Mental Health Archives - Frank Parker

Charities: Help Harry Help Others

Help Harry Help Others (H.H.H.O.) is a charity close to Birmingham City’s heart and worthy of any support it gets.

Harry Moseley was a remarkable young lad who whilst battling an inoperable brain tumour, was inspired to make a difference to all people with brain cancer when a friend of his who also had a brain tumour became very ill. Within the space of just over two years, Harry had organised and attended nearly 100 events to raise money for and awareness of brain cancer. He touched the hearts of the nation with his efforts and helped change the lives of everyone he met. You can read his story here.

Please help H.H.H.O. in any way you can. You can donate to them below.

Georgina Moseley explains how Help Harry Help Others started.

Help Harry Help Others logo featuring Harry Moseley.

About Help Harry Help Others

From Harry Moseley’s mom Georgina, and founder / C.E.O. of Help Harry Help Others:

“I understand personally how a diagnosis of cancer can impact your life. Endless hospital appointments or stays in hospital, normal family routines disrupted and for lots of people the huge financial implications that such an illness inflicts – especially for home owners and those having to leave employment due to their own illness or becoming a carer for a loved one… and that’s without the emotional stress of such a journey.

That’s exactly why Help Harry Help Others has become its own charity and is structured so that we can offer every inch of practical support right in the heart of the community. We ensure our services are accessible, there is somewhere to go when you are having a bad day, and that we have advisors at our centres that offer support in all areas that you may need because of the life-changing circumstances Cancer inflicts.

Here at Help Harry Help Others we want to support you too! Please take a look at our services and if you need extra help do contact us so that we can support you and you can then focus on what’s really important – each other!”

Georgina Moseley during the Danceathon in celebration of Harry’s Heavenley 24th birthday on 21/02/2024.

Their is a Just Giving page about it here if you want to donate towards it.

Their Mission

(1) To offer cancer patients and their families and friends any support that is needed outside of treatment, all from under one roof.

(2) In a home-from-home environment they offer time, empathy, urgency and understanding and help you tackle all the practical, financial and emotional challenges you face.

(3) Their service is here for patients, carers, family, friends and work colleagues. Cancer impacts everybody, so they are here for everyone.

(4) No one should feel isolated or face Cancer alone. They offer accessible support in the heart of the community to adults and children affected by ANY type of Cancer.

All of the services they offer are free.

What Makes Them Unique

(1) No appointments are required. Just drop in and be guaranteed support.

(2) No referrals are required. You can reach out for immediate support yourself.

(3) A reactive service. They understand you need help NOW.

(4) No Postcode lottery. if your affected by cancer and can get to them, they can help with the rest.

(5) Time is the most precious gift of all. Whether you are an adult or a child, Help Harry Help Others makes time to support you, whatever type of cancer you are affected by.

However you are affected they are there to support you.

How They Help

(1) Drop in Cancer Support. They offer grants through their HelpCOPE fund to those who are suffering financial hardship and also run a Drop in Cancer Support Centre via their HelpCARE fund.

(2) Finding a Cure. Help Harry Help Others is unique in its efforts to not only help find a cure for brain cancer via their HelpCURE fund, but also in helping adults and children who are affected by ANY cancer.

(3) Free On Site Services. The centre offers over 17 free services on site and supports adults and children with every inch of support they may need outside of treatment.

Help Harry Help Others support the mental well-being of cancer patients, family members, carers, work colleagues and friends.

Click here to meet their trustees, ambassadors, staff, service providers and volunteers.

Click here to see all the services they offer.

Donate

You can donate to Help Harry Help Others by clicking here.

Address

Registered Office:

8 Midland Croft

East Meadway

Birmingham

B33 0AW

Telephone

Enquiries: 0121 783 5407

E-Mail

Enquiries: enquiries@hhho.org.uk

Opening Hours

Monday: 9am – 5pm

Tuesday: 9am – 5pm

Wednesday: 9am – 5pm

Thursday: 9am – 5pm

Friday: 9am – 5pm

The above article was sourced from the Help Harry Help Others website and is subject to change.

Blog Posts

Charities: Sands.

Charities: Frankie And Zoe Do Sober For October For Sands.

Mental Health: I Am A Domestic Violence Survivor By Paul Hibbert.

Notes And Links

Help Harry Help Others – The image shown at the top of this page is the copyright of Help Harry Help Others and comes from their official website.

Help Harry Help Others on Facebook.

Help Harry Help Others on Twitter.

Help Harry Help Others on Instagram.

Help Harry Help Others on YouTube.

Help Harry Help Others featured in Blues News on 22/09/2023.

Charities

Certain charities have helped me in my life in one way or another or have meant something to me somehow and some mean something to me through family members and their involvement with them.

Although I do believe that charity begins at home and the need to take care of yourself and one’s family first is very important before caring for others, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t help others if we can but we should NEVER be guilt-tripped into doing so. Only donate an amount of money you feel comfortable with, even if it is just pennies and don’t be forced into donating on a monthly Direct Debit plan by anyone. If you would rather just put money in a collection box, etc. then do so or just visit a charity shop instead and then you can choose what you want to spend and maybe get yourself a bargain in the process.

I have seen different sides to charities (not all good) and many make a lot of money for the fat cats in charge. I do not support that at all. If you feel that way too then it shouldn’t stop you from helping them though as there are many ways to help without being concerned who your money is going to. Volunteering your time to them is just as precious as is sharing their cause on social media, etc. (if you agree with the reason behind a certain charity) is helping too. I have done volunteer work for some charities which have helped my confidence regarding my mental health and helped me learn new things.

Different charities mean different things to different people. Most of the ones mentioned on this page are the ones relevant to things in my life and are what I feel are worthy of my support albeit my money and/or my time.

You can read more about these in my Decades section and in my blog posts below.

About Chariities

A charity or charitable organisation is an organisation whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good).

The legal definition of a charity (and of a charitable organisation) varies between countries and in some instances regions of the country. The regulation, the tax treatment, and how charity law affects charitable organisations also vary. Charitable organisations may not use any of their funds to profit individual persons or entities. However, some charitable organisations have come under scrutiny for spending a disproportionate amount of their income to pay the salaries of their leadership.

Financial figures (e.g. tax refund, revenue from fundraising, revenue from the sale of goods and services or revenue from investment) are indicators to assess the financial sustainability of a charity, especially to charity evaluators. This information can impact a charity’s reputation with donors and societies, and thus the charity’s financial gains.

Charities often depend partly on donations from businesses. Such donations to the charities represent a major form of corporate philanthropy.

To meet the exempt organisational test requirements, a charity has to be exclusively organised and operated. To receive and pass the exemption test, a charity must follow the public interest and all exempt income should be for the public interest. For example, in many countries of the Commonwealth, charities must demonstrate that they provide a public benefit.

The History Of Charities

Early Systems

Until the mid-18th century, charity was mainly distributed through religious structures (such as the English Poor Laws of 1601), almshouses, and bequests from the rich. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam incorporated significant charitable elements from their very beginnings and alms-giving has a long tradition in Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. Charities provided education, health, housing, and even prisons. Almshouses were established throughout Europe in the Early Middle Ages to provide a place of residence for the poor, old, and distressed people. King Athelstan of England (reigned 924 – 939) founded the first recorded almshouse in York in the 10th century.

Enlightenment Charity

During the Enlightenment era, charitable and philanthropic activity among voluntary associations and affluent benefactors became a widespread cultural practice. Societies, gentlemen’s clubs, and mutual associations began to flourish in England, with the upper classes increasingly adopting a philanthropic attitude toward the disadvantaged. In England, this new social activism led to the establishment of charitable organisations, which proliferated from the middle of the 18th century.

This emerging upper-class trend for benevolence resulted in the incorporation of the first charitable organisations. Appalled by the number of abandoned children living on the streets of London, Captain Thomas Coram set up the Foundling Hospital in 1741 to care for these unwanted orphans in Lamb’s Conduit Fields, Bloomsbury. The idea of a hospital for less fortunate children has continued up to now but it is most commonly referred to as a care home. This institution, the world’s first of its kind, served as the precedent for incorporated associational charities in general.

Another notable philanthropist of the Enlightenment era, Jonas Hanway, established The Marine Society in 1756 as the first seafarers’ charity, aiming to aid the recruitment of men into the navy. By 1763, the Society had enlisted over 10,000 men, and an Act of Parliament incorporated it in 1772. Hanway also played a key role in founding the Magdalen Hospital to rehabilitate prostitutes. These organisations were funded by subscriptions and operated as voluntary associations. They raised public awareness about their activities through the emerging popular press and generally enjoyed high social regard. Some charities received state recognition in the form of a royal charter.

Charities also began to take on campaigning roles, championing causes and lobbying the government for legislative changes. This included organised campaigns against the mistreatment of animals and children, as well as the successful campaign in the early 19th century to end the slave trade throughout the British Empire and its extensive sphere of influence. However, this process was quite lengthy, concluding when Saudi Arabia abolished slavery in 1962.

The Enlightenment era also witnessed a growing philosophical debate between those advocating for state intervention and those believing that private charities should provide welfare. The political economist, Reverend Thomas Malthus (1766 – 1834), criticized poor relief for paupers on economic and moral grounds and proposed leaving charity entirely to the private sector. His views became highly influential and informed the Victorian laissez-faire attitude toward state intervention for the poor.

The Foundling Hospital, Lamb’s Conduit Fields, Bloomsbury, London.

This is an early print of the Foundling Hospital, built in 1741. The word foundling means a small child and children and babies in baskets were dropped off and left on the doorstep to be collected by nurses.

The building has since been demolished.

Charity during the Enlightenment era by Antoine-Alexandre Morel.

This painting was created on the 1st of January, 1800. The artist was born in 1765 and died in 1829.

Growth During The 19th Century

During the 19th century, a profusion of charitable organisations emerged to alleviate the awful conditions of the working class in the slums. The Labourer’s Friend Society, chaired by Lord Shaftesbury in the United Kingdom in 1830, aimed to improve working-class conditions. It promoted, for example, the allotment of land to labourers for cottage husbandry, which later became the allotment movement. In 1844, it became the first Model Dwellings Company – one of a group of organisations that sought to improve the housing conditions of the working classes by building new homes for them, all the while receiving a competitive rate of return on any investment. This was one of the first housing associations, a philanthropic endeavour that flourished in the second half of the nineteenth century, brought about by the growth of the middle class. Later associations included the Peabody Trust (originating in 1862) and the Guinness Trust (founded in 1890). The principle of philanthropic intention with capitalist return was given the label five per cent philanthropy.

There was strong growth in municipal charities. The Brougham Commission led to the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, which reorganised multiple local charities by incorporating them into single entities under supervision from the local government.

Charities at the time, including the Charity Organisation Society (established in 1869), tended to discriminate between the deserving poor, who would be provided with suitable relief, and the underserving or improvident poor, who were regarded as the cause of their woes due to their idleness. Charities tended to oppose the provision of welfare by the state, due to the perceived demoralising effect. Although minimal state involvement was the dominant philosophy of the period, there was still significant government involvement in the form of statutory regulation and even limited funding.

Philanthropy became a very fashionable activity among the expanding middle classes in Britain and America. Octavia Hill (1838 – 1912) and John Ruskin (1819 – 1900) were important forces behind the development of social housing, and Andrew Carnegie (1835 – 1919) exemplified the large-scale philanthropy of the newly rich in industrialised America. In Gospel of Wealth (1889), Carnegie wrote about the responsibilities of great wealth and the importance of social justice. He established public libraries throughout English-speaking countries and contributed large sums to schools and universities. A little over ten years after his retirement, Carnegie had given away over 90% of his fortune.

Towards the end of the 19th century, with the advent of New Liberalism and the innovative work of Charles Booth in documenting working-class life in London, attitudes towards poverty began to change. This led to the first social-liberal welfare reforms, including the provision of old-age pensions and free school meals.

A Puck magazine cartoon by Louis Dalrymple of Andrew Carnegie’s philanthropy.

This cartoon was published in New York City. U.S.A. in 1903.

Growth Since 1901

During the 20th century, charities such as Oxfam (established in 1947), Care International, and Amnesty International expanded greatly, becoming large, multinational non-governmental organisations with very large budgets.

Growth Since The 21st Century

With the advent of the Internet, charities established a presence on online social media platforms and began initiatives such as cyber-based humanitarian crowdfunding, exemplified by platforms like GoFundMe. Another notable charity is Beyond the Crisis. This organisation distributes food and resources to housing communities and homeless shelters in the United States. It was founded by young philanthropists Camden and Colton Francis.

By Jurisdiction

Australia

The definition of charity in Australia is derived from English common law, originally from the Charitable Uses Act 1601, and then through several centuries of case law based upon it. In 2002, the federal government initiated an inquiry into the definition of a charity. The inquiry proposed a statutory definition of a charity, based on the principles developed through case law. This led to the Charities Bill 2003, which included limitations on the involvement of charities in political campaigning, an unwelcome departure from the case law as perceived by many charities. The government appointed a Board of Taxation inquiry to consult with charities on the bill. However, due to widespread criticism from charities, the government abandoned the bill.

Subsequently, the government introduced the Extension of Charitable Purpose Act 2004. This act did not attempt to codify the definition of a charitable purpose but rather aimed to clarify that certain purposes were charitable, resolving legal doubts surrounding their charitable status. Among these purposes were childcare, self-help groups, and closed/contemplative religious orders.

To publicly raise funds, a charity in Australia must register in each Australian jurisdiction in which it intends to raise funds. For example, in Queensland, charities must register with the Queensland Office of Fair Trading. Additionally, any charity fundraising online must obtain approval from every Australian jurisdiction that mandates such approval. Currently, these jurisdictions include New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory. Numerous Australian charities have appealed to federal, state, and territory governments to establish uniform legislation enabling charities registered in one state or territory to raise funds in all other Australian jurisdictions.

The Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission (A.C.N.C.) commenced operations in December 2012. It regulates approximately 56,000 non-profit organisations with tax-exempt status, along with around 600,000 other N.P.O.’s in total, seeking to standardise state-based fund-raising laws.

A Public Benevolent Institution (P.B.I.) is a specific type of charity with its primary purpose being to alleviate suffering in the community, whether due to poverty, sickness, or disability. Examples of institutions that might qualify include hospices, providers of subsidised housing, and certain not-for-profit aged care services.

Canada

Read more here.

Charities in Canada need to be registered with the Charities Directorate of the Canada Revenue Agency. According to the Canada Revenue Agency, a registered charity is an organisation established and operated for charitable purposes. It must devote its resources to charitable activities. The charity must be a resident of Canada and cannot use its income to benefit its members. A charity also has to meet a public benefit test. To qualify under this test, an organisation must show that its activities and purposes provide a tangible benefit to the public and those eligible for benefits are either the public as a whole or a significant section of it. They should not be a restricted group or one where members share a private connection, such as social clubs or professional associations with specific memberships. The charity’s activities must be legal and must not be contrary to public policy.

To register as a charity, the organisation has to be either incorporated or governed by a legal document called a trust or a constitution. This document has to explain the organisation’s purposes and structure.

France

Most French charities are registered under a type of legal entity for non-profit N.G.O’s. This statute is extremely common in France for any type of group that wants to be institutionalised such as sports clubs, book clubs, support groups etc. It is very easy to set up and requires very little documentation. However, for an organisation under the statute to be considered a charity, it has to file with the authorities to come under the label of N.G.O. acting for the public interest. This label gives the N.G.O. some tax exemptions.

Hungary

In Hungary, charities are referred to as Public benefit organisations. The term was introduced on the 1st of January, 1997 through the Act on Public Benefit Organisations.

India

Under Indian law, legal entities such as charitable organisations, corporations, and managing bodies have been given the status of legal persons with legal rights, such as the right to sue and be sued, and the right to own and transfer property. Indian charities with this status include Terna Public Charitable Trust and Sir Ratan Tata Trust.

Ireland

In Ireland, the Charities Act (2009) legislated the establishment of a Charities Regulatory Authority, and the Charities Regulator was subsequently created via a ministerial order in 2014. This was the first legal framework for charity registration in Ireland. The Charities Regulator maintains a database of organisations that have been granted charitable tax exemption (a list previously maintained by the Revenue Commissioners). Such organisations would have a C.H.Y. number from the Revenue Commissioners, a C.R.O. number from the Companies Registration Office, and a charity number from the Charities Regulator.

The Irish Nonprofits Database was created by the Irish Nonprofits Knowledge Exchange (I.N.K.Ex.) to serve as a repository for regulatory and voluntarily disclosed information about Irish public-benefit nonprofits.

