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weekendstories.bsky.social
Weekend Stories
@weekendstories.bsky.social
59 followers 9 following 41 posts
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
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weekendstories.bsky.social
The #FiveAggregates in #Buddhism show self as process, not entity. Examining #form, #feeling, #perception, #formations & #consciousness shows #impermanence & #nonself, guiding to the end of #suffering.

🌍https://www.fabriziomusacchio.com/weekend_stories/told/2025/2025-05-30-skandha/

#WeekendStories
Figure of a deity (oceanic art), Nukuoro, Caroline Islands, Micronesia, 19th century, wood, Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum, Cologne, Germany. In Buddhist thought, the person as conventionally perceived is not a substantial self (ātman), but rather a provisional designation based on the five skandha — form (rūpa), sensation (vedanā), perception (saṃjñā), mental formations (saṃskāra) and consciousness (vijñāna). Just as this wooden figure evokes the human form without representing an individual person, so too does the self in Buddhist thought emerge from the dynamic interplay of impermanent aggregates, empty of intrinsic essence yet functionally coherent.
September 5, 2025 at 3:42 PM
weekendstories.bsky.social
#Clinging (#upādāna) is central in #Buddhism, the intensified attachment arising from #craving (#tanhā). Understanding it is key to grasping #suffering (#dukkha) and the path to liberation (#nibbāna).

🌍 https://www.fabriziomusacchio.com/weekend_stories/told/2025/2025-05-29-upadana/

#WeekendStories
A monkey grasping at fruit — symbol of upādāna (clinging). In this image, generated by DALL•e and inspired by the aesthetic of classical Japanese emakimono, a monkey stretches toward a piece of fruit that remains just beyond its grasp. The motif allegorically represents upādāna, the ninth link in the chain of dependent origination (paṭicca-samuppāda) in Buddhist philosophy. upādāna, translated as clinging, grasping, or appropriation, is the mental act of attaching to objects, identities, or experiences under the illusion that they can provide lasting satisfaction. The monkey — traditionally a symbol of the restless and desirous mind in Buddhism — embodies this futile pursuit, suspended in a moment of tension between craving and attainment. The fruit, vivid and seemingly attainable, signifies the transient pleasures that sustain saṃsāra, the cycle of suffering and rebirth. Source: Created with DALL•E.
September 4, 2025 at 8:05 PM
weekendstories.bsky.social
#Tanhā (#craving) is central in Buddhist #philosophy as root cause of #suffering (#dukkha) & the cycle of rebirth (#samsara). This overview post explores the topic and #Buddhism’s path to overcoming it:

🌍https://www.fabriziomusacchio.com/weekend_stories/told/2025/2025-05-29-tanha/

#WeekendStories
Demonic figure with a flaming head from the Japanese emakimono Kako genzai e-inga-kyō (The Illustrated Sutra of Past and Present Karma), 13th century (Kamakura period). Scene from the temptations and meditative trials of the Buddha. This narrative handscroll illustrates karmic causality through visual allegory. The exaggerated features of the figure shown in this excerpt — bulging eyes, sharp teeth, clawed limbs — and especially the fiery crown, mark it as an embodiment of dangerous inner forces. Its grotesque, animated posture suggests aggression and disruption, typical of depictions of Māra’s army attempting to obstruct the Buddha’s path to awakening. The flaming motif is deeply symbolic in Buddhist thought, especially in the context of taṇhā (Pāli; Sanskrit: tṛṣṇā), or “craving” — a central cause of suffering in the Four Noble Truths.
September 4, 2025 at 3:02 PM
weekendstories.bsky.social
The #Buddhist doctrine of #nonself (#anatta) denies a fixed, independent self. Identity is a dynamic process without essence. This idea sets it apart from Western thought and points to #liberation:

🌍 https://www.fabriziomusacchio.com/weekend_stories/told/2025/2025-05-29-anatta/

#WeekendStories
Illustration of a chariot, referencing the famous simile from the Milindapañha. According to the Buddhist monk Nāgasena, just as a chariot is merely the sum of its parts — wheels, axle, yoke — and not a substance of its own, so too is the self a conventional designation for the five aggregates (skandhas). No enduring essence can be found in either. Interpreted and generated by DALL•E.
July 27, 2025 at 2:40 PM
weekendstories.bsky.social
In this post, we explore #dukkha (“#suffering”) and its deeper meaning as existential dissatisfaction rooted in #impermanence and #craving, lying at the heart of #Buddhist thought:

🌍 https://www.fabriziomusacchio.com/weekend_stories/told/2025/2025-05-25-dukkha/

#WeekendStories #Buddhism
Bhāvacakra – or Wheel of Life – a symbolic representation of the cycle of existence in Buddhism, saṃsāra. The wheel is held by Yama, the god of death, and is divided into six realms of existence, each representing different states of being. The outer ring depicts the twelve links of dependent origination, illustrating the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. In Buddhist thought, all beings are trapped in this cycle due to ignorance and craving. And the core characteristic of saṃsāra is dukkha. Everything depicted in the wheel is thought to be either a form of dukkha or a condition that leads to dukkha. Source: Raimond Klavinsꜛ hosted on Unsplashꜛ (license: Unsplash licenseꜛ)
July 27, 2025 at 2:39 PM
weekendstories.bsky.social
The #ThreeMarksOfExistence — #impermanence (#anicca), #suffering (#dukkha), and #nonself (#anatta) — are central to #Buddhism and reveal the nature of reality and roots of suffering:

🌍 https://www.fabriziomusacchio.com/weekend_stories/told/2025/2025-05-24-three_marks_of_existence/

