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Weekend Stories
@weekendstories.bsky.social
Hi 👋 I'm Fabrizio. I love #ComputationalNeuroscience 🧠💻 (👉 @fabmusacchio.bsky.social) and exploring 🔎. This account is for the stories I collect along the way 🚶🏻‍♂️


🌍 https://www.fabriziomusacchio.com/weekend_stories

#WeekendStories
Lay practitioners in #Buddhism embody #ethics, #generosity and #attainment, contributing to transmission and adaptation. Their relationship with the monastic #Sangha illustrates Buddhism’s integration of lay and monastic paths. Here's a brief overview:
The role of lay practitioners in Buddhism
While monastics have historically been the most visible custodians of Buddhism, the tradition has never been confined to monks and nuns alone. Lay practitioners—householders, workers, rulers, and ordi...
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October 5, 2025 at 7:22 PM
The #ThreeJewels#Buddha, #Dharma and #Sangha — form the basis of #Buddhist identity. The Buddha models awakening, the Dharma provides teachings, and the Sangha sustains community and doctrine, together shaping practice across cultures. Here’s a brief summary:

#Buddhism
The Three Jewels of Buddhism: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha
In the doctrinal and lived structure of Buddhism, the Three Jewels, also known as the Triple Gem or Triratna, represent the foundational elements to which all adherents turn for guidance and refuge. T...
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October 5, 2025 at 1:19 PM
#Upaya, or skilful means, in #Mahāyāna #Buddhism legitimizes adaptive teaching. Doctrines are provisional, tailored to context, with priority on efficacy in guiding toward awakening rather than consistency of dogma. Here‘s a brief overview.

#Buddhism
Upaya: The skilful means of teaching and practice
In Buddhist discourse, the concept of upaya (Sanskrit for ‘means’ or ‘method’) refers to the idea that teachings and practices may be adapted in form and expression in order to suit the needs, capacit...
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October 3, 2025 at 9:23 PM
#Upekkhā ( #equanimity) in #Buddhism balances #compassion ( #karuṇā) and #wisdom ( #prajñā). As one of the #Brahmavihāras, it fosters impartiality and freedom from attachment, central to #ethical and #meditative development. Here’s a brief overview:
Upekkhā: The role of equanimity in Buddhism
Upekkhā, commonly translated as ‘equanimity’, is one of the core concepts in Buddhist thought and practice. It occupies a unique position among the so-called ‘Four Brahmavihāras’ or ‘Divine Abidings’,...
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October 3, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Buddhist #ethics emphasize intentionality and virtue cultivation rather than obedience to external rules. Through the #FivePrecepts, #Brahmavihāras and #Bodhisattva vows, ethics integrate #compassion ( #karuṇā) and #wisdom ( #prajñā) as a path of transformation. Here’s a brief overview:

#Buddhism
Sīla – Buddhist ethics: The path of moral cultivation
Buddhist ethics can be understood as a comprehensive framework for moral, psychological, and existential development. Unlike many Western ethical systems, which are often based on divine commandments,...
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September 28, 2025 at 9:44 PM
The #Yogācāra school’s eightfold model of #consciousness ( #vijñāna) analyzes perception, identity and delusion. From sensory awareness to the “ #storehouse” ( #ĀlayaVijñāna), it provides a psychoanalytic framework without positing a permanent self ( #anatta). Here’s a brief overview:

#Buddhism
The eight vijnanas: The Buddhist psychoanalysis
Among the many philosophical and psychological systems developed within Buddhism, the Yogācāra school of Mahayana Buddhism introduces one of the most elaborate models of consciousness. Central to this...
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September 24, 2025 at 7:17 PM
The concept of #karma in #Buddhism is defined as conditioned arising in which actions shape #consciousness without a permanent self/ #anatta. In contrast to Indian notions of a transmigrating soul, karma describes moment-to-moment identity, with liberation through ending craving and ignorance.
Karma and Samsara in Indian thought and Siddhartha’s revolutionary reinterpretation
Among the many contributions of Siddhartha Gautama to the Indian religious and philosophical landscape, his reconceptualization of karma and samsara stands out as one of the most radical. While these ...
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September 21, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Reposted by Weekend Stories
September 21, 2025 at 2:00 PM
In #Buddhism, #avidyā (ignorance) is framed not as lack of knowledge but as misperception of #impermanence ( #anicca), non-self ( #anatta) and causality. Overcoming avidyā requires transformative insight rather than intellectual learning. Here's a brief overview:
Avidyā: The Buddhist concept of ignorance
The concept of avidyā, commonly translated as ‘ignorance’ or ‘unawareness’, holds a central position in Buddhist philosophy. It is considered one of the primary causes of human suffering (dukkha). Far...
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September 19, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Cool resources colelction: An overview of Digital tools and resources for #EastAsian studies by @digitalorientalist.bsky.social. A curated collection of tools reviewed by specialists. Ideal if you work with languages, history, texts, or culture in East Asia.
September 19, 2025 at 3:28 PM
#Sati, often translated as #mindfulness, in #Buddhism denotes recollection and #ethical attentiveness. Embedded in the #EightfoldPath, it integrates memory, conduct and meditation toward liberation, distinct from modern secular adaptations. Here‘s s brief summary:
Sati: A historical and philosophical analysis of mindfulness in Buddhism
The concept of mindfulness has gained immense popularity in contemporary Western societies, often promoted as a secular practice for stress reduction, emotional regulation, and enhanced cognitive perf...
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September 16, 2025 at 8:31 PM
#Prajñā or #wisdom in #Buddhism is understood as experiential insight into impermanence/ #anicca, non-self/ #anatta and emptiness/ #śūnyatā. Cultivated through study, reflection and #meditation, it is paired with #compassion and central to the #NobleEightfoldPath. Here‘s a brief overview:
Prajñā: The wisdom of insight in Buddhism
Prajñā, often translated as ‘wisdom’ or ‘insight’, is a core concept in Buddhist philosophy. It refers to the direct understanding of reality as it is (tathatā), free from delusion and misperception (...
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September 14, 2025 at 12:26 PM
In #Mahāyāna #Buddhism, #BuddhaNature is understood not as a hidden essence but as the doctrinal claim that all beings possess an innate capacity for #awakening. It is interpreted as compatible with a process based #ontology, avoiding the notion of a permanent self/ #anatta. Here‘s a brief summary:
Buddha-Nature (Tathāgatagarbha) and the process of awakening
In Mahāyāna Buddhism, the concept of Buddha-Nature (tathāgatagarbha) has long served as a powerful metaphor for the innate potential of all beings to awaken. It affirms something simple but profound: ...
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September 13, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Reposted by Weekend Stories
Okura Shukokan Wooden Elephant Statue of Fugen #bodhisattva. Because Fugen #Bodhisattva ruled over compassion and preached the rebirth of women, he was deeply worshiped by women who wished for a rebirth in paradise.
#buddhistart #buddhism
September 13, 2025 at 2:00 PM
In #Mahāyāna #Buddhism, #Tathatā ( #suchness) denotes the direct presence of phenomena beyond conceptualization and duality. It is described as neither essence nor substance, but as a perspective on reality that is both ordinary and transformative in #Buddhist thought. Here's a brief introduction:
Tathatā: Buddhism’s view on reality as it is
In the Buddhist tradition, few concepts are as subtle, elusive, and yet foundational as Tathatā, commonly translated as suchness, thusness, or thatness. At first glance, the term may seem abstract or ...
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September 13, 2025 at 12:17 PM
The #MiddleWay ( #MajjhimāPaṭipadā) in #Buddhism designates a path of moderation between #indulgence and #asceticism. It grounds the #EightfoldPath and, in #Madhyamaka #philosophy, is refined into a systematic rejection of extremes in metaphysical reasoning. Here‘s a brief introduction:
The Middle Way: The balance between extremes in Buddhist thought
The concept of the Middle Way (Majjhimā Paṭipadā) represents a central idea in Buddhist philosophy. It refers to a path of moderation that deliberately avoids the extremes of self-indulgence and self-...
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September 11, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Reposted by Weekend Stories
Aristarchus’s heliocentric model, proposed 18 centuries before Copernicus, is a powerful reminder of how suppressed ideas resurface in the history of science. www.labrujulaverde.com/en/2025/09/a...
Aristarchus of Samos, the Greek sage who discovered that the planets revolved around the Sun
When asked who was the first to propose the heliocentric theory—that is, the one in which the Sun is the center of the universe and the planets revolve around it—the usual answer is Copernicus. Howeve...
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September 9, 2025 at 6:43 PM
#Meditation in #Buddhism is conceptualized not only as calming ( #samatha) but as the integration with insight ( #vipassanā). It functions as the central practice for transforming perception, addressing the roots of #suffering, and linking #ethics with #cognition. Here’s a brief overview:
Meditation as the liberation from suffering
In the Buddhist tradition, meditation is not an isolated technique but the living heart of the path to liberation. It embodies the experiential core of the samādhi section of the Noble Eightfold Path ...
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September 10, 2025 at 2:54 PM
#Compassion ( #karuṇā) and loving-kindness ( #mettā) are presented in #Buddhism as cultivated dispositions grounded in #nonself ( #anatta) and #interdependence. Their role is to connect #ethical conduct with #meditative insight, bridging personal and social transformation. Here‘s a brief overview:
The role of compassion and loving-kindness in Buddhism
Compassion, or karuṇā, occupies a prominent position within Buddhist thought and practice. It is regarded not simply as an emotion, but as a cultivated disposition toward relieving the suffering of ot...
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September 9, 2025 at 2:48 PM
#Nirvana in #Buddhism is defined as the cessation of #suffering ( #dukkha), #craving, and #ignorance. Rather than a metaphysical realm, it is described as the end of self-illusion ( #anatta) and #karmic cycles. This post investigates the topic and its role Buddhist #soteriology.
Nirvana: The cessation of suffering in Buddhist thought
Nirvana occupies a central position in Buddhist philosophy as the ultimate goal of the spiritual path. Often translated as ‘extinction’, ‘cessation’, or ‘liberation’, Nirvana signifies the end of suff...
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September 8, 2025 at 3:06 PM
The #NobleEightfoldPath in #Buddhism is outlined as an integrated framework combining #wisdom, #ethics, and mental discipline. It is regarded as a pragmatic structure for reducing #suffering ( #dukkha). This post provides a brief introduction to it.