Nigeria

Charitable organisations in Nigeria are registerable under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020. Under the law, the Corporate Affairs Commission, Nigeria, being the official Nigerian Corporate Registry, is empowered to maintain and regulate the formation, operation, and dissolution of charitable organisations in Nigeria. Charities in Nigeria are exempted under §25(c) of the Companies Income Tax Act (CITA) Cap. C21 LFN 2004 (as amended), which exempts from income tax corporate organisations engaged wholly in ecclesiastical, charitable, or educational activities. Similarly, §3 of the Value Added Tax Act (V.A.T.A.) Cap. V1 LFN 2004 (as amended), and the 1st Schedule to the V.A.T.A. on exempted Goods and Services goods zero-rates goods and services purchased by any ecclesiastical, charitable, or educational institutions in furtherance of their charitable mandates.

Poland

A public benefit organisation is a term used in Polish law. It was introduced on the 1st of January, 2004 by the statute on public good activity and volunteering. Charitable organisations of public good are allowed to receive 1% of income tax from individuals, making them tax-deductible organisations. To receive such status, an organisation has to be a non-governmental organisation, with political parties and trade unions not qualifying. The organisation must also be involved in specific activities related to the public good as described by the law, and it should demonstrate sufficient transparency in its activities, governance, and finances. Moreover, data has shown that this evidence is pertinent and sensible.

Polish charities with this status include Związek Harcerstwa Polskiego, the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity, K.A.R.T.A. Center, the Institute of Public Affairs, the Silesian Fantasy Club, the Polish Historical Society, and the Polish chapter of the Wikimedia Foundation.

Singapore

The legal framework in Singapore is regulated by the Singapore Charities Act (Chapter 37). Charities in Singapore must be registered with the Charities Directorate of the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. One can also find specific organisations that are members of the National Council of Social Service (N.C.S.S.), which is operated by the Ministry of Social and Family Development.

Ukraine

The legislation governing charitable activities and the process of obtaining charitable organisation status is regulated by Ukraine’s Civil Code and the Law of Ukraine on Charitable Activities and Charitable Organisations.

According to Ukrainian law, there are three forms of charitable organisations:

(1) A charitable society is a charitable organisation created by at least two founders and operates based on the charter or statute.

(2) A charitable institution is a type of charitable trust that acts based on the constituent or founding act. This charitable organisation’s founding act defines the assets that one or several founders transfer to achieve the goals of charitable activity, along with any income from such assets. A constituent act of a charitable institution may be contained in a will or testament. The founder or founders of the charitable institution do not participate in the management of such a charitable organisation.

(3) A charitable fund or charitable foundation is a charitable organisation that operates based on the charter, has participants or members, and is managed by them. Participants or members are not obliged to transfer any assets to such an organisation to achieve the goals of charitable activity. A charitable foundation can be created by one or several founders. The assets of a charitable fund can be formed by participants and/or other benefactors.

The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine is the main registration authority for a charity’s registration and constitution. Individuals and legal entities, except for public authorities and local governments, can be the founders of charitable organisations. Charitable societies and charitable foundations may have, in addition to founders, other participants who have joined them as prescribed by the charters of such charitable associations or charitable foundations. Aliens (non-Ukrainian citizens and legal entities, corporations, or non-governmental organisations) can be the founders and members of philanthropic organisations in Ukraine.

All funds received by a charitable organisation and used for charitable purposes are exempt from taxation, but obtaining non-profit status from the tax authority is necessary.

Legalization is required for international charitable funds to operate in Ukraine.

United Kingdom

Charity law in the UK varies among England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, but the fundamental principles are the same. Most organisations that are charities are required to be registered with the appropriate regulator for their jurisdiction, but significant exceptions apply so that many organizations are bona fide charities but do not appear on a public register. The registers are maintained by the Charity Commission for England and Wales and by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator for Scotland. The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland maintains a register of charities that have completed formal registration. Organisations applying must meet the specific legal requirements, have filing requirements with their regulator, and are subject to inspection or other forms of review. The oldest charity in the United Kingdom (U.K.) is The King’s School, Canterbury, established in 597 AD.

Charitable organisations, including charitable trusts, are eligible for a complex set of reliefs and exemptions from taxation in the U.K. These include reliefs and exemptions concerning income tax, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, stamp duty land tax, and value-added tax (V.A.T.). These tax exemptions have led to criticisms that private schools can use charitable status as a tax avoidance technique rather than offering a genuine charitable good.

The Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014 subjects charities to regulation by the Electoral Commission in the run-up to a general election.

England And Wales

Definition

Section 1 of the Charities Act 2011 defines England and Wales for the law of England and Wales A charity means an institution which is established for charitable purposes only and falls to be subject to the control of the High Court in the exercise of its jurisdiction concerning charities.

The Charities Act 2011 provides the following list of charitable purposes:

(1) The prevention or relief of poverty:

(2) The advancement of education.

(3) The advancement of religion.

(4) The advancement of health or the saving of lives.

(5) The advancement of citizenship or community development.

(6) The advancement of the arts, culture, heritage or science.

(7) The advancement of amateur sport.

(8) The advancement of human rights, conflict resolution or reconciliation or the promotion of religious or racial harmony or equality and diversity.

(9) The advancement of environmental protection or improvement.

(10) The relief of those in need, because of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage.

(11) The advancement of animal welfare.

(12) The promotion of the efficiency of the armed forces of the Crown or of the police, fire and rescue services or ambulance services.

(13) Other purposes currently recognised as charitable and any new charitable purposes which are similar to another charitable purpose.

A charity must also provide a public benefit.

Before the Charities Act 2006, which introduced the definition now contained in the 2011 Act, the definition of charity arose from a list of charitable purposes in the Charitable Uses Act 1601 (also known as the Statute of Elizabeth), which had been interpreted and expanded into a considerable body of case law. In Commissioners for Special Purposes of Income Tax v. Pemsel (1891), Lord McNaughten identified four categories of charity which could be extracted from the Charitable Uses Act and which were the accepted definition of charity before the Charities Act 2006:

(1) The relief of poverty,

(2) The advancement of education,

(3) The advancement of religion.

(4) Other purposes considered beneficial to the community.

Charities in England and Wales, such as Age UK, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (R.S.P.B.) and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (R.S.P.C.A.) must comply with the 2011 Act regulating matters such as charity reports and accounts and fundraising.

Structures

As of 2011, there are several types of legal structures for a charity in England and Wales:

(1) Unincorporated association.

(2) Trust.

(3) Company limited by guarantee.

(4) Another incorporation, such as by royal charter.

(5) Charitable incorporated organisation.

The unincorporated association is the most common form of organisation within the voluntary sector in England and Wales. This is essentially a contractual arrangement between individuals who have agreed to come together to form an organization for a particular purpose. An unincorporated association will normally have a constitution or set of rules as its governing document, which will deal with matters such as the appointment of office bearers and the rules governing membership. The organisation is not, however, a separate legal entity, so it cannot initiate legal action, borrow money, or enter into contracts in its name. Its officers can be personally liable if the charity is sued or has debts.

A trust is essentially a relationship among three parties which are the donor of some assets, the trustees who hold the assets, and the beneficiaries (those eligible to benefit from the charity). When the trust has charitable purposes and is a charity, the trust is known as a charitable trust. The governing document is the trust deed or declaration of trust, which comes into operation once signed by all the trustees. The main disadvantage of a trust is that, like an unincorporated association, it lacks a separate legal entity, and the trustees must themselves own property and enter into contracts. The trustees are also liable if the charity is sued or incurs liability.

A company limited by guarantee is a private limited company where members’ liability is limited. A guarantee company does not have a share capital, but instead has members who are guarantors rather than shareholders. If the company is wound up, the members agree to pay a nominal sum, which can be as little as £1. A company limited by guarantee is a useful structure for a charity where trustees need limited liability protection. Moreover, the charity has a legal personality and can enter into contracts, such as employment contracts, in its name.

A small number of charities are incorporated by royal charter, which is a document that creates a corporation with legal personality (or, in some cases, transforms a charity incorporated as a company into a charity incorporated by royal charter). The charter must be approved by the Privy Council before receiving royal assent. While the nature of the charity will vary depending on the clauses enacted, a royal charter generally offers a charity the same limited liability as a company and the ability to enter into contracts.

The Charities Act 2006 introduced a new legal form of incorporation designed specifically for charities. The charitable incorporated organisation (C.I.O.) as powers similar to a company but without the need to register as a company. Becoming a C.I.O. was only made possible in 2013, with staggered introduction dates, with the charities with the highest turnover eligible first.

The term foundation is not commonly used in England and Wales. Occasionally, a charity will use the word as part of its name (e.g., British Heart Foundation), but this has no legal significance and provides no information about the charity’s work or legal structure. The organisation’s structure will fall into one of the types described above.

Registration

Charitable organisations with an income of over £5,000 and subject to the law of England and Wales must register with the Charity Commission for England and Wales unless they are an exempt or excepted charity. For companies, the law of England and Wales will usually apply if the company itself is registered in England and Wales. In other cases, if the governing document doesn’t specify, the law that applies will be the one most connected with the organisation.

When an organisation’s income doesn’t exceed £5,000, it can’t register as a charity with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. However, it can register as a charity with HM Revenue and Customs (H.M.R.C.) for tax purposes only. With the increase in the mandatory registration level to £5,000 by The Charities Act 2006, smaller charities can rely on H.M.R.C. recognition to demonstrate their charitable purpose and confirm their not-for-profit principles.

Churches with an annual income of less than £100,000 need not register.

Some charities, referred to as exempt charities, aren’t required to register with the Charity Commission and aren’t subject to its supervisory powers. These charities include most universities and national museums, as well as some other educational institutions. Other charities are exempted from the need to register but are still subject to the supervision of the Charity Commission. The regulations on excepted charities were changed by the Charities Act 2006. Many excepted charities are religious charities.

Northern Ireland

The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland was established in 2009 and has received the names and details of over 7,000 organisations in Northern Ireland that have previously been granted charitable status for tax purposes (the deemed list). Compulsory registration of organisations from the deemed list began in December 2013, and it is expected to take three to four years to complete. The new Register of Charities is publicly available on the C.C.N.I. website and contains the details of those organisations that have so far been confirmed by the commission to exist for charitable purposes and the public benefit. The Commission estimates that between 5,000 and 11,500 charitable organisations need to be formally registered in total.

Scotland

The approximately 24,000 charities in Scotland are registered with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (O.S.C.R.), which also maintains a register of charities online.

United States

In the United States (U.S.), a charitable organisation is an organisation operated for purposes that are beneficial to the public interest. There are different types of charitable organisations. Every U.S. and foreign charity that qualifies as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (I.R.C.) is considered a private foundation unless it demonstrates to the Internal Revenue Service (I.R.S.) that it falls into another category. Generally, any organisation that is not a private foundation (i.e., it qualifies as something else) is usually a public charity as described in Section 509(a) of the I.R.C.

In addition, a private foundation usually derives its principal funding from an individual, family, corporation, or some other single source, and it is more often than not a grantmaker that does not solicit funds from the public. In contrast, a foundation or public charity generally receives grants from individuals, government, and private foundations. While some public charities engage in grantmaking activities, most conduct direct service or other tax-exempt activities. Foundations that are generally grantmakers (i.e., they use their endowment to make grants to other organisations, which in turn carry out the goals of the foundation indirectly) are usually called grantmaker or non-operating foundations.

The requirements and procedures for forming charitable organisations vary from state to state, as do the registration and filing requirements for charitable organisations that conduct charitable activities, solicit charitable contributions, or hire professional fundraisers. In practice, the detailed definition of a charitable organisation is determined by the requirements of state law where the charitable organisation operates and the requirements for federal tax relief by the I.R.S.

Resources exist to provide information, including rankings, of U.S. charities.

Federal Tax Relief

Federal tax law provides tax benefits to nonprofit organisations recognized as exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (I.R.C.). The benefits of 501(c)(3) status include exemption from federal income tax as well as eligibility to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions. In 2017, there were a total of $281.86 billion in tax-deductible donations by individuals.

To qualify for 501(c)(3) status, most organisations must apply to the I.R.S. for such status.

Several requirements must be met for a charitable organisation to obtain 501(c)(3) status. These include the organisation being organised as a corporation, trust, or unincorporated association. The organisation’s organising document (such as the articles of incorporation, trust documents, or articles of association) must limit its purposes to being charitable and permanently dedicate its assets to charitable purposes. The organisation must refrain from undertaking several other activities, such as participating in the political campaigns of candidates for local, state, or federal office. Additionally, the organisation must ensure that its earnings do not benefit any individual. Most tax-exempt organisations are required to file annual financial reports (I.R.S. Form 990) at the state and federal levels. A tax-exempt organisation’s Form 990 and some other forms are required to be made available for public scrutiny.

The types of charitable organisations that the I.R.S. considers to be organised for the public benefit include those organized for:

(1) Relief of the poor, the distressed, or the underprivileged.

(2) Advancement of religion.

(3) Advancement of education or science.

(4) Construction or maintenance of public buildings, monuments, or works.

(5) Lessening the burdens of government.

(6) Lessening neighborhood tensions.

(7) Elimination of prejudice and discrimination.

(8) Defense of human and civil rights secured by law.

(9) Combating community deterioration and juvenile delinquency.

Several other organisations may also qualify for exempt status, including those organised for religious, scientific, literary, and educational purposes, as well as those for testing for public safety fostering national or international amateur sports competition, and for the prevention of cruelty to children or animals.

Criticism

The charity has received criticism. These criticisms include:

(1) Charity only addresses the symptoms of a problem instead of the causes.

(2) Charity is a worse substitute for change that does not fix the fundamental injustices in societal structures and values.

(3) Charity does not provide the best solutions to societal problems.

(4) Charity results in less state funding for essential services because it replaces state services with external institutions at a lower cost.

(5) Charity leads to favouritism instead of fairness.

(6) Tax incentives for donating to charity result in the worsening of social inequalities by reducing state revenue available for social projects and retaining class systems within society.

(7) Inefficient charitable giving, largely due to the splintering of funds that could be better used if pooled together.

(8) Charities misusing their funds.

(9) Charities are more accountable to donors and funders than to the recipients of the charity.

(10) Charities give aid conditionally.

(11) Through eligibility requirements such as sobriety, piety, curfews, participation in job training or parenting courses, cooperation with the police, or identifying the paternity of children, charity models enforce the concept that only those who can prove their moral worth deserve help, motivating citizens to accept exploitative wages or conditions to avoid being subject to the charitable system.

(12) Charity makes rich people and corporations look generous and upholds and legitimises systems that concentrate wealth.

(13) Charity is increasingly privatised and contracted out to the massive nonprofit sector, where organisations compete for grants to address social problems. Donors can protect their money from taxation by storing it in foundations that fund their pet projects, most of which have nothing to do with poor people.

Economist Robert Reich criticised the practice of billionaires giving some of their money to charity, calling it mostly self-serving rubbish. Mathew Snow of the American socialist magazine Jacobin criticised charities for creating an individualised ‘culture of giving’ instead of challenging capitalism’s institutionalised taking.

Charity Fraud

Read more here.

Charity fraud is the act of using deception to obtain money from people who believe they are donating to a charity. Often, individuals or groups will present false information claiming to be a charity or associated with one, and then ask potential donors for contributions to this non-existent charity. Charity fraud encompasses not only fictitious charities but also deceptive business practices. These deceitful acts by businesses may involve accepting donations without using the funds for their intended purposes or soliciting funds under false pretences of need.

Charity Regulators

Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission.

Canada Revenue Agency.

Charity Commission for England and Wales.

Charity Commission for Northern Ireland.

Inland Revenue Department (Hong Kong).

Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator.

United States Internal Revenue Service.

Charity Ribbons

Charity ribbons.

Medical awareness ribbons are used by charities to highlight their cause. The ones above, and more, are mentioned on the Emergency I.D. Australia website.

Click here to see a list of charity ribbons. Be aware that the meanings of colours vary in different countries.

Baby Loss Charities

Sands – Official website. This stillbirth and neonatal death charity operates across the U.K. They support anyone affected by the death of a baby. Working in partnership with health professionals they ensure that bereaved parents and families receive the best possible care. They promote improvements in practice and funding research that could help to reduce the loss of babies’ lives. They depend on the amazing energies of their supporters to raise the vital funds that they need to deliver the wide range of services that they offer.

Blind Charities

Focus Birmingham – Official website. Focus Birmingham is an independent local charity that provides information, advice, support and care for people with visual impairment and complex needs.

