ABSTRACT In Buddhism, the abhiññās (literally ‘higher knowledges’) refer to six types of supernatural powers that include recalling past lives and reading minds. This research explores the practical importance of supernatural powers (abhiññās) within the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, focusing on the contemporary meditation method formulated by the Burmese monk, Hpa-Auk Sayadaw (1934-). While modern Burmese Buddhism has largely marginalised concentration practice (samatha-jhāna) to produce these powers as non-essential or heterodox ‘wizard’ culture in favour of mindfulness-based insight (vipassanā), the Hpa-Auk meditation method restructures them as a systematic and canonical practice. Drawing on fieldwork and interviews since 2014, this study examines how abilities such as recalling past lives and the ‘divine eye’ function as rational tools for a deeper understanding of Buddhist teachings, culminating in liberation. Rather than mere displays of power, these experiences are shown to deepen insight into Buddhist truths by practitioners, including karmic interconnectedness, the cycle of rebirth, and the development of compassion. By analysing this living practice of three nuns in Myanmar, the paper demonstrates how the cultivation of abhiññās is integrated within the Pāli canonical meditation system. Consequently, the paper sheds light on the diverse and dynamic nature of contemporary ‘orthodox’ Buddhist meditation, expanding the focus beyond popular mindfulness and vipassanā movements.

Zoonotic infection in daily life activities leads to severe health consequences, especially for individuals who live in agricultural sectors and have poor educational attainment. The hill tribe and stateless people living in the border area in northern Thailand are vulnerable to zoonotic diseases through daily behaviors. The aim of this study was to understand the behaviors and determine the factors associated with poor knowledge and attitudes toward zoonotic infection among hill tribe people in northern Thailand. A cross-sectional study was conducted to collect data from participants aged 18 years and over living in hill tribe and stateless villages located in border areas of Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos. A structural questionnaire was used to collect general characteristics and risk behaviors related to and knowledge and attitudes toward zoonotic infection. Stepwise logistic regression was used to detect associations at a significance level of α = 0.05. A total of 600 people were included in the analysis: 71.9% were aged 36-65 years, 57.3% were females, 73.2% were Buddhists, 49.0% had never attended school, 64.5% were farmers, and 44.8% had an annual income under 30,000 baht ($860). More than one-third (38.7%) of the participants used alcohol, 21.2% smoked, 30.5% ate uncooked chicken meat, 48.8% ate local raw meat salad, 35.5% ate fermented fish, and 55.0% ate wild animal meat. More than half (64.8%) of the participants had poor knowledge, and 33.0% had poor attitudes toward zoonotic disease prevention and control. Different tribes had different risk behaviors related to zoonotic infection, and a large proportion of Hmong people ate raw chicken meat. Five variables were found to be associated with poor knowledge of zoonosis prevention and control: being Buddhist (OAR = 1.68; 95% CI = 1.31-2.50), never attending school (AOR = 1.80; 95% CI = 1.18-2.73), being unemployed (AOR = 3.49; 95% CI = 1.66-6.16), using alcohol (AOR = 2.11; 95% CI = 1.44-3.09), and eating raw pork (AOR = 2.08; 95% CI = 1.41-3.06). Two variables were found to be associated with poor attitudes toward zoonosis prevention and control: having an annual family income of 30,000-50,000 baht and over 50,000 baht (AOR = 1.65, 95% CI = 1.09-2.50; and AOR = 2.28, 95% CI = 1.42-3.67, respectively) and using alcohol (AOR = 1.92, 95% CI = 1.32-2.78). The hill tribe and stateless people living in the border areas of northern Thailand have several risk behaviors for zoonotic infection, with different risks in different tribes. Implementing health education to improve the knowledge and attitudes of these people toward zoonosis prevention and control by focusing on educational attainment, alcohol use, employment, and Buddhist practices, is necessary.

ABSTRACT Anthropologists write ethnographies. Buddhologists interpret texts. But interlocutors? Here, I respond to literate intellectual projects encountered in the field that come compellingly close to the ethnographers’ and Buddhologists’ own terrains. Specifically, I respond to one pioneering Newar Buddhist intellectual, Motilaxmi “Upasika” Tuladhar (1909-1997) across encounters with her para-ethnographic writing – the short story and the expository essay. I argue that Buddhist Studies offers models for the anthropologist of Buddhism to better approach intellectual cultures of expertise, engaging with these textual projects on their own terms. Conversely, ethnographic engagement offers opportunities for the Buddhologist to expand the scope of intellectual practice, reworking the margins and divisions of texts and contexts. Alongside Motilaxmi as fictive interlocutor, I read anthropologically her emic responses to the formation of community, the aurality of Buddhist practice, and the perplexity of lived religion in a period of sectarian reform. Likewise, I read Motilaxmi as speaking to and exemplifying what it is to know Buddhism as an object of study. Ultimately, cultures of emic expertise and intellectualism may be read across interlocutive testimonies and ethnographic vignettes, such that margins and centres, readers and authors, and texts and contexts, appear as proximate relations whose terms are constantly and generatively shifting.

