chu ban. Taibei Shi: Xin wen feng chu ban gu fen you xian gong si, 2018.; Sawa, Ryūken. Art in Japanese Esoteric Buddhism. [1st English ed.]. Tokyo: Weatherhill/Heibonsha, 1972.; Proffitt, Aaron P., and Dōhan. Esoteric Pure Land Buddhism. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press, 2023.; Takata, Osamu, Terukazu Akiyama, and Taka Yanagisawa. Takao Mandara : Bijutsu Kenkyūjo hōkoku = Report of the Institute of Art Research ... The oldest Mandala paintings of Esoteric Buddhism in Japan. Tōkyō: Yoshikawa Kōbunkan, 1967.; Rambelli, Fabio. A Buddhist Theory of Semiotics : Signs, Ontology, and Salvation in Japanese Esoteric Buddhism. London ; Bloomsbury Academic, An imprint of Bloomsbury Pub. Plc, 2013.; Chen, Jinhua. Legend and Legitimation : The Formation of Tendai Esoteric Buddhism in Japan. Bruxelles: Institut belge des hautes études chinoises, 2009.

    Do you have a question about Buddhism that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by tweeting to us @BrightBuddhism, emailing us at Bright.On.Buddhism@gmail.com, or joining us on our discord server, Hidden Sangha https://discord.gg/tEwcVpu!

    Credits:

    Nick Bright: Script, Cover Art, Music, Voice of Hearer, Co-Host

    Proven Paradox: Editing, mixing and mastering, social media, Voice of Hermit, Co-Host


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    • 53 min
    How does rebirth really work in Buddhism?

    How does rebirth really work in Buddhism?

    Bright on Buddhism - Episode 89 - How does rebirth really work in Buddhism? What actually undergoes rebirth?

    Shoutout to our listener and patron Tanner for asking this question!



    Resources: Bhikkhu Anālayo (2018). Rebirth in early Buddhism & current research: With forewords by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Bhante Gunaratna. Somerville, MA, USA: Wisdom Publications. ISBN 978-1-61429446-7.; Anderson, Carol (1999). Pain and Its Ending: The Four Noble Truths in the Theravada Buddhist Canon. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-81332-0.; Ñāṇamoli, Bhikkhu (trans.) and Bodhi, Bhikkhu (ed.) (2001). The Middle-Length Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Majjhima Nikāya. Boston: Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0-86171-072-X.; Anderson, Carol (2013), Pain and Its Ending: The Four Noble Truths in the Theravada Buddhist Canon, Routledge; Buswell, Robert E. Jr.; Lopez, Donald Jr. (2003), The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Princeton University Press; Carter, John Ross (1987), "Four Noble Truths", in Jones, Lindsay (ed.), MacMillan Encyclopedia of Religions, MacMillan; Davidson, Ronald M. (2003), Indian Esoteric Buddhism, Columbia University Press, ISBN 0-231-12618-2; Gombrich, Richard F (1997). How Buddhism Began: The Conditioned Genesis of the Early Teachings. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-19639-5.; Harvey, Graham (2016), Religions in Focus: New Approaches to Tradition and Contemporary Practices, Routledge; Harvey, Peter (2013), An Introduction to Buddhism, 2nd Edition, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0521676748; Kalupahana, David J. (1992), A history of Buddhist philosophy, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited; Keown, Damien (2000), Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction (Kindle ed.), Oxford University Press; Kingsland, James (2016), Siddhartha's Brain: Unlocking the Ancient Science of Enlightenment, HarperCollins; Laumakis, Stephen J. (2008-02-21). An Introduction to Buddhist Philosophy. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-139-46966-1.; Lopez, Donald Jr. (2009), Buddhism and Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, University of Chicago Press; Makransky, John J. (1997), Buddhahood Embodied: Sources of Controversy in India and Tibet, SUNY; Samuel, Geoffrey (2008), The Origins of Yoga and Tantra: Indic Religions to the Thirteenth Century, Cambridge University Press; Schmidt-Leukel, Perry (2006), Understanding Buddhism, Dunedin Academic Press, ISBN 978-1-903765-18-0; Snelling, John (1987), The Buddhist handbook. A Complete Guide to Buddhist Teaching and Practice, London: Century Paperbacks; Spiro, Melford E. (1982), Buddhism and Society: A Great Tradition and Its Burmese Vicissitudes, University of California Press; Trainor, Kevin (2004), Buddhism: The Illustrated Guide, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-517398-7; Williams, Paul (2002), Buddhist Thought (Kindle ed.), Taylor & Francis


    Do you have a question about Buddhism that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by tweeting to us @BrightBuddhism, emailing us at Bright.On.Buddhism@gmail.com, or joining us on our discord server, Hidden Sangha ⁠https://discord.gg/tEwcVpu⁠!