Guide Dogs – Official website. They are here to help people with sight loss live the life they choose. Over the years they have developed a wide range of services with and without dogs to support children and adults living with a vision impairment including helping their friends and family. Whoever you are, their expert staff, dedicated volunteers and life-changing dogs are here to help you live actively, independently, and well. They are a charity, almost entirely funded by donations, and they are the world’s largest assistance dog organisation. As world leaders in puppy socialisation and dog training, they are the only organisation to breed and train guide dogs in the U.K. They are also the largest employer of specialists dedicated to helping children and young people overcome the challenges of sight loss.

Royal National Institute Of Blind People – Official website. The R.N.I.B. is the U.K.’s leading sight loss charity. They offer practical and emotional support to blind and partially sighted people, their families and carers. They raise awareness of the experiences of blind and partially sighted people and campaign for change to make our society more accessible for all. They want to change our world so there are no barriers to people with sight loss.

Cancer Charities

Breast Cancer Now – Official website. However you’re experiencing breast cancer, they have been there for you for over 50 years and are a leading breast cancer charity in the U.K. They work across three main focus areas. These include campaigning for better breast cancer care, raising awareness and educating people through their website and other publications, and supporting the victims of cancer through face-to-face and group meetings, better access to nurses, and a smartphone application.

Breast Cancer U.K. – Official website. They believe there are opportunities to reduce breast cancer rates in the U.K. by at least 30%, saving lives as a result. They give practical advice on how you can reduce your risk of getting breast cancer by making simple changes in your life. A unique aspect of their work focuses on the role played by endocrine-disrupting chemicals in increasing your risk of breast cancer. They work with other organisations to make your voices heard on this issue. They also fund research that they believe could be a game-changer in the field of breast cancer prevention.

Children With Cancer U.K. – Official website. Around 4,200 children and young people are diagnosed with cancer every year in the U.K. That’s around 10 children and young people diagnosed with cancer every day in the U.K. They have been working tirelessly since 1988, to fund research and initiatives that support children and their families through their cancer journey.

Help Harry Help Others – Official website. H.H.H.O. is structured so that they can offer every inch of practical Cancer support right in the heart of the community. They ensure their services are accessible, that there is somewhere to go when people affected by Cancer are having a bad day, and that they have advisors at their centres that offer support in all areas that people may need because of the life-changing circumstances that Cancer inflicts.

Macmillan Cancer Support – Official website. Their purpose is to do whatever it takes to support people living with cancer, to help them cope and improve their lives better. They provide support in terms of practical help, medical support and nurses, as well as financial assistance and help to victims of cancer and their families. They also work to increase awareness of cancers through information services.

Marie Curie – Official website. They provide expert hospice care and support over the phone, and they push for a better end of life for all by campaigning and sharing research to change the system. They provide care and support to victims of cancer through a U.K.-wide network of hospices. The organisation helps as many as 40,000 people a year throughout the country, by providing care for people, either in a hospice or in the person’s own home. Care can be provided in the day or night, and is provided for free.

Prostate Cancer U.K. – Official website. They aim to prevent men from being killed by prostate cancer by pushing science to focus on improvements in the treatment and diagnosis, as well as the prevention of prostate cancer.

Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation – Official website. They are the leading U.K. lung cancer charity dedicated to helping everyone affected by the disease. Since 1990 they have funded millions of pounds of essential lung cancer research, looking for ways to detect the disease as early as possible and save lives. From diagnosis, through treatment, living with the disease and end-of-life care, they support everyone affected by lung cancer. They raise awareness, prevent future generations from getting it and challenge the misconceptions of lung cancer. They do all this so those diagnosed can live well with lung cancer for as long as possible.

Children’s Charities

Barnado’s – Official website. They have been helping hundreds of thousands of children, young people, parents and carers across the U.K. since 1867. At a time when more young people need specialist help with complex issues like sexual abuse, mental health problems and serious violence, their work is more vital than ever.

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. – Official website. The N.S.P.C.C. are the U.K.’s leading children’s charity. They have been looking out for children for over 130 years and they couldn’t do it without you. They help prevent child abuse, help rebuild children’s lives and support families.

YoungMinds – Official website. The sheer scale of the problem we’re faced with can feel overwhelming. More young people than ever before need support for their mental health and accessing that support quickly can make a critical difference to those young people. Yet, most of the time those young people need to wait. And wait. And wait. When it feels like nothing is there for you when you need it most, you feel alone. For far too many young people, this is their reality. When they need help and can’t get it, it feels like they’re being told they don’t matter. YoungMinds have called their strategy ‘You Matter’ because, ultimately, that is what this is all about.

Mental Health Charities

To read more about Mental Health click here.

Anxiety UK – Official website. They were formed in 1970, by Katharine and Harold Fisher as a result of Katharine’s experience of agoraphobia and her desire to develop support for others similarly affected. Since those early beginnings, they have grown to become a national organisation with an international reach, whilst retaining a user-led ethos – being run by and for those with anxiety. Many of their small seven-strong staff team have their own lived experience and understand the distress, isolation and misery that anxiety can cause. We’re here to help and can support you to find ways to control anxiety instead of it controlling you.

Bipolar UK – Official website. Their mission is to empower everyone affected by bipolar to live well and fulfil their potential.

Birmingham Mind – Official website. Birmingham Mind is the largest independent mental health charity providing services in and beyond the City of Birmingham’s boundaries. Their website shows how they are promoting wellbeing and recovery, providing high-quality support and challenging the stigma of mental distress.

Campain Against Living Miserably – Official website. C.A.L.M. are taking a stand against suicide. That means standing against feeling shit, standing up to stereotypes, and standing together to show life is always worth living. 125 lives are lost every week to suicide. And 75% of all U.K. suicides are male. They exist to change this. They do it by provoking conversation, running life-saving services, and bringing people together so they reject living miserably, get help when they need it and don’t die by suicide. But they can’t do it alone. Stand with them.

Mental Health Foundation – Official website. Their vision is for a world with good mental health for all. They work to prevent mental health problems. Helping people understand, protect and sustain their mental health. They will drive change towards a mentally healthy society for all, and support communities, families and individuals to live mentally healthier lives, with a particular focus on those at greatest risk.

Mind – Official website. Mind provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. They campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding. They won’t give up until everyone experiencing a mental health problem gets support and respect.

Rethink Mental Illness – Official website. Their vision is for equality, rights, fair treatment and maximum quality of life for all those affected by mental illness, their carers, family and friends. As one of the largest charitable providers of services for people living with mental illness, they are well placed to make a direct impact on the care people receive. But they have a much larger vision too – to transform at every level the way our nation approaches mental illness. Every year, our diverse range of information and support helps tens of thousands of people get through crises, live independently and feel that they do not have to face mental illness alone.

Samaritans – Official website. Whatever you’re facing, a Samaritan will face it with you. Every day, Samaritans volunteers respond to around 10,000 calls for help. They are here, day or night, for anyone who’s struggling to cope, who needs someone to listen without judgement or pressure. Samaritans are not only for the moment of crisis, they are taking action to prevent the crisis. They give people ways to cope and the skills to be there for others. And they encourage, promote and celebrate those moments of connection between people that can save lives. They offer to listen and support people and communities in times of need. In prisons, schools, hospitals and on the rail network, Samaritans are working with people who are going through a difficult time and training others to do the same. Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy, and Samaritans’ vision is that fewer people die by suicide. That’s why they work tirelessly to reach more people and make suicide prevention a priority.

The Blurt Foundation – Official website. Think of them as the knowing nod. You’ve seen it – a slight bob of the head, often accompanied by a smile. A little movement that says, “I understand”, “I’m listening” and “I’m here for you”. That’s Blurt. They really understand how devastating depression can be. Jobs come to an end, relationships break down and lives can be lost, all through the effect of depression. That’s why the work they do is so important – it not only changes lives but saves them.

Blog Posts

Charities: Frankie And Zoe Do Sober For October For Sands.

Charities: Help Harry Help Others.

Charities: Sands.

Mental Health: I Am A Domestic Violence Survivor By Paul Hibbert.

Notes And Links

Emergency I.D. Australia – The image shown at the top of this page and elsewhere is the copyright of Emergency I.D. Australia. They commenced business in the 2000’s after seeing first-hand a real need for vital information to be immediately accessible to everyone. Emergency ID is always creating new products to cater to a huge variety of needs and to drive the importance of wearing or carrying Emergency I.D. well into the future.

Emergency I.D. Australia on Facebook.

Emergency I.D. Australia on Instagram.

The photo above of the Foundling Hospital, Lamb’s Conduit Fields, Bloomsbury, London is in the public domain and came from Wikipedia.

The photo above of charity during the Enlightenment era by Antoine-Alexandre Morel is in the public domain and came from Wikipedia.

The photo above of a Puck magazine cartoon by Louis Dalrymple of Andrew Carnegie’s philanthropy is in the public domain and came from Wikipedia.

Charities: Frankie And Zoe Do Sober For October For Sands

The death of a child, as is the death of anyone close to you, is devastating news for anyone, especially when that devastation happens during pregnancy.

This is something that both my Son Frank Jnr. and Daughter-In-Law Zoe and Daughter Debbie have sadly had to experience.

Frank and Zoe both had tremendous help and support from Sands. In October 2023 they went Sober For October in aid of Sands. They hoped to raise £200 for the Charity Sands and to date have raised £220. WELL DONE to both of them. You can still donate to this here.

In memory of Georgie Parker, 2019. R.I.P.

Frankie And Zoe’s Story

On the 11th of November, 2019 Frankie and Zoe unfortunately lost their baby at 13 weeks old. It was a very traumatizing experience for them. They had to hold their tiny baby in their hands and say goodbye and they will never forget that moment.

They hoped to raise £200 for the Charity Sands and to date have raised £220. WELL DONE to both of them.

You can still donate if you want to and they are appreciative of any amount (via JustGiving) towards this charity that has helped them so much or any help you can give e.g. by simply sharing this post.

About Sands

Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, operates across the U.K.

They support anyone affected by the death of a baby. Working in partnership with health professionals they ensure that bereaved parents and families receive the best possible care. They promote improvements in practice and funding research that could help to reduce the loss of babies’ lives.

They depend on the amazing energies of their supporters to raise the vital funds that they need to deliver the wide range of services that they offer.

Donate

You can donate to Frankie and Zoe’s Sober For October appeal on their JustGiving page by clicking here.

Blog Posts

Charities: Help Harry Help Others.

Charities: Sands.

Mental Health: I Am A Domestic Violence Survivor By Paul Hibbert.

Notes And Links

The image at the top of this page is copyright of Frank Parker Jnr.

Sands – The image shown at the top of this page is the copyright of Sands and comes from their official website.

Charities: Sands

The death of a child, as is the death of anyone close to you, is devastating news for anyone, especially when that devastation happens during pregnancy.

This is something that both my Son Frank Jnr. and Daughter-In-Law Zoe and Daughter Debbie have sadly had to experience.

Please help this charity in any way you can. You can donate to Sands below.

Sands logo.

About Sands

Sands works to support anyone affected by pregnancy loss or the death of a baby.

They also carry out vital work to improve maternity safety through targeted research, campaigning for change, working with the government and reducing inequalities in healthcare to save babies’ lives.

Every day 13 babies die before, during or shortly after birth. Sands works to understand where and why babies die and why some women and babies are more at risk than others. This must change.

Their vision is for a world where fewer babies die and when a baby does die anyone affected receives the best possible care and support for as long as they need.

The charity was founded by bereaved parents in 1978 who found that there was no access to support following the deaths of their babies. Since then Sands has grown, but parents who have experienced baby loss are still at the heart of everything they do.

They are made up of staff and volunteers who work together to ensure that anyone affected by the death of a baby has access to compassionate, experienced support. They offer one-to-one and group support through their various bereavement support channels, local groups and Sands United football teams, their family and remembrance events and they provide virtual and physical bereavement resources such as memory boxes.

They save babies’ lives by amplifying the voices of bereaved families and healthcare professionals, campaigning for change in policy and practice, and funding research to understand why babies die.

Sands exist to reduce the number of babies dying and to support anyone affected by the death of a baby, before, during or shortly after birth, whenever this happens and for as long as they need support.

Babies are dying every day. Currently, in the U.K., 13 families a day suffer the heartbreak of losing their baby before, during or shortly after birth. That’s around 4,500 babies a year, and at least 15% of pregnancies end in miscarriage. These numbers are shocking and show the scale of the problem.

Currently, far too many babies die without scientists, doctors, midwives, or their own parents understanding why. That’s why they believe research is vital in improving their understanding of how to save babies’ lives and using that evidence to drive changes in maternity policy and practice.

For more than 40 years, Sands has been there for anyone affected by pregnancy and baby loss to offer understanding and comfort through its Freephone helpline, mobile app, online community and resources, and locally through a UK-wide network of around 100 regional support groups.

Sands works in partnership with health care professionals, trusts and health boards and offers a range of training programmes and bereavement care resources to ensure that every bereaved parent and family receives the best possible care wherever they are in the U.K.

Sands supports and promotes research to better understand the causes of baby deaths, improve maternity safety and save babies’ lives. The charity also raises awareness of baby loss and works with governments, key influencers and other stakeholders to make reducing the number of babies dying a priority nationally and locally.

Click here to meet their staff.

Click here to meet their trustees.

Click here to meet their ambassadors.

You can read more about what great work they do with lots more information and links to click by going to their website here.

This section contains information about the statistics around baby deaths in the UK, the national maternity reports that have highlighted the change that needs to happen and links to our policy and campaigns work to reduce the number of baby deaths in the U.K.

Their Work

Research Projects

See all research projects here.

Inequalities And Stillbirth In The U.K.

What does existing research say about how to reduce stillbirths in disadvantaged families?

Read supported research studies on stillbirth here.

Sands funded a review of inequalities and stillbirth. Potentially avoidable inequalities mean that certain groups of people are more likely to experience the devastation of stillbirth.

The research team found evidence of links between inequalities and stillbirth as long as 70 years ago. However, they found that there was no research studying how to reduce stillbirths in disadvantaged families in the U.K.

They suggest a specific research forum is required to lead the development of research and policy in this area, which can use different research perspectives and address the overlaps between different policy areas.

Read more about inequalities and stillbirth in the U.K. here.

Parents And Neonatal Decisions Study

Improving communication during conversations about limiting life-sustaining treatment in neonatal intensive care.

Read supported research studies on Healthcare professionals’ experiences here, parents and families experiences here and neonatal death here.

One of the most difficult decisions parents and doctors face in a neonatal unit is moving from full intensive care to palliative care. The research team know from parents that these conversations can remain with them for the rest of their lives.

How doctors handle these situations is usually based on their own experience or on training that involves sitting in on conversations more experienced doctors have with families. In a survey of doctors in 2014, most wanted more training in these conversations and breaking bad news, the team would like to improve the way these conversations are had by training doctors.

The team have recorded real conversations between parents and doctors and is analysing them. The findings will then be used to create training to help doctors understand, communicate and support parents during these difficult conversations.

The parent advisory group, research team and Sands have also created a resource to support doctors having end-of-life conversations with parents. The Parent advisory group share their tips about communicating sensitively and clearly and supporting the teams’ wellbeing. The resource can be found at the end of this page.

You can find out more about the impact of this research on training doctors here.

Read more about parents and neonatal decisions study here.

Prediction And Prevention Of Perinatal Death

Read supported research studies on stillbirth here and neonatal death here.

Background:

This project aims to find a way of identifying babies at high risk of death in the womb or shortly after birth so that they can be monitored more closely and delivered early if necessary. Effective preventive treatment could also lead to a reduction in the risk of death. Stillbirth is a tragedy suffered by the families of 1 in 240 babies in the U.K. There has been a slow improvement in this figure in the past two decades, and the UK still lags in 24^th place out of 49 high-income countries. Most stillbirths occur in late pregnancy: approximately one-half after 34 weeks. They urgently need an effective way of identifying these babies, in order to implement appropriate targeted management to reduce their risk. Also, women whose babies are shown to be at low risk can be reassured, and their schedule of antenatal visits and scans tailored accordingly. In addition to the obvious clinical benefits to the baby and mother, this would result in significant financial savings and allow focus on those most in need.

Why is the research needed?

There is no single test that can accurately predict the risk of stillbirth in pregnant women. Current national and international guidelines provide a list of risk factors based on clinical characteristics of the mother to assess their risk, but these have limited accuracy. Many studies have found an association between abnormal biochemical tests and stillbirth. Abnormal ultrasound findings of blood flow to the womb have also been shown to have some accuracy in identifying mothers at risk. Unfortunately, these individual tests do not perform sufficiently well on their own for them to be used routinely.