ABSTRACT This article explores the often-overlooked phenomenon of spirit possession in the Kathmandu Valley among Newar Buddhist women, known as dyaḥmāṃ. Despite their integral role in local Buddhist practices, their practices, like those of other spirit mediums in the Buddhist world, often find themselves at the margins of what counts as Buddhism. Drawing on ethnographic data, this article challenges the dichotomy between possession and Buddhism, arguing that possession is a vital aspect of Buddhist practice rather than its other. By examining the Buddhist framework of the possession rituals of the dyaḥmāṃ, the paper demonstrates how possession traditions are deeply intertwined with Buddhist norms.

Background and Objectives: Place names might be considered as linguistic evidence that contains the area’s historical origin. An analysis of place names, hence, may result in further understanding local history. When combining such analysis with local interpretations of place names through their storytelling, this ethnosemantic study might reveal the historical depth and richness of the area that may be otherwise hidden in the explicit meaning of the place names. Methods: This study is qualitative research that aims to explore and study the place names of the villages along the Songkhla Lake Basin, Songkhla province, across 4 districts, 56 communities, and 150 villages with the linguistic concept of ethnosemantics. The study was carried out through interviews with local community leaders. Results: The research findings revealed the structures of village names in both single and compound structures. The most prevalent was a two-semantic composition, which included both the head words and the modifiers, particularly the key word in words such as Bo, Phang, and Tha. The most prevalent way of naming was to refer to natural phenomena, places, or important people. Finally, the reflection obtained from the naming indicated that the majority of people practice Buddhism and other religions that coexisted in the area, specifically Islam. In addition, the Chinese population emerged as the most prominent in the area. Furthermore, ways of life and occupations can be discerned from naming, which illustrates the diversity of people’s lives, including rice farming, orchard keeping, fishing, and so forth. This reflects the demographical richness in the area and may be linked to the prosperity of the Suvarnabhumi region as inferred from an analysis of place names. Applications of this Study: The research findings could be synthesized into knowledge for the local people, enabling them to appreciate the significance of their regional resources and to eventually foster the conservation of these resources in the future. Conclusion: The research on village names in the coastal districts of Songkhla province (Mueang Songkhla, Ranot, Sathing Phra, and Singhanakorn) reveals that naming practices reflect the region’s geography, history, culture, and natural environment. Most villages are named after natural features, such as water-related terms like Bo, Phang, and Tha, indicating the area’s strong connection to water. Naming after natural phenomena is the most common strategy, followed by names rooted in historical events, important individuals, or nearby landmarks like temples. The influence of Buddhism is particularly notable as many village names reflect Buddhist stories and practices, even in religiously diverse areas. Ethnic diversity, especially the presence of Chinese communities, also plays a role in naming traditions, reflecting Songkhla’s historical origins. Additionally, village names often reflect the agricultural lifestyle of locals, referencing occupations like farming and fishing, as well as local flora. Thus, these naming patterns can indicate the cultural and environmental identity of the population in the Songkhla Lake Basin.

Eczema, or atopic dermatitis, is a chronic, relapsing inflammatory skin disease characterized by intense itching and erythematous lesions. It imposes a significant psychosocial burden as conventional medicine currently offers no definitive cure. While biomedical models focus on epidermal barrier dysfunction and immune dysregulation, the Buddhist framework of the Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door identifies the root cause as the ripening of killing karma and the presence of spirits from past harm to sentient beings (note: spirit is the soul of dead human or animal). Therefore, this study presents a case of a patient with a seven-year history of treatment-resistant sole eczema who achieved a complete and smooth recovery by applying the Five Golden Buddhist Practices of Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door. By prioritizing the Amitabha Pure Land Rebirth Mantra to ascend the small spirits and eliminate killing karma by performing Five Golden Buddhist Practices, the practitioner addressed the spiritual origins of the illness, demonstrating that sincere cultivation can resolve even the most persistent physical ailments.