#WeekendStories
The Noble Eightfold Path: The Buddhist path to liberation
The Noble Eightfold Path (Ariyo Aṭṭhaṅgiko Maggo) constitutes a central framework in Buddhist thought, outlining a methodology for ethical and mental cultivation aimed at the cessation of suffering (d...
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September 7, 2025 at 4:05 PM
#DependentOrigination (paṭicca-samuppāda) in #Buddhism explains phenomena as arising through interdependent conditions. Through the twelve links ( #nidanas) it analyzes the origin of #suffering and its cessation, highlighting impermanence ( #anicca) and #nonself ( #anatta). Here‘s a brief overview.
Dependent Origination: The interdependent nature of existence
The doctrine of Dependent Origination (Paṭicca-samuppāda in Pāli, Pratītya-samutpāda in Sanskrit) is one of the central tenets of Buddhist philosophy. It provides an explanation for the arising and ce...
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September 7, 2025 at 5:58 AM
Reposted by Weekend Stories
📚#RichardCarrier has just announced a new book: The Obsolete Paradigm of a Historical Jesus (2025).

As a scholarly sequel to On the #historicity of #jesus (2014), it argues the assumption of a historical Jesus is obsolete. Carrier applies #bayes to case […]

[Original post on mastodon.social]
September 4, 2025 at 10:36 PM
In #Buddhism, the #ThreePoisons ( #akusalamūla), greed ( #lobha), hatred ( #dosa), and delusion ( #moha), are formulated as the root conditions of #suffering ( #dukkha) and rebirth ( #samsāra). They are treated as dispositions subject to transformation through practice.

#WeekendStories
The Three Poisons: The roots of suffering in Buddhist thought
Buddhist philosophy offers a systematic framework for analyzing the origins of suffering, attributing its persistence to three fundamental mental afflictions commonly referred to as the Three Poisons ...
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September 6, 2025 at 7:46 AM
Reposted by Weekend Stories
This Sunday! Learn all about The Obsolete Paradigm of a Historical Jesus on MythVision: what's new & its #PeerReview. Scholars in biblical studies join us to discuss it all.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVLp...

#jesus #mythicaljesus #mythicism #historicaljesus #HistoricalMethods #apologetics
The OBSOLETE PARADIGM of a HISTORICAL JESUS
YouTube video by MythVision Podcast
www.youtube.com
September 5, 2025 at 3:48 PM