Perinatal death includes stillbirth and deaths within the first week of life, and it affects 1 in 166 babies in the U.K. Existing evidence synthesis projects, where the published data from a number of similar studies are pooled and analysed together, on perinatal death have been unable to provide clear conclusions on the performance of the tests or prevention strategies.

What will the researchers do?

For this project, Dr Khalil’s research team will obtain the individual data of all participants in relevant studies, through the International Stillbirth Collaborative Network. The team has established a similar network comprised of more than 50 researchers, with access to data from over 500,000 women to date. Access to the individual data will allow them to take into account the many different factors that predict the risk of perinatal death and develop a scoring system (prediction model) to provide women with their individualised risk. As part of the project, the team will test the performance of this scoring system to ensure that it is reliable.

The plan is to also develop a tool or set of interventions to help prevent stillbirth, and this will be tested to ensure it is helpful for a large population of women. Overall, the scoring system and preventive tool will allow doctors and midwives to tailor the care, monitoring and any possible intervention for each woman.

A third part of the project will involve drawing up an evidence-based list of important outcomes (such as whether the stillbirth occurred during the pregnancy or labour, early neonatal death and late neonatal death) which researchers should include in future studies aiming at preventing perinatal death. The team will develop this list by working together with the experts in stillbirth, patient representatives, and the international initiatives Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials and Core Outcomes in Women’s Health. This should improve the design and reporting of future studies, and make the results more useful.

What they expect from the study:

A scoring system to identify a woman’s individual risk of perinatal death.

A set of interventions appropriate for women with higher risk.

A set of definitions for use in future research looking into perinatal death.

Research Papers:

Can risk prediction models help us individualise stillbirth prevention? A systematic review and critical appraisal of published risk models can be read here.

Additional Information:

The lead researcher is Dr Asma Khalil, St George’s University of London.

Sum awarded:

£129,012.

Other funding:

None.

Duration of study:

15 months from the 1st of December 2017 to the 28th of February 2019.

Find out more about what they do and their plans for the future in their research strategy here.

Click here to see all the services they offer.

Their Finances

Click here to view all of Sands finances to date.

Jobs Vacancies

Click here to see the latest job vacancies at Sands.

Causes Of Baby Death

Click here to read more about causes of baby death.

There’s a wide range of reasons why babies die. Causes of stillbirths (death before birth) and deaths of newborn babies (neonatal deaths) are looked at separately as different problems are more common in each group.

Stillbirths

Many people think that stillbirths happen because of a developmental or genetic problem that means the baby could not survive. In fact, this is the case for fewer than one in ten stillborn babies. For one third of stillborn babies, the cause of death is not known. For another third, the cause of death is attributed to problems with the placenta.

Neonatal Deaths

More than 40% of neonatal deaths are linked to prematurity or low birthweight, both of which increase the likelihood of serious health problems, including lung and gut conditions. Another third of neonatal deaths are caused by genetic conditions present from birth.

The MBRRACE-UK data in the two charts above only includes stillbirths and neonatal deaths at 24 weeks gestation or later, therefore these figures for causes of death do not include earlier stillbirths and neonatal deaths. The causes of death shown on the charts are explained below.

Other Causes Of Stillbirth And Neonatal Death

(1) Infection. This refers to deaths caused by infections that directly affect the mother, baby, or the environment within the womb, for example, Group B Strep.

(2) Intrapartum. This includes deaths that happen during or shortly after birth due to complications or issues that arise during labour, such as when the baby does not receive enough oxygen during birth (birth asphyxia).

(3) Congenital anomaly. This includes genetic anomalies present before birth, such as congenital heart defects.

(4) Fetal. This includes deaths caused by any condition or event affecting the unborn baby, except for congenital anomalies, such as the baby being smaller than expected in the womb.

(5) Cord. This refers to deaths caused by problems with the umbilical cord, such as the cord wrapping around the baby’s neck.

(6) Maternal. This refers to health conditions in the mother that existed before pregnancy, were made worse by pregnancy, or arose because of pregnancy, for example, pre-eclampsia.

Sands And Tommy’s Joint Policy Unit

In 2022, the Sands and Tommy’s came together to form a Joint Policy Unit. Together we are focussed on achieving policy change that will save more babies’ lives during pregnancy and the neonatal period and on tackling inequalities in loss so that everyone can benefit from the best possible outcomes.

The Sands and Tommy’s Joint Policy Unit is focused on achieving policy change so that fewer babies die, and inequalities in baby loss are eliminated.

About Sands And Tommy’s Joint Policy Unit

In 2022, the Sands and Tommy’s came together to form a Joint Policy Unit. Together we are focussed on achieving policy change that will save more babies’ lives during pregnancy and the neonatal period and on tackling inequalities in loss, so that everyone can benefit from the best possible outcomes.

Report: Better Board Oversight Needed To Save Babies’ Lives

The safety and quality of maternity and neonatal services are the responsibility of the board in each NHS Trust. However, board oversight has been highlighted as an issue in successive inquiries and reviews.

We reviewed publicly available board papers and minutes for seven NHS Trusts in England to analyse whether the information presented to boards, the process for review, and actions taken enabled boards to deliver on this responsibility.

Our findings across these three areas raise questions about boards’ ability to have a full understanding of the performance of maternity and neonatal units under their direction under the current system.

Click here to download the report in PDF format.

Click here to read their blog on HSJ.

Saving Babies’ Lives 2023: A Report On Progress

The Sands and Tommy’s Joint Policy Unit is focussed on achieving policy change so that fewer babies die, and inequalities in baby loss eliminated.

This report brings together data from different sources for the first time to show the extent of pregnancy loss and baby death across the UK. Outlining recent trends and evidence, as well as gaps in our understanding, it sets out key areas where action is required to reduce rates of miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm birth and neonatal death.

This is not a one-off report – we will continue to provide independent oversight of progress, and are committed to working with government and policymakers to secure change that will save more babies’ lives in the future.

Click here to download the summary report in PDF format.

Click here to download the full report in PDF format. Please note: The stillbirth rate and extended perinatal mortality rate for Wales were updated in August 2023. In the original publication in May 2023, the infant mortality rate for Wales was incorrectly entered as the stillbirth rate.

Click here to download the infographic in PDF format.

For more information about the Joint Policy Unit, please click here to contact Robert Wilson, Head of the Joint Policy Unit.

Watch And Listen

Sands have worked on a number of special projects and collaborations highlighting the impact of baby loss. Click here to see all of them.

Lewis Capaldi’s Song For Rob And Charlotte Allen

Lewis Capaldi’s released a video for his song Pointless that tells Rob and Charlotte Allen’s moving and inspirational story.

Sands was so very grateful to Lewis and his team at E.M.I. for wanting to share the story behind Sands United and helping more people find out about their work saving babies’ lives and supporting bereaved families like Rob and Charlotte’s.

Since Rob set up that first team in Northampton, Sands United has grown to become a unique way for dads and other bereaved men to come together through a mutual love of sport. Each team provides its members with peer support, and a safe space to talk about their grief if and when they’re ready.

Here is what Sands United founder and Patron said,

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“Setting up the first Sands United FC was a lifeline for me, and it has now helped hundreds of other men affected by pregnancy or baby loss. From the moment we put on our shirts and step out onto the pitch with our babies’ names over our hearts, every Sands United member knows they are understood and that everyone in that team is there to support them.

“I can’t say a big enough thank you to Lewis Capaldi for gifting us this opportunity to share our family’s story and show how Sands will continue to help so many bereaved people to survive. All our babies are always loved and never forgotten. Life after loss can sometimes feel pointless but I want anyone touched by this grief to know there is also hope.”

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Charities: Frankie And Zoe Do Sober For October For Sands.

Charities: Help Harry Help Others.

Mental Health: I Am A Domestic Violence Survivor By Paul Hibbert.

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Peace: Buddhism – Part Three

I don’t practice Buddhism but I have been interested in it for a long time now. It is the only religion I have time for because it truly promotes peace without the need for an imaginary man in the sky and the fear and anything that is not peaceful associated with him.

Buddhist Texts

Buddhism, like all Indian religions, was initially an oral tradition in ancient times. The Buddha’s words, the early doctrines, concepts, and their traditional interpretations were orally transmitted from one generation to the next. The earliest oral texts were transmitted in Middle Indo-Aryan languages called Prakrits, such as Pali, through the use of communal recitation and other mnemonic techniques.

The first Buddhist canonical texts were likely written down in Sri Lanka, about 400 years after the Buddha died. The texts were part of the Tripitakas, and many versions appeared thereafter claiming to be the words of the Buddha. Scholarly Buddhist commentary texts, with named authors, appeared in India, around the 2nd century CE. These texts were written in Pali or Sanskrit, sometimes regional languages, such as palm-leaf manuscripts, birch bark, painted scrolls, carved into temple walls, and later on paper.

Unlike what the Bible is to Christianity and the Quran is to Islam, like all major ancient Indian religions, there is no consensus among the different Buddhist traditions as to what constitutes the scriptures or a common canon in Buddhism. The general belief among Buddhists is that the canonical corpus is vast. This corpus includes the ancient Sutras organised into Nikayas or Agamas, itself part of three baskets of texts called the Tripitakas. Each Buddhist tradition has its own collection of texts, much of which is a translation of ancient Pali and Sanskrit Buddhist texts of India. The Chinese Buddhist canon, for example, includes 2184 texts in 55 volumes, while the Tibetan canon comprises 1108 texts (all claimed to have been spoken by the Buddha) and another 3461 texts composed by Indian scholars revered in the Tibetan tradition. The Buddhist textual history is vast; over 40,000 manuscripts (mostly Buddhist, some non-Buddhist) were discovered in 1900 in the Dunhuang Chinese cave alone.

Read more here.

A Depiction Of The Supposed First Buddhist Council At Rajgir.

The image above shows the first Council at Rajagaha, at the Nava Jetavana, and the current Rajgir (around the 5th century BC).

The communal recitation was one of the original ways of transmitting and preserving Early Buddhist texts.

Early Buddhist Texts

Read more here.

The Early Buddhist Texts refer to the literature which is considered by modern scholars to be the earliest Buddhist material. The first four Pali Nikayas and the corresponding Chinese Āgamas are generally considered to be among the earliest material. Apart from these, there are also fragmentary collections of EBT materials in other languages such as Sanskrit, Khotanese, Tibetan and Gāndhārī. The modern study of early Buddhism often relies on comparative scholarship using these various early Buddhist sources to identify parallel texts and common doctrinal content. One feature of these early texts is literary structures which reflect oral transmission, such as widespread repetition.

Gandhara Birchbark Scroll Fragments.

This manuscript from the British Library Collection (c. 1st century) is written on birchbark and is part of a group of early manuscripts from Gandhara (modern East Afghanistan).

The Tripitakas

After the development of the different early Buddhist schools, these schools began to develop their own textual collections, which were termed Tripiṭakas (Triple Baskets).

Many early Tripiṭakas, like the Pāli Tipitaka, was divided into three sections: Vinaya Pitaka (focuses on monastic rule), Sutta Pitaka (Buddhist discourses) and Abhidhamma Pitaka, which contain expositions and commentaries on the doctrine. The Pāli Tipitaka (also known as the Pali Canon) of the Theravada School constitutes the only complete collection of Buddhist texts in an Indic language which has survived until today. However, many Sutras, Vinayas and Abhidharma work from other schools survive in Chinese translation, as part of the Chinese Buddhist Canon. According to some sources, some early schools of Buddhism had five or seven pitakas.

Read more here and here.

Mahāyāna Texts

The Mahāyāna sūtras are a very broad genre of Buddhist scriptures that the Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition holds are original teachings of the Buddha. Modern historians generally hold that the first of these texts were composed probably around the 1st century BCE or 1st century CE. In Mahāyāna, these texts are generally given greater authority than the early Āgamas and Abhidharma literature, which are called Śrāvakayāna or Hinayana to distinguish them from Mahāyāna sūtras. Mahāyāna traditions mainly see these different classes of texts as being designed for different types of persons, with different levels of spiritual understanding. The Mahāyāna sūtras are alleged to be seen as being for those of greater capacity. Mahāyāna also has a very large literature of philosophical and exegetical texts. These are often called śāstra (treatises) or vrittis (commentaries). Some of this literature was also written in verse form (karikās), the most famous of which is the Mūlamadhyamika-karikā (Root Verses on the Middle Way) by Nagarjuna, the foundational text of the Madhyamika school.

Read more here.

Tantric Texts

During the Gupta Empire, a new class of Buddhist sacred literature began to develop, which are called the Tantras. By the 8th century, the tantric tradition was very influential in India and beyond. Besides drawing on a Mahāyāna Buddhist framework, these texts also borrowed deities and material from other Indian religious traditions, such as the Śaiva and Pancharatra traditions, local god/goddess cults, and local spirit worship (such as yaksha or nāga spirits).

Some features of these texts include the widespread use of mantras, meditation on the subtle body, worship of fierce deities, and antinomian and transgressive practices such as ingesting alcohol and performing sexual rituals.

Read more here.

The Tripiṭaka Koreana In South Korea.

This edition of the Chinese Buddhist canon is stored at Haeinsa (Temple of Reflection on a Smooth Sea). It is one of the foremost Chogye Buddhist temples in South Korea. The whole of the Buddhist Scriptures is carved onto 81,258 wooden printing blocks, which Haeinsa has housed since 1398.

Schools And Traditions

Buddhists generally classify themselves as either Theravāda or Mahāyāna. This classification is also used by some scholars and is the one ordinarily used in the English language. An alternative scheme used by some scholars divides Buddhism into the following three traditions or geographical or cultural areas: Theravāda (or Southern Buddhism, South Asian Buddhism), East Asian Buddhism (or just Eastern Buddhism) and Indo-Tibetan Buddhism (or Northern Buddhism).

Some scholars use other schemes and Buddhists themselves have a variety of other schemes. Hinayana (literally lesser or inferior vehicle) is sometimes used by Mahāyāna followers to name the family of early philosophical schools and traditions from which contemporary Theravāda emerged, but as the Hinayana term is considered derogatory, a variety of other terms are used instead, including Śrāvakayāna, Nikaya Buddhism, early Buddhist schools, sectarian Buddhism and conservative Buddhism.

Not all traditions of Buddhism share the same philosophical outlook or treat the same concepts as central. Each tradition, however, does have its own core concepts, and some comparisons can be drawn between them:

Both Theravāda and Mahāyāna accept and revere the Buddha Sakyamuni as the founder, Mahāyāna also reveres numerous other Buddhas, such as Amitabha or Vairocana as well as many other bodhisattvas not revered in Theravāda.

Both accept the Middle Way, Dependent origination, the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, the Three Jewels, the Three marks of existence and the Bodhipakṣadharmas (aids to awakening).

Mahāyāna focuses mainly on the bodhisattva path to Buddhahood which it sees as universal and to be practised by all persons, while Theravāda does not focus on teaching this path and teaches the attainment of arhatship as a worthy goal to strive towards. The bodhisattva path is not denied in Theravāda, it is generally seen as a long and difficult path suitable for only a few. Thus the Bodhisattva path is normative in Mahāyāna, while it is an optional path for a heroic few in Theravāda.

Mahāyāna sees the arhat’s nirvana as being imperfect and inferior or preliminary to full Buddhahood. It sees arhatship as selfish since bodhisattvas vow to save all beings while arhats save only themselves. Theravāda meanwhile does not accept that the arhat’s nirvana is an inferior or preliminary attainment, nor that it is a selfish deed to attain arhatship since not only are arhats described as compassionate but they have destroyed the root of greed, the sense of I am.

Mahāyāna accepts the authority of the many Mahāyāna sutras along with the other Nikaya texts like the Agamas and the Pali canon (though it sees Mahāyāna texts as primary), while Theravāda does not accept that the Mahāyāna sutras are buddhavacana (word of the Buddha) at all.

Read more here and here.

Distribution Of Major Buddhist Traditions.

This map of the main modern Buddhist sects is sourced from Rupert Gethin’s The Foundations of Buddhism.

Buddhists In Belgium.

This is a meeting of Belgian Buddhist representatives at the Yeunten Ling Tibetan Institute, Huy on the 3rd of September, 1997.

Monasteries And Temples

Buddhist institutions are often housed and centred around monasteries (Sanskrit:viharas) and temples. Buddhist monastics originally followed a life of wandering, never staying in one place for long. During the three-month rainy season (vassa) they would gather together in one place for a period of intense practice and then depart again. Some of the earliest Buddhist monasteries were at groves (vanas) or woods (araññas), such as Jetavana and Sarnath’s Deer Park. There originally seem to have been two main types of monasteries, monastic settlements (sangharamas) were built and supported by donors, and woodland camps (avasas) were set up by monks. Whatever structures were built in these locales were made out of wood and were sometimes temporary structures built for the rainy season. Over time, the wandering community slowly adopted more settled cenobitic forms of monasticism.