    Credits:

    Nick Bright: Script, Cover Art, Music, Voice of Hearer, Co-Host

    Proven Paradox: Editing, mixing and mastering, social media, Voice of Hermit, Co-Host


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    Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brightonbuddhism/message

    • 26 min
    What is Korean Seon Buddhism?

    What is Korean Seon Buddhism?

    Bright on Buddhism - Episode 88 - What is Korean Zen or Seon Buddhism? How does it syncretize with indigenous Korean religion? How is it different from Chinese Chan or Japanese Zen?

    Shoutout to our listener John for sending us these questions!

    Resources: Baker, Don (2001). "Looking for God in the Streets of Seoul: The Resurgence of Religion in 20th-Century Korea". Harvard Asia Quarterly 5 (4) 34–39.; Hong-bae Yi; Taehan Pulgyo Chogyejong (1996). Korean Buddhism. Kum Sok Publishing Co., Ltd. ISBN 89-86821-00-1.; Scoville-Pope, Bryan (2008). "Go Tell it Off the Mountain: Missionary Activity in Modern Korean Buddhism", Thesis (M.A.)--University of the West; Vermeersch, Sem. (2008). The Power of the Buddhas: the Politics of Buddhism during the Koryǒ Dynasty (918–1392). Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674031883; OCLC 213407432; Yoon Seung Yong (2012), The Movement to Reform Korean Buddhism, Korea Journal 52. No.3, pp. 35~63; Gupta, Santosh Kumar (2011),“Socially Engaged Jogye Order in Contemporary Korea,” ISKS Conference, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, 23–26 August 2011.; Buswell Jr, Robert E (1992), The Zen Monastic Experience: Buddhist Practice in Contemporary Korea, Princeton, New JErsey: PUP.; Buswell, Robert E., ed. (2004). Encyclopedia of Buddhism. Macmillan Reference USA. pp. 430–435. ISBN 0-02-865718-7.; Cho Sungtaek (2002), Buddhism and Society, Korea Journal 42 (2), 119–136.; Buswell, Robert E. (1991a), Tracing Back the Radiance: Chinul's Korean Way of Zen, University of Hawaii Press, ISBN 0824814274; Buswell, Robert E. (1991b), The "Short-cut" Approach of K'an-hua Meditation: The Evolution of a Practical Subitism in Chinese Ch'an Buddhism. In: Peter N. Gregory (editor)(1991), Sudden and Gradual. Approaches to Enlightenment in Chinese Thought, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited; Buswell, Robert E. (1993), The Zen Monastic Experience: Buddhist Practice in Contemporary Korea, Princeton University Press; Buswell, Robert E (1993), Ch'an Hermeneutics: A Korean View. In: Donald S. Lopez, Jr. (ed.)(1993), Buddhist Hermeneutics, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass; Keown, Damien; Prebish, Charles S. (2007), Encyclopedia of Buddhism: Sŏn Buddhism (Korean Zen), Routledge; Kim, Jinwung (2012), A History of Korea: From "Land of the Morning Calm" to States in Conflict, Indiana University Press; Lachs, Stuart (2012), Hua-t'ou : A Method of Zen Meditation (PDF); Marshall, R. Pihl (1995), "Koryŏ Sŏn Buddhism and Korean Literature. In: Korean Studies, Volume 19, 1995, pp. 62-82" (PDF), Korean Studies, 19 (1): 62–82, doi:10.1353/ks.1995.0007, S2CID 144954293; Park, Jin Y. (2010), Makers of Modern Korean Buddhism, SUNY Press; Sorensen, Henrik Hjort (1983), The Life and Thought of the Korean Sŏn Master Kyŏnghŏ. In: Korean Studies, Volume 7, 1983, pp. 9-33; Vong, Myo (2008), Cookies of Zen, Seoul, South Korea: EunHaeng NaMu, ISBN 978-89-5660-257-8



    Do you have a question about Buddhism that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by tweeting to us @BrightBuddhism, emailing us at Bright.On.Buddhism@gmail.com, or joining us on our discord server, Hidden Sangha ⁠https://discord.gg/tEwcVpu⁠!