Sjögren’s disease (SjD) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disorder marked by immune-mediated destruction of exocrine glands, resulting in debilitating symptoms such as severe dry eyes and dry mouth. Current medical research attributes its pathogenesis to complex biochemical interactions and immune dysfunction. However, this framework has yet to yield a definitive, safe, or effective cure, leaving most patients dependent on lifelong hormone therapy that only manages symptoms while the disease may continue to progress toward disability or blindness. This study, therefore, proposes an alternative pathogenic model and therapeutic perspective based on the Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door, which identifies the “eruption of karma” and spirit affliction as the underlying causes of SjD. Through the application of the Three Golden Buddhist Practices, one patient achieved a remarkable recovery, evidenced by the restoration of lacrimal, salivary, and sweat gland function and the complete cessation of long-term medication use.

ABSTRACT This paper explores the intersection of LGBTQ identities and Zen Buddhist practice, framed by the Zen koan of the “Dharma body” and grounded in the author’s dual perspectives as a psychoanalyst and Dharma-transmitted Zen teacher. Magid reflects critically on the historical legacy of sexuality and misconduct in American Zen, tracing how spiritual ideals were often used to bypass unresolved psychological conflicts – particularly around authority, desire, and embodiment. He situates his inquiry within the broader cultural shifts from spiritual purity toward inclusive, psychologically integrated practice, emphasizing the importance of integrating sexual and gender identities rather than transcending them. Drawing on feminist and queer theory, as well as psychoanalytic concepts of selfhood, Magid questions essentialist assumptions and highlights the tensions between spiritual non-self and modern identity politics. The paper calls for a reimagining of the “Dharma body” as grounded, relational, and vividly embodied – one that embraces impermanence, multiplicity, and the full spectrum of human identity as part of the path.

Associated factors of death acceptance among Thai Buddhist patients with cancer.

Psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are chronic autoimmune disorders with complex, multifactorial etiologies and no definitive cure in conventional medicine. Despite advances in biologic therapies, many patients experience lifelong symptoms and comorbidities, leading to interest in complementary and integrative approaches. This paper explores an alternative spiritual framework within Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door, which attributes such illnesses to karmic obstacles and spirit attachments—concepts absent in biomedical models. Previous case reports suggest that disciplined Buddhist practice can lead to remission in autoimmune and chronic conditions. Here, we present a case of an elderly Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner with 48-year psoriasis, 31-year RA, and comorbid lymphadenopathy, hypertension, and coronary heart disease. Through sustained practice of Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door, including making vows, reciting Buddhist scriptures, performing life liberation, reading Buddhism in Plain Terms, and offering over 900 Little Houses to his karmic creditors, he reported complete and lasting remission of all conditions after discontinuing conventional medication. This case is analyzed to examine the potential role of spiritual practice in chronic disease management and to stimulate dialogue between biomedical and spiritual paradigms of healing.

Meditation research has focused primarily on secular forms of mindfulness meditation rather than spiritual forms of meditation, and rarely on devotion in meditation. This study sought to gain broader understanding of the psychological characteristics (mindfulness, mysticism, self-actualization, positive affect and negative affect) and practice characteristics (minutes per day and years of practice) that are associated with devotion within a form of Tantric Yoga meditation. A cross-sectional correlational research design was used to examine questionnaire responses to standardized psychological tests, and information concerning meditation practice. Devotion was found to have the strongest partial correlations (age removed) with trait mindfulness, and trait mindfulness was the only variable to predict devotion in an exploratory multiple regression. This strong relationship between devotion and trait mindfulness may arise from the shared value of developing a one-pointed focus of attention within secular and traditional Buddhist practices, and within the bhakti (devotional) meditation practices of Tantric Yoga.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe psychiatric disorder characterized by profound metabolic, psychological, and social dysfunction, and current biomedical and psychotherapeutic interventions achieve long-term recovery in only a subset of patients. Despite advances in understanding its neurobiological and psychosocial mechanisms, a substantial proportion of patients develop chronic, treatment-resistant illness. Since conventional medical models may not fully account for the persistent refractoriness observed in severe cases, this suggests that additional explanatory frameworks may be required. Emerging interdisciplinary research and clinical observations indicate that spiritual and karmic factors, as described in Buddhist traditions, may play a contributory role in illness persistence and recovery. Therefore, this study integrates Buddhist worldviews with clinical case analysis to explore the karmic and spiritual dimensions of severe AN. We present a Dharma dialogue elucidating potential spiritual mechanisms and a detailed case of recovery following intensive Buddhist practices. The findings suggest that Buddhist interventions may serve as meaningful complementary strategies for refractory AN, supporting a more integrative biopsychosocial–spiritual model of care.