There are many different forms of Buddhist structures. Classic Indian Buddhist institutions mainly made use of the following structures: monasteries, rock-hewn cave complexes (such as the Ajanta Caves), stupas (funerary mounds which contained relics), and temples such as the Mahabodhi Temple. In Southeast Asia, the most widespread institutions are centred on wats. East Asian Buddhist institutions also use various structures including monastic halls, temples, lecture halls, bell towers and pagodas. In Japanese Buddhist temples, these different structures are usually grouped together in an area termed the garan. In Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Buddhist institutions are generally housed in gompas. They include monastic quarters, stupas and prayer halls with Buddha images. In the modern era, the Buddhist meditation centre, which is mostly used by laypersons and often also staffed by them, has also become widespread.

Read more here.

The Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya, India.

Boudha Stupa In Kathmandu, Nepal.

Buddhism In The Modern Era

Colonial Era

Buddhism has faced various challenges and changes during the colonisation of Buddhist states by Christian countries and its persecution under modern states. Like other religions, the findings of modern science have challenged its basic premises. One response to some of these challenges has come to be called Buddhist modernism. Early Buddhist modernist figures such as the American convert Henry Olcott (1832 – 1907) and Anagarika Dharmapala (1864 – 1933) reinterpreted and promoted Buddhism as a scientific and rational religion which they saw as compatible with modern science.

East Asian Buddhism meanwhile suffered under various wars which ravaged China during the modern era, such as the Taiping Rebellion and World War II (which also affected Korean Buddhism). During the Republican period (1912 – 49), a new movement called Humanistic Buddhism was developed by figures such as Taixu (1899 – 1947), and though Buddhist institutions were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution (1966 – 76), there has been a revival of the religion in China after 1977. Japanese Buddhism also went through a period of modernisation during the Meiji period. In Central Asia meanwhile, the arrival of Communist repression in Tibet (1966 – 1980) and Mongolia (between 1924 and 1990) had a strong negative impact on Buddhist institutions, though the situation has improved somewhat since the 80’s and 90’s.

Read more here and here.

A Buryat Buddhist monk in Siberia.

Buddhism In The West

While there were some encounters of Western travellers or missionaries such as St. Francis Xavier and Ippolito Desideri with Buddhist cultures, it was not until the 19th century that Buddhism began to be studied by Western scholars. It was the work of pioneering scholars such as Eugène Burnouf, Max Müller, Hermann Oldenberg and Thomas William Rhys Davids that paved the way for modern Buddhist studies in the West. The English words such as Buddhism, Boudhist, Bauddhist and Buddhist were coined in the early 19th century in the West, while in 1881, Rhys Davids founded the Pali Text Society, an influential Western resource of Buddhist literature in the Pali language and one of the earliest publisher of a journal on Buddhist studies. It was also during the 19th century that Asian Buddhist immigrants (mainly from China and Japan) began to arrive in Western countries such as the United States and Canada, bringing with them their Buddhist religion. This period also saw the first Westerners to formally convert to Buddhism, such as Helena Blavatsky and Henry Steel Olcott. An important event in the introduction of Buddhism to the West was the 1893 World Parliament of Religions, which for the first time saw well-publicized speeches by major Buddhist leaders alongside other religious leaders.

The 20th century saw a prolific growth of new Buddhist institutions in Western countries, including the Buddhist Society, London (1924), Das Buddhistische Haus (1924) and Datsan Gunzechoinei in St Petersburg. The publication and translations of Buddhist literature in Western languages thereafter accelerated. After the second world war, further immigration from Asia, globalisation, the secularisation of Western culture as well a renewed interest in Buddhism among the ’60s counter-culture led to further growth in Buddhist institutions. Influential figures on post-war Western Buddhism include Shunryu Suzuki, Jack Kerouac, Alan Watts, Thích Nhất Hạnh, and the 14th Dalai Lama. While Buddhist institutions have grown, some of the central premises of Buddhism such as the cycles of rebirth and the Four Noble Truths have been problematic in the West. In contrast, states Christopher Gowans, for “most ordinary [Asian] Buddhists, today as well as in the past, their basic moral orientation is governed by belief in karma and rebirth”. Most Asian Buddhist laypersons, states Kevin Trainor, have historically pursued Buddhist rituals and practices seeking better rebirth, not nirvana or freedom from rebirth.

The 1893 World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, Illinois, United States.

Interior of the Thai Buddhist wat in Nukari, Nurmijärvi, Finland.

Neo-Buddhism Movements

A number of modern movements in Buddhism emerged during the second half of the 20th century. These new forms of Buddhism are diverse and significantly depart from traditional beliefs and practices.

In India, B.R. Ambedkar launched the Navayana tradition (literally, “new vehicle”). Ambedkar’s Buddhism rejects the foundational doctrines and historic practices of traditional Theravada and Mahayana traditions, such as monk lifestyle after renunciation, karma, rebirth, samsara, meditation, nirvana, Four Noble Truths and others. Ambedkar’s Navayana Buddhism considers these as superstitions and re-interprets the original Buddha as someone who taught about class struggle and social equality. Ambedkar urged low-caste Indian Dalits to convert to his Marxism-inspired reinterpretation called Navayana Buddhism, also known as Bhimayana Buddhism. Ambedkar’s effort led to the expansion of Navayana Buddhism in India.

The Thai King Mongkut (r. 1851 – 68), and his son Chulalongkorn (r. 1868 – 1910), were responsible for modern reforms of Thai Buddhism. Modern Buddhist movements include Secular Buddhism in many countries, Won Buddhism in Korea, the Dhammakaya movement in Thailand and several Japanese organisations, such as Shinnyo-en, Risshō Kōsei Kai or Soka Gakkai.

Some of these movements have brought internal disputes and strife within regional Buddhist communities. For example, the Dhammakaya movement in Thailand teaches a true self doctrine, which traditional Theravada monks consider as heretically denying the fundamental anatta (not-self) doctrine of Buddhism.

Read more here.

Cultural Influence

Buddhism has had a profound influence on various cultures, especially in Asia. Buddhist philosophy, Buddhist art, Buddhist architecture, Buddhist cuisine and Buddhist festivals continue to be influential elements of the modern Culture of Asia, especially in East Asia and the Sinosphere as well as in Southeast Asia and the Indosphere. According to Litian Fang, Buddhism has “permeated a wide range of fields, such as politics, ethics, philosophy, literature, art and customs,” in these Asian regions. Buddhist teachings influenced the development of modern Hinduism as well as other Asian religions like Taoism and Confucianism. Buddhist philosophers like Dignaga and Dharmakirti were very influential in the development of Indian logic and epistemology. Buddhist educational institutions like Nalanda and Vikramashila preserved various disciplines of classical Indian knowledge such as grammar, astronomy/astrology and medicine and taught foreign students from Asia.

In the Western world, Buddhism has had a strong influence on modern New Age spirituality and other alternative spiritualities. This began with its influence on 20th-century Theosophists such as Helena Blavatsky, which were some of the first Westerners to take Buddhism seriously as a spiritual tradition. More recently, Buddhist meditation practices have influenced the development of modern psychology, particularly the practice of Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and other similar mindfulness-based modalities. The influence of Buddhism on psychology can also be seen in certain forms of modern psychoanalysis.

Shamanism is a widespread practice in some Buddhist societies. Buddhist monasteries have long existed alongside local shamanic traditions. Lacking an institutional orthodoxy, Buddhists adapted to the local cultures, blending their own traditions with pre-existing shamanic culture. Research into Himalayan religion has shown that Buddhist and shamanic traditions overlap in many respects: the worship of localized deities, healing rituals and exorcisms. The shamanic Gurung people have adopted some of the Buddhist beliefs such as rebirth but maintain the shamanic rites of guiding the soul after death.

Read more here.

Lhasa’s Potala Palace In Tibet.

The Palace, pictured here in 2019, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Demographics

Buddhism is practised by an estimated 488 million, 495 million, or 535 million people as of the 2010’s, representing 7% to 8% of the world’s total population. China is the country with the largest population of Buddhists, approximately 244 million or 18% of its total population. They are mostly followers of Chinese schools of Mahayana, making this the largest body of Buddhist traditions. Mahayana also practised in broader East Asia, is followed by over half of world Buddhists.

Buddhism is the dominant religion in Bhutan, Myanmar, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Japan, Tibet, Laos, Macau, Mongolia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. Large Buddhist populations live in Mainland China, Taiwan, North Korea, Nepal and South Korea. In Russia, Buddhists form majority in Tuva (52%) and Kalmykia (53%). Buryatia (20%) and Zabaykalsky Krai (15%) also have significant Buddhist populations.

Buddhism is also growing by conversion. In New Zealand, about 25 to 35% of the total Buddhists are converts to Buddhism. Buddhism has also spread to the Nordic countries; for example, the Burmese Buddhists founded in the city of Kuopio in North Savonia the first Buddhist monastery of Finland, named the Buddha Dhamma Ramsi monastery.

Read more here.

The above articles and the rest of the images on this page were sourced from Wikipedia and are subject to change.

Read notes etc. regarding the above post here.

Blog Posts

Peace: Buddhism – Part One.

Peace: Buddhism – Part Two.

Peace.

The Birmingham Buddhist Vihara.

The Birmingham Buddhist Vihara Photos: Page 1.

The Birmingham Buddhist Vihara Photos: Page 2.

The Birmingham Buddhist Vihara Photos: Page 3.

Notes And Links

The Birmingham Buddhist Vihara on Facebook.

The image above of A Depiction Of The Supposed First Buddhist Council At Rajgir is copyright of Wikipedia user Anandajoti. It comes with a Creative Commons licence (CC BY 2.0).

The image above of Gandhara Birchbark Scroll Fragments is in the Public Domain.

The image above of The Tripiṭaka Koreana In South Korea is copyright of Lauren Heckler. It comes with a Creative Commons licence (CC BY 2.0). You can find more great work from her by clicking here.

The image above of Distribution Of Major Buddhist Traditions is copyright of Wikipedia user Javierfv1212. It comes with a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 3.0).

The image above of Buddhists In Belgium is copyright of Wikipedia user Phra Nicholas Thanissaro and is in the Public Domain.

The image above of The Mahabodhi Temple, Bodh Gaya, India is copyright of Wikipedia user Cacahuate. It comes with a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 2.5).

The image above of Boudha Stupa In Kathmandu, Nepal is copyright of Wikipedia user Nabin K. Sapkota. It comes with a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 4.0).

The image above of Buryat Buddhist monk in Siberia is copyright of Wikipedia user Аркадий Зарубин. It comes with a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 3.0).

The image above of The 1893 World Parliament Of Religions is in the Public Domain.

The image above of Interior of the Thai Buddhist wat in Nukari is copyright of Wikipedia user CartingCarl. It comes with a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 4.0).

The image above of Lhasa’s Potala Palace In Tibet is copyright of Wikipedia user 钉钉. It comes with a Creative Commons licence (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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Peace: Buddhism – Part Two

Paths To Liberation

The Bodhipakkhiyādhammā are seven lists of qualities or factors that contribute to awakening (bodhi). Each list is a short summary of the Buddhist path, and the seven lists substantially overlap. The best-known list in the West is the Noble Eightfold Path, but a wide variety of paths and models of progress have been used and described in the different Buddhist traditions. However, they generally share basic practices such as sila (ethics), samadhi (meditation, dhyana) and prajña (wisdom), which are known as the three trainings. An important additional practice is a kind and compassionate attitude toward every living being and the world. Devotion is also important in some Buddhist traditions, and in Tibetan traditions, visualisations of deities and mandalas are important. The value of the textual study is regarded differently in the various Buddhist traditions. It is central to Theravada and highly important to Tibetan Buddhism, while the Zen tradition takes an ambiguous stance.

An important guiding principle of Buddhist practice is the Middle Way (madhyamapratipad). It was a part of Buddha’s first sermon, where he presented the Noble Eightfold Path which was a middle way between the extremes of asceticism and a hedonistic sense of pleasures. In Buddhism, states Harvey, the doctrine of dependent arising (conditioned arising, pratītyasamutpāda) to explain rebirth is viewed as the middle way between the doctrines that a being has a permanent soul involved in rebirth (eternalism) and death is final and there is no rebirth (annihilationism).

Read more here.

Paths To Liberation In The Early Texts

A common presentation style of the path (mārga) to liberation in the Early Buddhist Texts is the graduated talk, in which the Buddha lays out a step-by-step training.

In the early texts, numerous different sequences of the gradual path can be found. One of the most important and widely used presentations among the various Buddhist schools is The Noble Eightfold Path or Eightfold Path of the Noble Ones (Skt. ‘āryāṣṭāṅgamārga’). This can be found in various discourses, most famously in the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (The discourse on the turning of the Dharma wheel).

Other suttas such as the Tevijja Sutta, and the Cula-Hatthipadopama-sutta give a different outline of the path, though with many similar elements such as ethics and meditation.

According to Rupert Gethin, the path to awakening is also frequently summarized by another short formula: “abandoning the hindrances, practice of the four establishings of mindfulness, and development of the awakening factors.”

Noble Eightfold Path

The Eightfold Path consists of a set of eight interconnected factors or conditions, that when developed together, lead to the cessation of dukkha. These eight factors are as follows:

Right View (or Right Understanding), Right Intention (or Right Thought), Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.

This Eightfold Path is the fourth of the Four Noble Truths and asserts the path to the cessation of dukkha (suffering, pain, unsatisfactoriness). The path teaches that the way of the enlightened ones stopped their craving, clinging and karmic accumulations, and thus ended their endless cycles of rebirth and suffering.

The Noble Eightfold Path is grouped into three basic divisions.

Read more here.

Common Buddhist Practices

Hearing And Learning The Dharma

In various suttas which present the graduated path taught by the Buddha, such as the Samaññaphala Sutta and the Cula-Hatthipadopama Sutta, the first step on the path is hearing the Buddha teach the Dharma. This is then said to lead to the acquiring of confidence or faith in the Buddha’s teachings.

Mahayana Buddhist teachers such as Yin Shun also state that hearing the Dharma and study of the Buddhist discourses is necessary “if one wants to learn and practice the Buddha Dharma.” Likewise, in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, the Stages of the Path (Lamrim) texts generally place the activity of listening to Buddhist teachings as an important early practice.

Sermon In The Deer Park Depicted At Wat Chedi Liam, Near Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand.

Refuge

Traditionally, the first step in most Buddhist schools requires taking of the Three Refuges, also called the Three Jewels (Sanskrit: triratna, Pali: tiratana) as the foundation of one’s religious practice. This practice may have been influenced by the Brahmanical motif of the triple refuge, found in the Rigveda 9.97.47, Rigveda 6.46.9 and Chandogya Upanishad 2.22.3–4. Tibetan Buddhism sometimes adds a fourth refuge, in the lama. The three refuges are believed by Buddhists to be protective and a form of reverence.

The ancient formula which is repeated for taking refuge affirms that “I go to the Buddha as refuge, I go to the Dhamma as refuge, I go to the Sangha as refuge.” Reciting the three refuges, according to Peter Harvey, is considered not as a place to hide, rather a thought that “purifies, uplifts and strengthens the heart”.

Read more here.

Śīla – Buddhist Ethics

Śīla (Sanskrit) or sīla (Pāli) is the concept of moral virtues, which is the second group and an integral part of the Noble Eightfold Path. It generally consists of right speech, right action and right livelihood.

One of the most basic forms of ethics in Buddhism is the taking of precepts. This includes the Five Precepts for laypeople, Eight or Ten Precepts for monastic life, as well as rules of Dhamma (Vinaya or Patimokkha) adopted by a monastery.

Other important elements of Buddhist ethics include giving or charity (dāna), Mettā (Good-Will), Heedfulness (Appamada), self-respect (Hri) and regard for consequences (Apatrapya).

Read more here.

Buddhist Monks Collect Alms In Si Phan Don, Laos.

Giving is a key virtue in Buddhism.

Precepts

Buddhist scriptures explain the five precepts (Pali: pañcasīla; Sanskrit: pañcaśīla) as the minimal standard of Buddhist morality. It is the most important system of morality in Buddhism, together with the monastic rules.