    Credits:

    Nick Bright: Script, Cover Art, Music, Voice of Hearer, Co-Host

    Proven Paradox: Editing, mixing and mastering, social media, Voice of Hermit, Co-Host


    ---

    Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brightonbuddhism/message

    • 18 min
    Vajrasekhara Sutra - Fascicle Three Part One

    Vajrasekhara Sutra - Fascicle Three Part One

    Bright on Buddhism - Vajrasekhara Sutra - Fascicle Three - Part One

    Resources: https://www.bdkamerica.org/product/two-esoteric-sutras/; Bentor, Yael, and Meir Shahar, eds. Chinese and Tibetan esoteric Buddhism. Leiden ; Brill, 2017.; Orzech, Charles D., Henrik Hjort. Sorensen, and Richard Karl. Payne. Esoteric Buddhism and the Tantras in East Asia. Leiden ; Brill, 2011.; Goble, Geoffrey C. Chinese Esoteric Buddhism : Amoghavajra, the Ruling Elite, and the Emergence of a Tradition. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 2019.; Yamasaki, Taikō, Yasuyoshi. Morimoto, David Kidd, and Taikō Yamasaki. Shingon : Japanese Esoteric Buddhism. 1st ed. Boston: Shambhala, 1988.; Xie, Shiwei. Dao mi fa yuan : Dao jiao yu mi jiao zhi wen hua yan jiu = Syncretic traditions of Daoism and Esoteric Buddhism : a study on Daoist and Esoteric Buddhist cultures. Chu ban. Taibei Shi: Xin wen feng chu ban gu fen you xian gong si, 2018.; Sawa, Ryūken. Art in Japanese Esoteric Buddhism. [1st English ed.]. Tokyo: Weatherhill/Heibonsha, 1972.; Proffitt, Aaron P., and Dōhan. Esoteric Pure Land Buddhism. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press, 2023.; Takata, Osamu, Terukazu Akiyama, and Taka Yanagisawa. Takao Mandara : Bijutsu Kenkyūjo hōkoku = Report of the Institute of Art Research ... The oldest Mandala paintings of Esoteric Buddhism in Japan. Tōkyō: Yoshikawa Kōbunkan, 1967.; Rambelli, Fabio. A Buddhist Theory of Semiotics : Signs, Ontology, and Salvation in Japanese Esoteric Buddhism. London ; Bloomsbury Academic, An imprint of Bloomsbury Pub. Plc, 2013.; Chen, Jinhua. Legend and Legitimation : The Formation of Tendai Esoteric Buddhism in Japan. Bruxelles: Institut belge des hautes études chinoises, 2009.

    Do you have a question about Buddhism that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by tweeting to us @BrightBuddhism, emailing us at Bright.On.Buddhism@gmail.com, or joining us on our discord server, Hidden Sangha https://discord.gg/tEwcVpu!

    Credits:

    Nick Bright: Script, Cover Art, Music, Voice of Hearer, Co-Host

    Proven Paradox: Editing, mixing and mastering, social media, Voice of Hermit, Co-Host


    ---

    Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brightonbuddhism/message

    • 1 hr 3 min
    Kōan Series - What is the Buddha? Three Pounds of Flax

    Kōan Series - What is the Buddha? Three Pounds of Flax

    Bright on Buddhism - Kōan Series Episode 9 - What is the Buddha? Three Pounds of Flax



    Hello and welcome to a new episode of the Kōan Series. In this series, we will read and discuss real Buddhist kōans to try and better understand them. We hope you enjoy.



    Resources: Episode 10 - https://anchor.fm/brightonbuddhism/episodes/What-is-Zen-Buddhism-e1a2sm2

    Episode 18 - https://anchor.fm/brightonbuddhism/episodes/What-is-the-Buddhist-philosophy-of-speech--language--and-words-e1dgqu9

    Episode 32 - https://anchor.fm/brightonbuddhism/episodes/What-are-kans-e1j5scl

    Episode 33 - https://anchor.fm/brightonbuddhism/episodes/What-is-emptiness-e1jc31i

    Hori, Victor Sogen (1999). "Translating the Zen Phrase Book" (PDF). Nanzan Bulletin (23).; Hori, Victor Sogen (2000), Koan and Kensho in the Rinzai Zen Curriculum. In: Steven Heine and Dale S. Wright (eds)(2000): "The Koan. Texts and Contexts in Zen Buddhism, Oxford: Oxford University Press; Heine, Steven (2008), Zen Skin, Zen Marrow; Bielefeldt, Carl (2009), "Expedient Devices, the One Vehicle, and the Life Span of the Buddha", in Teiser, Stephen F.; Stone, Jacqueline I. (eds.), Readings of the Lotus Sutra, New York: Columbia University Press, ISBN 9780231142885; Kotatsu, Fujita; Hurvitz, Leon (1975), "One Vehicle or Three", Journal of Indian Philosophy, 3 (1/2): 79–166; Lopez, Donald (2016), The Lotus Sutra: A Biography (Kindle ed.), Princeton University Press, ISBN 978-0691152202; Lopez, Donald S.; Stone, Jacqueline I. (2019), Two Buddhas Seated Side by Side: A Guide to the Lotus Sūtra, Princeton University Press; Pye, Michael (2003), Skilful Means – A concept in Mahayana Buddhism, Routledge, ISBN 0203503791; Watson, Burton (tr.) (1993), The Lotus Sutra, Columbia University Press, ISBN 023108160X; Patrick Olivelle, trans. Life of the Buddha. Clay Sanskrit Library, 2008. 1 vols. (Cantos 1-14 in Sanskrit and English with summary of the Chinese cantos not available in the Sanskrit); Stone, Jacqueline Ilyse (2003), "Original enlightenment and the transformation of medieval Japanese Buddhism" (PDF), Studies in East Asian Buddhism, University of Hawaii Press (12), ISBN 978-0-8248-2771-7, archived from the original (PDF) on November 5, 2013; Hakeda, Yoshito S., trans. (1967), Awakening of Faith—Attributed to Aśvaghoṣa, with commentary by Yoshito S. Hakeda, New York, NY: Columbia University Press, ISBN 0-231-08336-X; Jorgensen, John; Lusthaus, Dan; Makeham, John; Strange, Mark, trans. (2019), Treatise on Awakening Mahāyāna Faith, New York, NY: Oxford University Press, ISBN 9780190297718