This paper examines meditation, a practice that has become a global trend and is increasingly promoted as a therapeutic intervention in health-related contexts. This development has contributed to a shift in the public perception of meditation—from a religious tradition to a medicalized instrument—potentially detaching it from its original spiritual and religious meanings. Accordingly, this study explores meditation in Buddhism as its primary focus and discusses Islamic traditions as a comparative perspective. By clarifying key terms and conceptual meanings, the paper identifies both convergences and divergences between Buddhist meditation and selected Islamic practices, particularly within Sufism. It also addresses a recurring controversy in public discourse, namely the claim that “there is no meditation in Islam,” while acknowledging that the two religions are not treated as equivalent or interchangeable frameworks.

This article is a selective discussion of correspondences between selected concepts and methods of psychodrama, and between notable philosophical ideas and meditation practices of Buddhism. From psychodrama these include primarily role reversal, role theory, spiritual psychodramatic roles and world sociometry. From Buddhism, focus is on the emptiness of self and deity meditation practices of Vajrayana (diamond vehicle) Buddhism.

Despite remarkable progress in genetics, neuroscience, and pharmacology, modern medicine still cannot explain or cure thousands of rare and refractory diseases, including numerous psychiatric, neurological, dermatological, metabolic, and oncological conditions that remain resistant to all conventional treatments. However, an accumulating body of documented clinical recovery cases, together with direct observation of the spiritual realm through the Dharma Eye of Dharma Master Jun Hong Lu and the systematic practice of the Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door, clearly demonstrates that human existence comprises both a physical body and an immortal soul. The majority of treatment-resistant illnesses stem from either partial loss or dissociation of the soul, or from occupation of the body by external souls (deceased humans or animals, i.e., spirits). This paper therefore presents rigorous, verifiable evidence for the objective existence of the soul and the spirit world; elucidates the precise karmic and spirit mechanisms behind many diseases currently classified as “incurable” by modern medicine; and demonstrates that the Five Golden Buddhist Practices of Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door-making great vows, reciting Buddhist scriptures, performing life liberation, reading Buddhism in Plain Terms, and repenting of wrongdoings and refraining from doing them-provide a reproducible, effective pathway to partial or complete recovery. All these extraordinary outcomes rest upon the recognition of the soul’s existence. Accordingly, Buddhism is not merely a belief system, but the ultimate science of life, health, and the true nature of consciousness.

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe and chronic mental illness characterized by recurrent mood episodes, high suicide risk, and persistent cognitive impairment, and is commonly understood in scientific research as arising from complex interactions among genetic, environmental, and developmental factors. Despite advances in pharmacological and psychosocial treatments, the underlying mechanisms of BD, particularly those related to extreme fluctuations between emotional poles and cognitive dysfunction, remain unclear. The existing therapies often provide limited long-term improvement and may even exacerbate cognitive deficits. Therefore, this study explores BD through an alternative Dharma-based framework, presenting case evidence in which BD is interpreted as a karmic illness associated with karmic debts and “spirit” (ghost) attachment, and addressed through the Five Golden Buddhist Practices of Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door. The results from three representative cases suggest that sustained spiritual practice, especially Buddhist scripture recitation and the offering of “Little Houses” (a combination of four classic Buddhist scriptures) to repay karmic debts, may contribute to mood stabilization, reduction of depressive symptoms, improvements in cognitive and social functioning, and eventual full recovery. These findings highlight the potential role of complementary spiritual approaches in addressing aspects of BD that remain insufficiently explained or treated within conventional biomedical models.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has moved from being an external instrument to an environment that increasingly mediates attention, interpretation, and judgment. In religious life, this shift is not merely practical; it is structural. It reconfigures how religious experience is organized, how authority is distributed, and how religious subjectivity is formed. This article examines these transformations through a Buddhist philosophical lens, arguing that the rise of “algorithmic rationality” (a data-driven, predictive, optimizing mode of reason) reshapes the experiential conditions presupposed by Buddhist practice—especially the cultivation of mindfulness (smṛti), concentration (samādhi), and wisdom (prajñā). Drawing on core Buddhist doctrines—dependent origination (pratītyasamutpāda), non-self (anātman), the dynamics of craving and grasping (tṛṣṇā/upādāna), and the ethical primacy of intention (cetanā)—the paper analyzes how AI reorganizes the field of experience by: (1) externalizing and commodifying attention, (2) delegating hermeneutic labor to machine mediation, (3) accelerating temporality and weakening the pedagogical value of “slow practice,” (4) introducing a new form of authority that is opaque yet persuasive, and (5) intensifying subtle forms of attachment to metrics, personalization, and cognitive convenience. The article distinguishes the legitimate instrumental use of AI from its deeper tendency to colonize meaning-making and proposes a Buddhist-informed normative framework: “technological non-appropriation,” “digital restraint,” and “contemplative accountability.” It concludes that Buddhism can engage AI constructively only by reasserting the irreducibility of liberation to optimization and by safeguarding the soteriological structure of practice against the reification and outsourcing of subjectivity.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) has traditionally been characterized as an autoimmune disorder resulting in the progressive and irreversible destruction of pancreatic β-cells. Contemporary biomedical research has primarily focused on genetic, environmental, and immunological determinants in an effort to elucidate its etiology and develop effective interventions. Nevertheless, despite significant scientific advancements and the availability of increasingly sophisticated insulin therapies, the global incidence of T1D continues to rise, and a definitive cure remains elusive. This persistent challenge suggests that prevailing biomedical paradigms may address only the physiological dimensions of the disease, while neglecting potential underlying non-physical contributors. Building upon our previous findings indicating that type 2 diabetes may be reversible and curable through the practice of Buddhist principles, we propose that similar mechanisms may apply to T1D. Drawing on the teachings of Dharma Master Jun Hong Lu and the Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door, this study advances the hypothesis that T1D may originate not solely from physiological dysfunction, but also from karmic and spiritual factors. Within this framework, the implementation of the Three Golden Buddhist Practices—making vows, reciting Buddhist scriptures, and performing life liberation—is posited to facilitate the dissolution of karmic obstacles and ascension of spirits, and, consequently, the potential for partial or complete recovery. The case presented herein demonstrates marked clinical and spiritual improvement, thereby suggesting that the application of Dharma may offer a holistic and integrative paradigm for understanding and potentially reversing T1D.