The five precepts are seen as basic training applicable to all Buddhists. They are as follows:

“I undertake the training-precept (sikkha–padam) to abstain from onslaught on breathing beings.” This includes ordering or causing someone else to kill. The Pali suttas also say one should not “approve of others killing” and that one should be “scrupulous, compassionate, trembling for the welfare of all living beings.”

“I undertake the training-precept to abstain from taking what is not given.” According to Harvey, this also covers fraud, cheating, forgery as well as “falsely denying that one is in debt to someone.”

“I undertake the training-precept to abstain from misconduct concerning sense-pleasures.” This generally refers to adultery, as well as rape and incest. It also applies to sex with those who are legally under the protection of a guardian. It is also interpreted in different ways in the varying Buddhist cultures.

“I undertake the training-precept to abstain from false speech.” According to Harvey this includes “any form of lying, deception or exaggeration… even non-verbal deception by gesture or other indication… or misleading statements.” The precept is often also seen as including other forms of wrong speech such as “divisive speech, harsh, abusive, angry words, and even idle chatter.”

“I undertake the training-precept to abstain from alcoholic drink or drugs that are an opportunity for heedlessness.” According to Harvey, intoxication is seen as a way to mask rather than face the sufferings of life. It is seen as damaging to one’s mental clarity, mindfulness and ability to keep the other four precepts.

Undertaking and upholding the five precepts is based on the principle of non-harming (Pāli and Sanskrit: ahiṃsa). The Pali Canon recommends that you compare yourself with others, and on the basis of that, you do not hurt others. Compassion and a belief in karmic retribution form the foundation of the precepts. Undertaking the five precepts is part of regular lay devotional practice, both at home and at the local temple. However, the extent to which people keep them differs per region and time. They are sometimes referred to as the śrāvakayāna precepts in the Mahāyāna tradition, contrasting them with the bodhisattva precepts.

Read more here.

Vinaya

Vinaya is the specific code of conduct for a sangha of monks or nuns. It includes the Patimokkha, a set of 227 offences including 75 rules of decorum for monks, along with penalties for transgression, in the Theravadin tradition. The precise content of the Vinaya Pitaka (scriptures on the Vinaya) differs in different schools and traditions, and different monasteries set their own standards for its implementation. The list of pattimokkha is recited every fortnight in a ritual gathering of all monks. Buddhist text with Vinaya rules for monasteries has been traced in all Buddhist traditions, with the oldest surviving being the ancient Chinese translations.

Monastic communities in the Buddhist tradition cut normal social ties to family and community, and, as Richard F. Gombrich says, “live as islands unto themselves”.

Within a monastic fraternity, a sangha has its own rules. A monk abides by these institutionalised rules, and living life as the Vinaya prescribes it is not merely a means, but very nearly the end in itself. Transgressions by a monk on Sangha Vinaya rules invite enforcement, which can include temporary or permanent expulsion.

Read more here.

A Buddhist Ordination Ceremony.

This is the ordination ceremony at Wat Yannawa in Bangkok. The Vinaya codes regulate the various sangha acts, including ordination.

Restraint And Renunciation

Another important practice taught by the Buddha is the restraint of the senses (indriyasamvara). In the various graduated paths, this is usually presented as a practice which is taught prior to formal sitting meditation, and which supports meditation by weakening sense desires that are a hindrance to meditation. According to scholar and meditation teacher Bhikkhu Anālayo, sense restraint is when one “guards the sense doors in order to prevent sense impressions from leading to desires and discontent.” This is not an avoidance of sense impression, but a kind of mindful attention towards the sense impressions which does not dwell on their main features or signs (nimitta). This is said to prevent harmful influences from entering the mind. This practice is said to give rise to inner peace and happiness which forms a basis for concentration and insight.

A related Buddhist virtue and practice is renunciation or the intent for desirelessness (nekkhamma). Generally, renunciation is the giving up of actions and desires that are seen as unwholesome on the path, such as lust for sensuality and worldly things. Renunciation can be cultivated in different ways. The practice of giving, for example, is one form of cultivating renunciation. Another one is giving up on lay life and becoming a monastic (bhiksu o bhiksuni). Practising celibacy (whether for life as a monk or temporarily) is also a form of renunciation. Many Jataka stories such as focus on how the Buddha practiced renunciation in past lives.

One way of cultivating renunciation taught by the Buddha is the contemplation (anupassana) of the dangers (or negative consequences) of sensual pleasure (kāmānaṃ ādīnava). As part of the graduated discourse, this contemplation is taught after the practice of giving and morality.

Another related practice to renunciation and sense of restraint taught by the Buddha is restraint in eating or moderation with food, which for monks generally means not eating after noon. Devout laypersons also follow this rule during special days of religious observance (uposatha). Observing the Uposatha also includes other practices dealing with renunciation, mainly the eight precepts.

For Buddhist monastics, renunciation can also be trained through several optional ascetic practices called dhutaṅga.

In different Buddhist traditions, other related practices which focus on fasting are followed.

A Buddhist Monk In Khao Luang, Thailand.

Living at the root of a tree (trukkhamulik’anga) is one of the dhutaṅgas, a series of optional ascetic practices for Buddhist monastics.

Mindfulness And Clear Comprehension

The training of the faculty called mindfulness (Pali: sati, Sanskrit: smṛti, literally meaning recollection, remembering) is central in Buddhism. According to Analayo, mindfulness is a full awareness of the present moment which enhances and strengthens memory. The Indian Buddhist philosopher Asanga defined mindfulness thus: “It is non-forgetting by the mind with regard to the object experienced. Its function is non-distraction.” According to Rupert Gethin, sati is also “an awareness of things in relation to things, and hence an awareness of their relative value.”

There are different practices and exercises for training mindfulness in the early discourses, such as the four Satipaṭṭhānas (Sanskrit: smṛtyupasthāna, establishments of mindfulness) and Ānāpānasati (Sanskrit: ānāpānasmṛti, mindfulness of breathing).

A closely related mental faculty, which is often mentioned side by side with mindfulness, is sampajañña (clear comprehension). This faculty is the ability to comprehend what one is doing and what is happening in the mind and whether it is being influenced by unwholesome states or wholesome ones.

Meditation – Sama–Amādhi And Dhyāna

A wide range of meditation practices has developed in the Buddhist traditions, but meditation primarily refers to the attainment of samādhi and the practice of dhyāna (Pali: jhāna). Samādhi is a calm, undistracted, unified and concentrated state of awareness. It is defined by Asanga as “one-pointedness of mind on the object to be investigated. Its function consists of giving a basis to knowledge (jñāna).” Dhyāna is a state of perfect equanimity and awareness (upekkhā–sati–parisuddhi), reached through focused mental training.

The practice of dhyāna aids in maintaining a calm mind and avoiding disturbance of this calm mind by mindfulness of disturbing thoughts and feelings.

Origins

The earliest evidence of yogis and their meditative tradition, states Karel Werner, is found in the Keśin hymn 10.136 of the Rigveda. While evidence suggests meditation was practised in the centuries preceding the Buddha, the meditative methodologies described in the Buddhist texts are some of the earliest among texts that have survived into the modern era. These methodologies likely incorporate what existed before the Buddha as well as those first developed within Buddhism.

There is no scholarly agreement on the origin and source of the practice of dhyāna. Some scholars, like Johannes Bronkhorst, see the four dhyānas as a Buddhist invention. Alexander Wynne argues that the Buddha learned dhyāna from Brahmanical teachers.

Whatever the case, the Buddha taught meditation with a new focus and interpretation, particularly through the four dhyānas methodology, in which mindfulness is maintained. Further, the focus of meditation and the underlying theory of liberation guiding the meditation has been different in Buddhism. For example, states Bronkhorst, verse 4.4.23 of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad with its “become calm, subdued, quiet, patiently enduring, concentrated, one sees soul in oneself” is most probably a meditative state. The Buddhist discussion of meditation is without the concept of the soul and the discussion criticises both the ascetic meditation of Jainism and the real self, soul meditation of Hinduism.

The Formless Attaiments

Often grouped into the jhāna-scheme are four other meditative states, referred to in the early texts as arupa samāpattis (formless attainments). These are also referred to in commentarial literature as immaterial/formless jhānas (arūpajhānas). The first formless attainment is a place or realm of infinite space (ākāsānañcāyatana) without form or colour or shape. The second is termed the realm of infinite consciousness (viññāṇañcāyatana). The third is the realm of nothingness (ākiñcaññāyatana). The fourth is the realm of neither perception nor non-perception. The four rupa–jhānas in Buddhist practice lead to rebirth in successfully better rupa Brahma heavenly realms, while arupa–jhānas lead into arupa heavens.

Meditation And Insight

In the Pali canon, the Buddha outlines two meditative qualities which are mutually supportive: samatha (Pāli; Sanskrit: śamatha; calm) and vipassanā (Sanskrit: vipaśyanā, insight). The Buddha compares these mental qualities to a swift pair of messengers who together help deliver the message of Nibbana (SN 35.245).

The various Buddhist traditions generally see Buddhist meditation as being divided into those two main types. Samatha is also called calming meditation, and focuses on stilling and concentrating the mind i.e. developing samadhi and the four dhyānas. According to Damien Keown, vipassanā meanwhile, focuses on “the generation of penetrating and critical insight (paññā)”.

There are numerous doctrinal positions and disagreements within the different Buddhist traditions regarding these qualities or forms of meditation. For example, in the Pali Four Ways to Arahantship Sutta (AN 4.170), it is said that one can develop calm and then insight, or insight and then calm, or both at the same time. Meanwhile, in Vasubandhu’s Abhidharmakośakārikā, vipaśyanā is said to be practised once one has reached samadhi by cultivating the four foundations of mindfulness (smṛtyupasthānas).

Beginning with comments by Belgian Indologist and scholar Louis Étienne Joseph Marie de La Vallée-Poussin, a series of scholars have argued that these two meditation types reflect a tension between two different ancient Buddhist traditions regarding the use of dhyāna, one which focused on insight-based practice and the other which focused purely on dhyāna. However, other scholars such as Analayo and Rupert Gethin have disagreed with this two paths thesis, instead seeing both of these practices as complementary.

Read more here and here.

Kamakura Daibutsu.

The Kamakura Daibutsu is in Kōtoku-in, Kamakura, Japan.

The Brahma-Vihara

The four immeasurables or four abodes, also called Brahma–viharas, are virtues or directions for meditation in Buddhist traditions, which helps a person be reborn in the heavenly (Brahma) realm. These are traditionally believed to be characteristic of the deity Brahma and the heavenly abode he resides in.

The four Brahma–vihara are:

Loving-kindness (Pāli: mettā, Sanskrit: maitrī) is active goodwill towards all.

Compassion (Pāli and Sanskrit: karuṇā) results from metta; it is identifying the suffering of others as one’s own.

Empathetic joy (Pāli and Sanskrit: muditā): is the feeling of joy because others are happy, even if one did not contribute to it; it is a form of sympathetic joy.

Equanimity (Pāli: upekkhā, Sanskrit: upekṣā): is even-mindedness and serenity, treating everyone impartially.

Read more here.

A Statue Of Buddha In Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat, Phitsanulok, Thailand.

Tantra, Visualization And The Subtle Body

Some Buddhist traditions, especially those associated with Tantric Buddhism (also known as Vajrayana and Secret Mantra) use images and symbols of deities and Buddhas in meditation. This is generally done by mentally visualizing a Buddha image (or some other mental image, like a symbol, a mandala, a syllable, etc.), and using that image to cultivate calm and insight. One may also visualize and identify oneself with the imagined deity. While visualization practices have been particularly popular in Vajrayana, they may also be found in Mahayana and Theravada traditions.

In Tibetan Buddhism, unique tantric techniques which include visualization (but also mantra recitation, mandalas, and other elements) are considered to be much more effective than non-tantric meditations and they are one of the most popular meditation methods. The methods of Unsurpassable Yoga Tantra, (anuttarayogatantra) are in turn seen as the highest and most advanced. Anuttarayoga practice is divided into two stages, the Generation Stage and the Completion Stage. In the Generation Stage, one meditates on emptiness and visualizes oneself as a deity as well as visualizing its mandala. The focus is on developing a clear appearance and divine pride (the understanding that oneself and the deity are one). This method is also known as deity yoga (devata yoga). There are numerous meditation deities (yidam) used, each with a mandala, a circular symbolic map used in meditation.

Read more here and here.

An 18th Century Mongolian Miniature Depicting The Generation Of The Vairocana Mandala.

Insight And Knowledge

Prajñā (Sanskrit) or paññā (Pāli) is wisdom or knowledge of the true nature of existence. Another term which is associated with prajñā and sometimes is equivalent to it is vipassanā (Pāli) or vipaśyanā (Sanskrit), which is often translated as insight. In Buddhist texts, the faculty of insight is often said to be cultivated through the four establishments of mindfulness. In the early texts, Paññā is included as one of the five faculties (indriya) which are commonly listed as important spiritual elements to be cultivated (see for example AN I 16). Paññā along with samadhi, is also listed as one of the trainings in the higher states of mind (adhicittasikkha).

The Buddhist tradition regards ignorance (avidyā), a fundamental ignorance, misunderstanding or misperception of the nature of reality, as one of the basic causes of dukkha and samsara. Overcoming this ignorance is part of the path to awakening. This overcoming includes the contemplation of impermanence and the non-self nature of reality, and this develops dispassion for the objects of clinging, and liberates a being from dukkha and saṃsāra. Prajñā is important in all Buddhist traditions. It is variously described as wisdom regarding the impermanent and not-self nature of dharmas (phenomena), the functioning of karma and rebirth, and knowledge of dependent origination. Likewise, vipaśyanā is described in a similar way, such as in the Paṭisambhidāmagga, where it is said to be the contemplation of things as impermanent, unsatisfactory and not self.

Read more here, here, here, here, here and here.

The Yogic Practice Of Tummo.

The image above shows a section of the Northern wall mural at the Lukhang Temple depicting tummo, the three channels (nadis) and phowa.

Devotion

According to Peter Harvey most forms of Buddhism “consider saddhā (Skt śraddhā), trustful confidence or faith, as a quality which must be balanced by wisdom, and as a preparation for, or accompaniment of, meditation.”. Because of this devotion (Skt. bhakti; Pali: Bhatti) is an important part of the practice of most Buddhists. Devotional practices include ritual prayer, prostration, offerings, pilgrimage, and chanting. Buddhist devotion is usually focused on some object, image or location that is seen as holy or spiritually influential. Examples of objects of devotion include paintings or statues of Buddhas and bodhisattvas, stupas, and bodhi trees. Public group chanting for devotional and ceremonial is common to all Buddhist traditions and goes back to ancient India where chanting aided in the memorization of the orally transmitted teachings. Rosaries called Malas are used in all Buddhist traditions to count repeated chanting of common formulas or mantras. Chanting is thus a type of devotional group meditation which leads to tranquillity and communicates Buddhist teachings.

Read more here.

Tibetan Buddhist Prostration Practice At Jokhang, Tibet.

Vegetarianism And Animal Ethics

Based on the Indian principle of ahimsa (non-harming), the Buddha’s ethics strongly condemn the harming of all sentient beings, including all animals. He thus condemned the animal sacrifice of the Brahmins as well as hunting, and killing animals for food. However, early Buddhist texts depict the Buddha as allowing monastics to eat meat. This seems to be because monastics begged for their food and thus were supposed to accept whatever food was offered to them. Norm Phelps states that this was tempered by the rule that meat had to be “three times clean” which meant that “they had not seen, had not heard, and had no reason to suspect that the animal had been killed so that the meat could be given to them”. Also, while the Buddha did not explicitly promote vegetarianism in his discourses, he did state that gaining one’s livelihood from the meat trade was unethical. In contrast to this, various Mahayana sutras and texts like the Mahaparinirvana sutra, Surangama sutra and the Lankavatara sutra state that the Buddha promoted vegetarianism out of compassion. Indian Mahayana thinkers like Shantideva promoted the avoidance of meat. Throughout history, the issue of whether Buddhists should be vegetarian has remained a much-debated topic and there is a variety of opinions on this issue among modern Buddhists.

Read more here.

A Vegetarian Meal At A Buddhist Temple.

East Asian Buddhism tends to promote vegetarianism.

The above articles and the rest of the images on this page were sourced from Wikipedia and are subject to change.

Read notes etc. regarding the above post here.

Blog Posts

Peace: Buddhism – Page One.

Peace: Buddhism – Page Three.

Peace.

The Birmingham Buddhist Vihara.

The Birmingham Buddhist Vihara Photos: Page 1.

The Birmingham Buddhist Vihara Photos: Page 2.

The Birmingham Buddhist Vihara Photos: Page 3.