    Do you have a question about Buddhism that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by finding us on email or social media! https://linktr.ee/brightonbuddhism

    Credits:

    Nick Bright: Script, Cover Art, Music, Voice of Hearer, Co-Host

    Proven Paradox: Editing, mixing and mastering, social media, Voice of Hermit, Co-Host


    ---

    Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brightonbuddhism/message

    • 24 min
    Vajrasekhara Sutra - Fascicle Two Part Two

    Vajrasekhara Sutra - Fascicle Two Part Two

    Bright on Buddhism - Vajrasekhara Sutra - Fascicle Two - Part Two

    Resources: https://www.bdkamerica.org/product/two-esoteric-sutras/; Bentor, Yael, and Meir Shahar, eds. Chinese and Tibetan esoteric Buddhism. Leiden ; Brill, 2017.; Orzech, Charles D., Henrik Hjort. Sorensen, and Richard Karl. Payne. Esoteric Buddhism and the Tantras in East Asia. Leiden ; Brill, 2011.; Goble, Geoffrey C. Chinese Esoteric Buddhism : Amoghavajra, the Ruling Elite, and the Emergence of a Tradition. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 2019.; Yamasaki, Taikō, Yasuyoshi. Morimoto, David Kidd, and Taikō Yamasaki. Shingon : Japanese Esoteric Buddhism. 1st ed. Boston: Shambhala, 1988.; Xie, Shiwei. Dao mi fa yuan : Dao jiao yu mi jiao zhi wen hua yan jiu = Syncretic traditions of Daoism and Esoteric Buddhism : a study on Daoist and Esoteric Buddhist cultures. Chu ban. Taibei Shi: Xin wen feng chu ban gu fen you xian gong si, 2018.; Sawa, Ryūken. Art in Japanese Esoteric Buddhism. [1st English ed.]. Tokyo: Weatherhill/Heibonsha, 1972.; Proffitt, Aaron P., and Dōhan. Esoteric Pure Land Buddhism. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press, 2023.; Takata, Osamu, Terukazu Akiyama, and Taka Yanagisawa. Takao Mandara : Bijutsu Kenkyūjo hōkoku = Report of the Institute of Art Research ... The oldest Mandala paintings of Esoteric Buddhism in Japan. Tōkyō: Yoshikawa Kōbunkan, 1967.; Rambelli, Fabio. A Buddhist Theory of Semiotics : Signs, Ontology, and Salvation in Japanese Esoteric Buddhism. London ; Bloomsbury Academic, An imprint of Bloomsbury Pub. Plc, 2013.; Chen, Jinhua. Legend and Legitimation : The Formation of Tendai Esoteric Buddhism in Japan. Bruxelles: Institut belge des hautes études chinoises, 2009.

    Do you have a question about Buddhism that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by tweeting to us @BrightBuddhism, emailing us at Bright.On.Buddhism@gmail.com, or joining us on our discord server, Hidden Sangha https://discord.gg/tEwcVpu!

    Credits:

    Nick Bright: Script, Cover Art, Music, Voice of Hearer, Co-Host

    Proven Paradox: Editing, mixing and mastering, social media, Voice of Hermit, Co-Host


    ---

    Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brightonbuddhism/message

    • 33 min

Customer Reviews

4.2 out of 5
5 Ratings

5 Ratings

Zenthropologist ,

What I’ve been looking for

Finally a smart and academic but lighthearted look into Buddhism across the variety of traditions out there, with an eye to history and comparative theologies. The hosts and sound quality are great and I look forward to forays into different schools! Keep it up!!!

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