#WeekendStories
The gankyil (Tibetan) or “wheel of joy” (Sanskrit: ānanda-cakra) is a symbol and ritual tool used in Tibetan and East Asian Buddhism. It consists of three whirling and interconnected blades. It often constitutes the wheel hub in the Dharma Wheel (dharmachakra), symbolizing the Three Marks of Existence: impermanence (anicca), suffering (dukkha), and non-self (anatta). Source: Wikimedia Commonsꜛ (license: CC BY-SA 2.0)
July 27, 2025 at 12:56 PM
weekendstories.bsky.social
The #FourNobleTruths lie at the heart of #Buddhist thought, offering a practical path to overcome #suffering. In this post, we explore their origin, depth, and lasting relevance:

🌍 https://www.fabriziomusacchio.com/weekend_stories/told/2025/2025-05-24-four_noble_truths/

#WeekendStories #Buddhism
The eight miracles, Eastern India, Nalanda, 10th - 11th c., schist, exhibited at the Humboldt Forum, Berlin in 2023. This Eastern Indian stela depicts the eight miracles of Buddha’s life: his birth in Lumbini (l. bottom); enlightenment in Bodhgaya (centre); first sermon in Sarnath (l. top); conversion of people in Shravasti (r. top); taming a wild elephant in Rajagriha (r. middle); descending from Tushita Heaven in Sankasya (l. middle); a monkey donating honey in Vaishali (r. bottom); and death in Kushinagara (top). In his first sermon in Sarnath, Siddhartha Gautama expounded the Four Noble Truths, laying the foundation for Buddhist philosophy and practice.
July 24, 2025 at 3:05 PM
weekendstories.bsky.social
What is '#Dharma' in #Buddhism? Here we explore it as universal law, #ethical conduct, & liberation path — covering key ideas like the #FourNobleTruths, #EightfoldPath, & the #Buddha’s core teachings.

🌍 https://www.fabriziomusacchio.com/weekend_stories/told/2025/2025-05-23-dharma/

#WeekendStories
Wheel of the Buddhist Law (Jap.: rinpō; Pāli: dharmacakra; Sanskrit: dharmachakra), Japan, late 13th century, Kamakura period (1185–1333), gilt bronze, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. The dharmachakra is a common symbol of the Dharma, embodying the Buddha’s teachings and the path to enlightenment. In Buddhist tradition, the phrase “turning the wheel of the law” signifies Siddhartha Gautama’s act of teaching, setting the Dharma ‘in motion’. The eight spokes and eight corners represent the moral principles of the Noble Eightfold Path, while the central section, adorned with a lotus flower bearing eight petals, evokes purity and spiritual awakening. The wheel hub usually features three swirling shapes symbolizing the Three Jewels of Buddhism: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha (not present in this wheel; see example at the end of this post). However, the number three has various interpretations in Buddhism, including the Three Marks of Existence, the Three Poisons, and the Threefold Training. Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art (license: public domain)
July 23, 2025 at 5:55 PM
weekendstories.bsky.social
Who was #Siddhartha Gautama before he became the #Buddha? Discover the historical figure behind the #myth — his life, his path, and his impact on world thought. Read more:

🌍 https://www.fabriziomusacchio.com/weekend_stories/told/2025/2025-05-18-siddhartha_gautama/

#WeekendStories #Buddhism
Standing Buddha, Pakistan, Gandhara, Takht-i-Bahi, 2nd -3rd c., schist. In this post, we are going to reveal the historical person behind the Buddha myth. Exhibited at the Humboldt Forum in Berlin, 2023.
July 22, 2025 at 6:20 AM
weekendstories.bsky.social
In #Thailand, a sex extortion #scandal has besmirched the #clergy and left the devout questioning their faith.
#Buddhist #monks

📽️ https://youtu.be/zhXLkOZ62LE
July 21, 2025 at 5:35 PM
weekendstories.bsky.social
Is #Buddhism a #philosophy 🏛️or a #religion🙏? Drawing on Sebastian Gäb’s “Die Philosophie des #Buddha”, I explore how it bridges rational inquiry and tradition. Read more here:

🌍 https://www.fabriziomusacchio.com/weekend_stories/told/2025/2025-05-17-buddhism_philosophy_or_religion/

#WeekendStories
Buddhism under the magnifying glass. In this post, we will explore the question of whether Buddhism is a philosophy or a religion – or maybe both. Source: Raimond Klavins (https://unsplash.com/de/@raimondklavins) on Unsplash (https://unsplash.com/de/fotos/blau-weisses-rundes-ornament-Gr8ktXvU4HM) (license: Unsplash License).
July 21, 2025 at 2:39 PM
weekendstories.bsky.social
Curious about the roots of #Buddhism 🪷? Discover how it shaped #philosophy, #art & #society across #Asia in this short intro — the first post in a new series on my blog:

🌍 https://www.fabriziomusacchio.com/weekend_stories/told/2025/2025-05-16-buddhism/

#WeekendStories 🙏
Torso of a Buddha statue, Northern Thailand, Lan Na Thai, c. 1500, bronze. The fragment belonged to an elegant seated Buddha figure whose right hand was probably pointing downwards in a gesture of touching the earth. The surface shows the jade-green patina typical of bronzes from northern Thailand. Siddhartha Gautama, stylized as the Buddha, is the most common motif in Buddhist art. Buddhism is a religion and philosophy that originated in ancient India and has since spread throughout Asia and beyond. This post is the first in a series of articles exploring the history and philosophy of Buddhism. The image was taken at the Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum in 2025.
July 20, 2025 at 3:43 PM