Notes And Links

The Birmingham Buddhist Vihara on Facebook.

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Peace: Buddhism – Part One

About Buddhism

Buddhism, also known as Buddha Dharma or Dharmavinaya (translated means doctrines and disciplines), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on a series of original teachings attributed to Gautama Buddha. Originating in ancient India as a movement professing śramaṇa between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE, it gradually spread throughout much of Asia via the Silk Road. Presently, it is the world’s fourth-largest religion, with over 520 million followers (Buddhists) who comprise seven percent of the global population. Buddhism encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs, and spiritual practices that are largely based on the Buddha’s teachings and their resulting interpreted philosophies.

As expressed in the Four Noble Truths of the Buddha, the goal of Buddhism is to overcome the suffering (duḥkha) caused by desire (taṇhā) and ignorance (avidyā) of reality’s true nature, including impermanence (anitya) and non-self (anātman). Most Buddhist traditions emphasize transcending the individual self through the attainment of nirvāṇa (translated means quenching) or by following the path of Buddhahood, ending the cycle of death and rebirth (saṃsāra). Buddhist schools vary in their interpretation of the paths to liberation (mārga) as well as the relative importance and canonicity assigned to various Buddhist texts, and their specific teachings and practices. Widely observed practices include meditation; observance of moral precepts; monasticism; taking refuge in the Buddha, the dharma, and the saṅgha; and the cultivation of perfections (pāramitā).

Two major extant branches of Buddhism are generally recognized by scholars: Theravāda (translated means School of the Elders) and Mahāyāna (translated means Great Vehicle). The Theravāda branch has a widespread following in Sri Lanka as well as in Southeast Asia (namely Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia). The Mahāyāna branch (which includes the traditions of Zen, Pure Land, Nichiren, Tiantai, Tendai, and Shingon) is predominantly practiced in Nepal, Bhutan, China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan. Additionally, Vajrayāna (translated means Indestructible Vehicle), a body of teachings attributed to Indian adepts, may be viewed as a separate branch or an aspect of the Mahāyāna tradition. Tibetan Buddhism, which preserves the Vajrayāna teachings of eighth-century India, is practised in the Himalayan states as well as in Mongolia and Russian Kalmykia. Historically, until the early 2nd millennium, Buddhism was widely practised in the Indian subcontinent; it also had a foothold to some extent in other places such as Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and the Philippines.

For a more detailed timeline of Buddhism click here.

Dharma Wheel

The Dharmachakra is a sacred symbol which represents Buddhism and its traditions.

Vesak Decorations In Sri Lanka

These lanterns are used in the Vesak Festival, which celebrates the birth, enlightenment and Parinirvana of Gautama Buddha.

The History Of Buddhism

Historical Roots

Historically, the roots of Buddhism lie in the religious thought of Iron Age India around the middle of the first millennium BCE This was a period of great intellectual ferment and socio-cultural change known as the Second urbanisation, marked by the growth of towns and trade, the composition of the Upanishads and the historical emergence of the Śramaṇa traditions.

New ideas developed both in the Vedic tradition in the form of the Upanishads and outside of the Vedic tradition through the Śramaṇa movements. The term Śramaṇa refers to several Indian religious movements parallel to but separate from the historical Vedic religion, including Buddhism, Jainism and others such as Ājīvika.

Several Śramaṇa movements are known to have existed in India before the 6th century BCE (pre-Buddha, pre-Mahavira), and these influenced both the āstika and nāstika traditions of Indian philosophy. According to Martin Wilshire, the Śramaṇa tradition evolved in India over two phases, namely Paccekabuddha and Savaka phases, the former being the tradition of individual ascetics and the latter of disciples, and that Buddhism and Jainism ultimately emerged from these. Brahmanical and non-Brahmanical ascetic groups shared and used several similar ideas but the Śramaṇa traditions also drew upon already established Brahmanical concepts and philosophical roots, states Wiltshire, to formulate their own doctrines. Brahmanical motifs can be found in the oldest Buddhist texts, using them to introduce and explain Buddhist ideas. For example, prior to Buddhist developments, the Brahmanical tradition internalised and variously reinterpreted the three Vedic sacrificial fires as concepts such as Truth, Rite, Tranquility or Restraint. Buddhist texts also refer to the three Vedic sacrificial fires, reinterpreting and explaining them as ethical conduct.

The Śramaṇa religions challenged and broke with the Brahmanic tradition on core assumptions such as Atman (soul, self), Brahman, and the nature of the afterlife, and they rejected the authority of the Vedas and Upanishads. Buddhism was one among several Indian religions that did so.

Read more about The History Of Buddhism here.

Mahākāśyapa

Mahākāśyapa meets an Ājīvika ascetic, one of the common Śramaṇa groups in ancient India.

Indian Buddhism

The history of Indian Buddhism may be divided into five periods: Early Buddhism (occasionally called pre-sectarian Buddhism), Nikaya Buddhism or Sectarian Buddhism: The period of the early Buddhist schools, Early Mahayana Buddhism, Late Mahayana, and the era of Vajrayana or the Tantric Age.

Pre-Sectarian Buddhism

According to Lambert Schmithausen Pre-sectarian Buddhism is “the canonical period prior to the development of different schools with their different positions.”

The early Buddhist Texts include the four principal Pali Nikāyas (and their parallel Agamas found in the Chinese canon) together with the main body of monastic rules, which survive in the various versions of the patimokkha. However, these texts were revised over time, and it is unclear what constitutes the earliest layer of Buddhist teachings. One method to obtain information on the oldest core of Buddhism is to compare the oldest extant versions of the Theravadin Pāli Canon and other texts. The reliability of the early sources, and the possibility to draw out a core of the oldest teachings, is a matter of dispute. According to Vetter, inconsistencies remain, and other methods must be applied to resolve those inconsistencies.

According to Schmithausen, three positions held by scholars of Buddhism can be distinguished:

“Stress on the fundamental homogeneity and substantial authenticity of at least a considerable part of the Nikayic materials;”

“Scepticism with regard to the possibility of retrieving the doctrine of earliest Buddhism;”

“Cautious optimism in this respect.”

Read more about Pre-Sectarian Buddhism here.

Ajanta Caves, Cave 10

Cave 10, is a first-period type chaitya worship hall with a stupa but no idols.

The Core Teachings

According to Mitchell, certain basic teachings appear in many places throughout the early texts, which has led most scholars to conclude that Gautama Buddha must have taught something similar to the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, Nirvana, the three marks of existence, the five aggregates, dependent origination, karma and rebirth.

According to N. Ross Reat, all of these doctrines are shared by the Theravada Pali texts and the Mahasamghika school’s Śālistamba Sūtra. A recent study by Bhikkhu Analayo concludes that the Theravada Majjhima Nikaya and Sarvastivada Madhyama Agama contain mostly the same major doctrines. Richard Salomon, in his study of the Gandharan texts (which are the earliest manuscripts containing early discourses), has confirmed that their teachings are “consistent with non-Mahayana Buddhism, which survives today in the Theravada school of Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, but which in ancient times was represented by eighteen separate schools.”

However, some scholars argue that critical analysis reveals discrepancies among the various doctrines found in these early texts, which point to alternative possibilities for early Buddhism. The authenticity of certain teachings and doctrines has been questioned. For example, some scholars think that karma was not central to the teaching of the historical Buddha, while others disagree with this position. Likewise, there is scholarly disagreement on whether insight was seen as liberating in early Buddhism or whether it was a later addition to the practice of the four jhānas. Scholars such as Bronkhorst also think that the four noble truths may not have been formulated in earliest Buddhism, and did not serve in earliest Buddhism as a description of liberating insight. According to Vetter, the description of the Buddhist path may initially have been as simple as the term the middle way”. In time, this short description was elaborated, resulting in the description of the eightfold path.

Ashokan Era And The Early Schools

According to numerous Buddhist scriptures, soon after the parinirvāṇa (from Sanskrit: highest extinguishment) of Gautama Buddha, the first Buddhist council was held to collectively recite the teachings to ensure that no errors occurred in oral transmission. Many modern scholars question the historicity of this event. However, Richard Gombrich states that the monastic assembly recitations of the Buddha’s teaching likely began during Buddha’s lifetime, and they served a similar role in codifying the teachings.

The so-called Second Buddhist council resulted in the first schism in the Sangha. Modern scholars believe that this was probably caused when a group of reformists called Sthaviras (elders) sought to modify the Vinaya (monastic rule), and this caused a split with the conservatives who rejected this change, they were called Mahāsāṃghikas. While most scholars accept that this happened at some point, there is no agreement on the dating, especially if it dates to before or after the reign of Ashoka.

Buddhism may have spread only slowly throughout India until the time of the Mauryan emperor Ashoka (304 – 232 BCE), who was a public supporter of the religion. The support of Aśoka and his descendants led to the construction of more stūpas (such as at Sanchi and Bharhut), temples (such as the Mahabodhi Temple) and to its spread throughout the Maurya Empire and into neighbouring lands such as Central Asia and the island of Sri Lanka.

During and after the Mauryan period (322 – 180 BCE), the Sthavira community gave rise to several schools, one of which was the Thera vada school which tended to congregate in the south and another which was the Sarvāstivāda school, which was mainly in north India. Likewise, the Mahāsāṃghika groups also eventually split into different Sanghas. Originally, these schisms were caused by disputes over monastic disciplinary codes of various fraternities, but eventually, by about 100 CE if not earlier, schisms were being caused by doctrinal disagreements too.

Following (or leading up to) the schisms, each Saṅgha started to accumulate their own version of Tripiṭaka (triple basket of texts). In their Tripiṭaka, each school included the Suttas of the Buddha, and a Vinaya basket (disciplinary code) and some schools also added an Abhidharma basket which was text on detailed scholastic classification, summary and interpretation of the Suttas. The doctrine details in the Abhidharma of various Buddhist schools differ significantly, and these were composed starting about the third century BCE and through the 1st millennium CE.

Read more about Ashokan Era And The Early Schools here, here and here.

Sanchi Stupa Number 3

This Stupa is near Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh, India.

Buddhist Missions

Map of the Buddhist missions during the reign of Ashoka according to the Edicts of Ashoka. Sourced fromː Cousins, LS. “On the Vibhajjavadins. The Mahimsasaka, Dhammaguttaka, Kassapiya and Tambapanniya branches of the ancient Theriyas”, Buddhist Studies Review 18, 2 (2001), TABLE E.

Post-Ashokan Expansion

According to the edicts of Aśoka, the Mauryan emperor sent emissaries to various countries west of India to spread Dharma, particularly in eastern provinces of the neighbouring Seleucid Empire, and even farther to Hellenistic kingdoms of the Mediterranean. It is a matter of disagreement among scholars whether or not these emissaries were accompanied by Buddhist missionaries.

In central and west Asia, Buddhist influence grew, through Greek-speaking Buddhist monarchs and ancient Asian trade routes, a phenomenon known as Greco-Buddhism. An example of this is evidenced in Chinese and Pali Buddhist records, such as Milindapanha and the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhāra. The Milindapanha describes a conversation between a Buddhist monk and the 2nd-century BCE Greek king Menander, after which Menander abdicates and goes into monastic life in the pursuit of nirvana. Some scholars have questioned the Milindapanha version, expressing doubts about whether Menander was Buddhist or just favourably disposed to Buddhist monks.

The Kushan empire (30 – 375 CE) came to control the Silk Road trade through Central and South Asia, which brought them to interact with Gandharan Buddhism and the Buddhist institutions of these regions. The Kushans patronised Buddhism throughout their lands, and many Buddhist centres were built or renovated (the Sarvastivada school was particularly favoured), especially by Emperor Kanishka (128 – 151 CE). Kushan support helped Buddhism to expand into a world religion through their trade routes. Buddhism spread to Khotan, the Tarim Basin, and China, and eventually to other parts of the far east. Some of the earliest written documents of the Buddhist faith are the Gandharan Buddhist texts, dating from about the 1st century CE, and connected to the Dharmaguptaka school.

The Islamic conquest of the Iranian Plateau in the 7th century, followed by the Muslim conquests of Afghanistan and the later establishment of the Ghaznavid kingdom with Islam as the state religion in Central Asia between the 10th- and 12th century led to the decline and disappearance of Buddhism from most of these regions.

Read more about Post-Ashokan Expansion here.

The Extent Of Buddhism And Trade

This map shows the extent of Buddhism and trade routes in the 1st century CE.

The Buddhist Expansion Throughout Asia

A map showing the expansion of Buddhism, originated from India in VI century BCE to the rest of Asia until the present.

Mahāyāna Buddhism

The origins of Mahāyāna (Great Vehicle) Buddhism are not well understood and there are various competing theories about how and where this movement arose. Theories include the idea that it began as various groups venerating certain texts or that it arose as a strict forest ascetic movement.

The first Mahāyāna works were written sometime between the 1st century BCE and the 2nd century CE. Much of the early extant evidence for the origins of Mahāyāna comes from early Chinese translations of Mahāyāna texts, mainly those of Lokakṣema. (2nd century CE). Some scholars have traditionally considered the earliest Mahāyāna sūtras to include the first versions of the Prajnaparamita series, along with texts concerning Akṣobhya, which were probably composed in the 1st century BCE in the south of India.

There is no evidence that Mahāyāna ever referred to a separate formal school or sect of Buddhism, with a separate monastic code (Vinaya), but rather that it existed as a certain set of ideals, and later doctrines, for bodhisattvas. Records written by Chinese monks visiting India indicate that both Mahāyāna and non-Mahāyāna monks could be found in the same monasteries, with the difference that Mahāyāna monks worshipped figures of Bodhisattvas, while non-Mahayana monks did not.

Mahāyāna initially seems to have remained a small minority movement that was in tension with other Buddhist groups, struggling for wider acceptance. However, during the fifth and sixth centuries CE, there seems to have been a rapid growth of Mahāyāna Buddhism, which is shown by a large increase in epigraphic and manuscript evidence in this period. However, it still remained a minority in comparison to other Buddhist schools.

Mahāyāna Buddhist institutions continued to grow in influence during the following centuries, with large monastic university complexes such as Nalanda (established by the 5th-century CE Gupta emperor, Kumaragupta I) and Vikramashila (established under Dharmapala c. 783 to 820) becoming quite powerful and influential. During this period of Late Mahāyāna, four major types of thought developed: Mādhyamaka, Yogācāra, Buddha-nature (Tathāgatagarbha), and the epistemological tradition of Dignaga and Dharmakirti. According to Dan Lusthaus, Mādhyamaka and Yogācāra have a great deal in common, and the commonality stems from early Buddhism.

Read more about Mahāyāna Buddhism here.

A Buddhist Triad

A Buddhist triad depicting (from left to right) a Kushan devotee, the Bodhisattva Maitreya, the Buddha, the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, and a Buddhist monk. Circa second–third-century from Guimet Museum, Paris, France.

Late Indian Buddhism And Tantra

During the Gupta period (4th – 6th centuries) and the empire of Harṣavardana (c. 590 – 647 CE), Buddhism continued to be influential in India, and large Buddhist learning institutions such as Nalanda and Valabahi Universities were at their peak. Buddhism also flourished under the support of the Pāla Empire (8th -12th centuries). Under the Guptas and Palas, Tantric Buddhism or Vajrayana developed and rose to prominence. It promoted new practices such as the use of mantras, dharanis, mudras, mandalas and the visualization of deities and Buddhas and developed a new class of literature, the Buddhist Tantras. This new esoteric form of Buddhism can be traced back to groups of wandering yogi magicians called mahasiddhas.

The question of the origins of early Vajrayana has been taken up by various scholars. David Seyfort Ruegg has suggested that Buddhist tantra employed various elements of a pan-Indian religious substrate which is not specifically Buddhist, Shaiva or Vaishnava.

According to Indologist Alexis Sanderson, various classes of Vajrayana literature developed as a result of royal courts sponsoring both Buddhism and Saivism. Sanderson has argued that Buddhist tantras can be shown to have borrowed practices, terms, rituals and more from Shaiva tantras. He argues that Buddhist texts even directly copied various Shaiva tantras, especially the Bhairava Vidyapitha tantras. Ronald M. Davidson meanwhile, argues that Sanderson’s claims for direct influence from Shaiva Vidyapitha texts are problematic because “the chronology of the Vidyapitha tantras is by no means so well established” and that the Shaiva tradition also appropriated non-Hindu deities, texts and traditions. Thus while “there can be no question that the Buddhist tantras were heavily influenced by Kapalika and other Saiva movements” argues Davidson, “the influence was apparently mutual.”

