Buddhism
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The Awakening of the Invisibles: A Glimpse into the Practice of Laywomen in the Naḷakapānasutta
Despite significant progress in recent decades, gender inequality remains a pervasive global phenomenon. According to the United Nations (2024), at the present rate of change, it will take more than 137 years to achieve gender parity. This disparity manifests in distinct ways across social, economic, and cultural contexts, yet in much of the world, gender roles continue to be rigidly defined. Women are still predominantly responsible for household labor, childcare, and other domestic tasks—roles that are frequently naturalized and undervalued. The inequalities inherent in these socially assigned roles, combined with wage disparities, lead many women to prioritize domestic responsibilities over professional aspirations. For others, this prioritization is not a matter…
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Reflections on “Pastoral Ethics and Belief Baggage: A Critical Look at Animal Symbolism in Witchcraft” by Claire Ayelotan
Claire’s piece can be read here: https://practicaltheologyhub.com/?p=1298 Fear and the Desire for Control Why are our societies so obsessed with witchcraft? While I was reading Claire’s brilliant piece, I could not help but remember that we used the same Christian text – Pope Gregory IX’s papal bull Vox in Rama – regarding fear of black cats (but my piece was on another topic: https://practicaltheologyhub.com/?p=1268). Black cats and other animals are widely associated with magic and beyond natural (or supernatural) powers. Trying to answer the question, we all abhor death, disease, famine, poverty and not being able to get what we want [in Buddhist terms these are part of what is understood as…
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Something must be done, my friend: Reflecting on “I’m Still Here” from a Buddhist view
Mas não vou ficar calado No conforto, acomodado Como tantos por aí É preciso dar um jeito, meu amigo É preciso dar um jeito, meu amigo[1] (Erasmo Carlos – É preciso dar um jeito, meu amigo) Flowing through my mind, these are the words of Erasmo Carlos’ 1971 song “É preciso dar um jeito, meu amigo.”[2] This song is also part of the “I’m Still Here” soundtrack—a Brazilian masterpiece that evokes resistance against military coups and authoritarian regimes. MPB (Música popular brasileira, or Brazilian popular music in English) was an incredible driving force not only in denouncing the horrors of the military dictatorship in Brazil, but also in giving hope…
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Food and interdependence: Responsibility in food donation
Giving food to monks and nuns is a form of practicing generosity (dāna) and this is a custom still present today in Theravāda Buddhist countries. It is a practice that originates from ancient Indian Buddhism, which in turn retained this practice from the Brahmanical traditions of the time of the historical Buddha, where the person renounced or left the social obligations of caring for the family, property, and all social responsibilities to dedicate their lives exclusively to religious practices. This type of contemplative life doesn’t allow for work or an activity that allows you to support yourself, so you depend on the support of other people to feed yourself and…
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My Friend, Siddhartha
I wish I had read Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha when I was a teenager, but I’m so glad I picked it up at 25. While browsing through the clearance section of a Barnes and Noble,–a great place to find collections of ancient myths, story books depicting the lives of sacred figures, and modern spiritual inspirations–I picked up a coloring book that advertises itself as an aid for meditation. I must have been leaning into my artistic side that day because another little book caught my eye among the disheveled stacks: an Illustrated Edition of Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha. It felt as if the gold lettering on the book’s spine was illuminating my…
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BIAPT Conference 2023, Practical Theology Hub Event: S.H. Cedar, S. Horne, and Patricia Palazzo Tsai (Video)
Today we are thrilled to release the video of the Practical Theology Hub Event on hospitality which was held at BIAPT’s annual conference 2023 and features S. H. Cedar, Steven Horne, and Patricia Palazzo Tsai. Please note that parts of the video have been edited in order to protect the identities of non-speaking participants. Check it out below or on our YouTube Channel.