This study systematically analyzed domestic and international academic literature on the impact of new media on Buddhist practice and ritual, thereby identifying research trends. The proliferation of new media is transforming Buddhist practice and ritual, creating new digital Buddhist cultures such as online dharma services and social media-based communities. Therefore, this study comprehensively analyzed research trends using a ‘Systematic Literature Review’ methodology, which systematically collects and analyzes relevant literature from domestic and international academic databases. Literature was selected according to the PRISMA guidelines and categorized by research topic for analysis. Results revealed a rapid increase in articles on Buddhism and new media since 2020, categorized by platform-based approach, recontextualization of religious practice and discourse, application of theory and concepts, regional and cultural spheres, sociocultural issues, and methodological approaches. By comprehensively examining the trends in research on the relationship between Buddhism and new media, this study suggests future directions for interdisciplinary research and suggests the potential for expanding the social role of Buddhism in the digital age.

In the contemporary scientific and educational sphere of Russia, Buddhism is experiencing a surge of interest, which has led to an increased focus on Buddhist studies. Nevertheless, the development of this discipline is impeded by several challenges, including a shortage of young specialists, narrowly focused research, and insufficient integration among regional scientific schools. This article analyses one of the responses to these challenges: the scientific and educational project, Young Buddhologist School, launched in 2024. The project was initiated by Tuvan State University with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, the Foundation for the Support of Buddhist Education and Research, and the country’s leading universities — Lomonosov Moscow State University, Buryat State University, and Kalmyk State University. The objective of the project is to establish a distinctive interdisciplinary forum for interaction between novice and established researchers of Buddhism, thereby unifying religious scholars, philosophers, historians, anthropologists, philologists and other specialists. During the project’s first year and a half, two major summer schools were conducted (in 2024 and 2025) and were attended by researchers from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tuva, Buryatia, Kalmykia, and other regions. The program comprised a variety of educational activities, including lectures, seminars, discussions, project work and observation of Buddhist practices. This multifaceted approach enabled participants to exchange knowledge and to develop skills in its practical application. The following topics constituted the primary focus of the School’s summer sessions: firstly, the study of regional traditions and global processes in the historical development of Buddhism; secondly, an examination of the concepts and ideas of Buddhist religious and philosophical thought; thirdly, an analysis of Buddhist rituals and practices; fourthly, an investigation of Buddhist material culture (sacred art, architecture and artefacts); fifthly, the translation and preservation of Buddhist literature; and finally, the formulation of strategies for the development of Russian Buddhist studies. A key feature of both summer sessions was the integration of theoretical and field activities. The participants engaged in two distinct activities. Firstly, they conducted textual analysis and examined historical processes. Secondly, they immersed themselves in living Buddhist traditions. This involved visiting religious centers, attending rituals and interacting with contemporary Russian Buddhists. The preliminary findings of the ‘Young Buddhologist School’ project demonstrate that the scientific and educational forum developed helps to consolidate the Russian scientific community, thereby facilitating the establishment of networks of professional contacts between researchers of diverse generations and schools.