Already during this later era, Buddhism was losing state support in other regions of India, including the lands of the Karkotas, the Pratiharas, the Rashtrakutas, the Pandyas and the Pallavas. This loss of support in favour of Hindu faiths like Vaishnavism and Shaivism is the beginning of the long and complex period of the Decline of Buddhism in the Indian subcontinent. The Islamic invasions and conquest of India (10th to 12th century), further damaged and destroyed many Buddhist institutions, leading to its eventual near disappearance from India by the 1200’s.

Read more about Late Indian Buddhism And Tantra here.

Nalanda University

This is the site of Nalanda University, a great centre of Mahāyāna thought.

Vajrabhairava

This is a thangka (a Tibetan Buddhist painting on cotton, silk appliqué, usually depicting a Buddhist) showing Vajrabhairava, circa 1740. Vajrayana adopted deities such as Bhairava, known as Yamantaka in Tibetan Buddhism.

Spread To East And Southeast Asia

The Silk Road transmission of Buddhism to China is most commonly thought to have started in the late 2nd or the 1st century CE, though the literary sources are all open to question. The first documented translation efforts by foreign Buddhist monks in China were in the 2nd century CE, probably as a consequence of the expansion of the Kushan Empire into the Chinese territory of the Tarim Basin.

The first documented Buddhist texts translated into Chinese are those of the Parthian An Shigao (148 – 180 CE). The first known Mahāyāna scriptural texts are translations into Chinese by the Kushan monk Lokakṣema in Luoyang, between 178 and 189 CE. From China, Buddhism was introduced to its neighbours Korea (4th century), Japan (6th – 7th centuries), and Vietnam (c. 1st – 2nd centuries).

During the Chinese Tang dynasty (618 – 907), Chinese Esoteric Buddhism was introduced from India and Chan Buddhism (Zen) became a major religion. Chan continued to grow in the Song dynasty (960 – 1279) and it was during this era that it strongly influenced Korean Buddhism and Japanese Buddhism. Pure Land Buddhism also became popular during this period and was often practised together with Chan. It was also during the Song that the entire Chinese canon was printed using over 130,000 wooden printing blocks.

During the Indian period of Esoteric Buddhism (from the 8th century onwards), Buddhism spread from India to Tibet and Mongolia. Johannes Bronkhorst states that the esoteric form was attractive because it allowed both a secluded monastic community as well as the social rites and rituals important to laypersons and to kings for the maintenance of a political state during succession and wars to resist invasion. During the Middle Ages, Buddhism slowly declined in India, while it vanished from Persia and Central Asia as Islam became the state religion.

The Theravada school arrived in Sri Lanka sometime in the 3rd century BCE. Sri Lanka became a base for its later spread to Southeast Asia after the 5th century CE (Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia and coastal Vietnam). Theravada Buddhism was the dominant religion in Burma during the Mon Hanthawaddy Kingdom (1287 – 1552). It also became dominant in the Khmer Empire during the 13th and 14th centuries and in the Thai Sukhothai Kingdom during the reign of Ram Khamhaeng (1237/1247 – 1298).

The Angkor Thom

The Angkor Thom was built in Cambodia by Khmer King Jayavarman VII (circa 1120 – 1218).

Shakyamuni Buddha

Details of Shakyamuni Buddha’s life are mentioned in many Early Buddhist Texts but are inconsistent. His social background and life details are difficult to prove, and the precise dates are uncertain.

Early texts have the Buddha’s family name as Gautama (Pali: Gotama), while some texts give Siddhartha as his surname. He was born in Lumbini, present-day Nepal and grew up in Kapilavastu, a town in the Ganges Plain, near the modern Nepal–India border, and he spent his life in what is now modern Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Some hagiographic legends state that his father was a king named Suddhodana, and his mother was Queen Maya. Scholars such as Richard Gombrich consider this a dubious claim because a combination of evidence suggests he was born in the Shakya community, which was governed by a small oligarchy or republic-like council where there were no ranks but where seniority mattered instead. Some of the stories about Buddha, his life, his teachings, and claims about the society he grew up in may have been invented and interpolated at a later time into the Buddhist texts

According to early texts such as the Pali Ariyapariyesanā-sutta (The discourse on the noble quest) and its Chinese parallel from the Buddhist text Madhyama Āgama, Gautama was moved by the suffering (dukkha) of life and death, and its endless repetition due to rebirth. He thus set out on a quest to find liberation from suffering (also known as nirvana). Early texts and biographies state that Gautama first studied under two teachers of meditation, namely Āḷāra Kālāma (Sanskrit: Arada Kalama) and Uddaka Ramaputta (Sanskrit: Udraka Ramaputra), learning meditation and philosophy, particularly the meditative attainment of the sphere of nothingness from the former, and the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception from the latter.

Finding these teachings to be insufficient to attain his goal, he turned to the practice of severe asceticism, which included a strict fasting regime and various forms of breath control. This too fell short of attaining his goal, and then he turned to the meditative practice of dhyana. He famously sat in meditation under a Ficus religiosa tree ( now called the Bodhi Tree) in the town of Bodh Gaya and attained Awakening (Bodhi).

According to various early texts like the Mahāsaccaka-sutta, and the Samaññaphala Sutta, on awakening, the Buddha gained insight into the workings of karma and his former lives, as well as achieving the ending of the mental defilements (asavas), the ending of suffering, and the end of rebirth in saṃsāra. This event also brought certainty about the Middle Way as the right path of spiritual practice to end suffering. As a fully enlightened Buddha, he attracted followers and founded a Sangha (monastic order). He spent the rest of his life teaching the Dharma he had discovered, and then died, achieving final nirvana, at the age of 80 in Kushinagar, India.

Buddha’s teachings were propagated by his followers, which in the last centuries of the 1st millennium BCE became various Buddhist schools of thought, each with its own basket of texts containing different interpretations and authentic teachings of the Buddha; these over time evolved into many traditions of which the more well known and widespread in the modern era are Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism.

Mahajanapadas And Janapadas (Circa 500 BCE)

This map shows ancient kingdoms and cities of India during the time of the Buddha (circa 500 BCE) which is now modern-day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

Emaciated Buddha Statue

This statue in an Ubosoth in Bangkok and represents the stage of his asceticism.

Worldview

The term Buddhism is an occidental neologism, commonly (and rather roughly according to Donald S. Lopez Jr.) used as a translation for the Dharma of the Buddha, fójiào in Chinese, bukkyō in Japanese, nang pa sangs rgyas pa’i chos in Tibetan, buddhadharma in Sanskrit, buddhaśāsana in Pali.

Read more here.

The Four Noble Truths – Dukkha And Its Ending

The Four Truths express the basic orientation of Buddhism: we crave and cling to impermanent states and things, which is dukkha (translated as incapable of satisfying and painful). This keeps us caught in saṃsāra, the endless cycle of repeated rebirth, dukkha and dying again. But there is a way to liberation from this endless cycle to the state of nirvana, namely following the Noble Eightfold Path.

The truth of dukkha is the basic insight that life in this mundane world, with its clinging and craving to impermanent states and things, is dukkha, and unsatisfactory. We expect happiness from states and things which are impermanent, and therefore cannot attain real happiness.

In Buddhism, dukkha is one of the three marks of existence, along with impermanence and anattā (non-self). Buddhism, like other major Indian religions, asserts that everything is impermanent (anicca), but, unlike them, also asserts that there is no permanent self or soul in living beings (anattā). The ignorance or misperception (avijjā) that anything is permanent or that there is self in any being is considered a wrong understanding, and the primary source of clinging and dukkha.

Dukkha arises when we crave (Pali: taṇhā) and cling to these changing phenomena. The clinging and craving produce karma, which ties us to samsara, the cycle of death and rebirth. Craving includes kama-tanha, craving for sense-pleasures; bhava-tanha, craving to continue the cycle of life and death, including rebirth; and vibhava-tanha, craving to not experience the world and painful feelings.

Dukkha ceases or can be confined when craving and clinging cease or are confined. This also means that no more karma is being produced, and rebirth ends. Cessation is nirvana, blowing out, and peace of mind.

By following the Buddhist path to moksha, liberation, one starts to disengage from craving and clinging to impermanent states and things. The term path is usually taken to mean the Noble Eightfold Path, but other versions of the path can also be found in the Nikayas. The Theravada tradition regards insight into the four truths as liberating in itself.

The Cycle Of Rebirth

Saṃsāra

Saṃsāra means wandering or world, with the connotation of cyclic, circuitous change. It refers to the theory of rebirth and cyclicality of all life, matter, and existence, a fundamental assumption of Buddhism, as with all major Indian religions. Samsara in Buddhism is considered to be dukkha, unsatisfactory and painful, perpetuated by desire and avidya (ignorance), and the resulting karma. Liberation from this cycle of existence, nirvana, has been the foundation and the most important historical justification of Buddhism.

Buddhist texts assert that rebirth can occur in six realms of existence, namely three good realms (heavenly, demi-god, human) and three evil realms (animal, hungry ghosts, hellish). Samsara ends if a person attains nirvana, the blowing out of the afflictions through insight into impermanence and non-self.

The Wheel Of Life

This traditional Tibetan Buddhist Thangka depicts The Wheel Of Life with its six realms.

Rebirth

Rebirth refers to a process whereby beings go through a succession of lifetimes as one of many possible forms of sentient life, each running from conception to death. In Buddhist thought, this rebirth does not involve a soul or any fixed substance. This is because the Buddhist doctrine of anattā (Sanskrit: anātman, no-self doctrine) rejects the concepts of a permanent self or an unchanging, eternal soul found in other religions.

The Buddhist traditions have traditionally disagreed on what it is in a person that is reborn, as well as how quickly the rebirth occurs after death. Some Buddhist traditions assert that the no self doctrine means that there is no enduring self, but there is avacya (inexpressible) personality (pudgala) which migrates from one life to another.

The majority of Buddhist traditions, in contrast, assert that vijñāna (a person’s consciousness) though evolving, exists as a continuum and is the mechanistic basis of what undergoes the rebirth process. The quality of one’s rebirth depends on the merit or demerit gained by one’s karma (i.e. actions), as well as that accrued on one’s behalf by a family member. Buddhism also developed a complex cosmology to explain the various realms or planes of rebirth.

Each individual rebirth takes place within one of five realms according to Theravadins, or six according to other schools (heavenly, demi-gods, humans, animals, hungry ghosts and hellish).

In East Asian and Tibetan Buddhism, rebirth is not instantaneous, and there is an intermediate state (Tibetan bardo) between one life and the next. The orthodox Theravada position rejects the intermediate state and asserts that the rebirth of a being is immediate. However there are passages in the Samyutta Nikaya of the Pali Canon that seem to lend support to the idea that the Buddha taught about an intermediate stage between one life and the next.

Read more here.

Ramabhar Stupa

The Ramabhar Stupa is in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, India, and is regionally believed to be Buddha’s cremation site containing the Buddha’s ashes, placed by the ancient Malla people (the Malla tribe).

Karma

In Buddhism, karma (from Sanskrit: action, work) drives saṃsāra (the endless cycle of suffering and rebirth for each being). Good, skilful deeds (Pāli: kusala) and bad, unskilful deeds (Pāli: akusala) produce seeds in the unconscious receptacle (ālaya) that mature later either in this life or in a subsequent rebirth. The existence of karma is a core belief in Buddhism, as with all major Indian religions, and it implies neither fatalism nor that everything that happens to a person is caused by karma.

A central aspect of the Buddhist theory of karma is that intent (cetanā) matters and is essential to bring about a consequence or phala (fruit) or vipāka (result). However, good or bad karma accumulates even if there is no physical action, and just having ill or good thoughts creates karmic seeds; thus, actions of body, speech or mind all lead to karmic seeds. In the Buddhist traditions, life aspects affected by the law of karma in past and current births of a being include the form of rebirth, the realm of rebirth, social class, character and major circumstances of a lifetime. It operates like the laws of physics, without external intervention, on every being in all six realms of existence including human beings and gods.

A notable aspect of the karma theory in Buddhism is merit transfer. A person accumulates merit not only through intentions and ethical living but also is able to gain merit from others by exchanging goods and services, such as through dāna (charity to monks or nuns). Further, a person can transfer one’s own good karma to living family members and ancestors.

Read more here.

Liberation

The cessation of the kleshas and the attainment of nirvana (nibbāna), with which the cycle of rebirth ends, has been the primary and the soteriological goal of the Buddhist path for monastic life since the time of the Buddha. The term path is usually taken to mean the Noble Eightfold Path, but other versions of the path can also be found in the Nikayas. In some passages in the Pali Canon, a distinction is being made between right knowledge or insight (sammā-ñāṇa), and right liberation or release (sammā-vimutti), as the means to attain cessation and liberation.

Nirvana literally means blowing out, quenching, and becoming extinguished. In early Buddhist texts, it is the state of restraint and self-control that leads to the blowing out and the ending of the cycles of sufferings associated with rebirths and redeaths. Many later Buddhist texts describe nirvana as identical to anatta with complete emptiness and nothingness.

The nirvana state has been described in Buddhist texts partly in a manner similar to other Indian religions, as the state of complete liberation, enlightenment, highest happiness, bliss, fearlessness, freedom, permanence, non-dependent origination, unfathomable, and indescribable. It has also been described in part differently, as a state of spiritual release marked by emptiness and realisation of non-self.

While Buddhism considers the liberation from saṃsāra as the ultimate spiritual goal, in traditional practice, the primary focus of a vast majority of lay Buddhists has been to seek and accumulate merit through good deeds, donations to monks and various Buddhist rituals in order to gain better rebirths rather than nirvana.

Read more here and here.

Buddha’s Spiritual Liberation

An aniconic depiction of the Buddha’s spiritual liberation (moksha) or awakening (bodhi), at Sanchi. It shows Mucilinda with his Wives around the Buddha who is not depicted, only symbolized by the Bodhi tree and the empty seat.

Dependent Arising

Pratityasamutpada, also called dependent arising, or dependent origination is the Buddhist theory to explain the nature and relations of being, becoming, existence and ultimate reality. Buddhism asserts that there is nothing independent, except the state of nirvana. All physical and mental states depend on and arise from other pre-existing states, and in turn from them arise other dependent states while they cease.

The dependent arisings have a causal conditioning, and thus Pratityasamutpada is the Buddhist belief that causality is the basis of ontology, not a creator God nor the ontological Vedic concept called universal Self (Brahman) nor any other transcendent creative principle. However, Buddhist thought does not understand causality in terms of Newtonian mechanics; rather it understands it as conditioned arising. In Buddhism, dependent arising refers to conditions created by a plurality of causes that necessarily co-originate a phenomenon within and across lifetimes, such as karma in one life creating conditions that lead to rebirth in one of the realms of existence for another lifetime.

Buddhism applies the theory of dependent arising to explain the origination of endless cycles of dukkha and rebirth, through Twelve Nidānas (or twelve links). It states that because Avidyā (ignorance) exists, Saṃskāras (karmic formations) exist; because Saṃskāras exist therefore Vijñāna (consciousness) exists; and in a similar manner, it links Nāmarūpa (the sentient body), Ṣaḍāyatana (our six senses), Sparśa (sensory stimulation), Vedanā (feeling), Taṇhā (craving), Upādāna (grasping), Bhava (becoming), Jāti (birth), and Jarāmaraṇa (old age, death, sorrow, and pain). By breaking the circuitous links of the Twelve Nidanas, Buddhism asserts that liberation from these endless cycles of rebirth and dukkha can be attained.

Read more here and here.

Not-Self And Emptiness

A related doctrine in Buddhism is that of anattā (Pali) or anātman (Sanskrit). It is the view that there is no unchanging, permanent self, soul or essence in phenomena. The Buddha and Buddhist philosophers who follow him such as Vasubandhu and Buddhaghosa, generally argue for this view by analyzing the person through the schema of the five aggregates and then attempting to show that none of these five components of personality can be permanent or absolute. This can be seen in Buddhist discourses such as the Anattalakkhana Sutta.

Emptiness or voidness (Skt: Śūnyatā, Pali: Suññatā), is a related concept with many different interpretations throughout the various Buddhisms. In early Buddhism, it was commonly stated that all five aggregates are void (rittaka), hollow (tucchaka), and coreless (asāraka), for example as in the Pheṇapiṇḍūpama Sutta (SN 22:95). Similarly, in Theravada Buddhism, it often simply means that the five aggregates are empty of a Self.

Emptiness is a central concept in Mahāyāna Buddhism, especially in Nagarjuna’s Madhyamaka school, and in the Prajñāpāramitā sutras. In Madhyamaka philosophy, emptiness is the view which holds that all phenomena (dharmas) are without any svabhava (literally own-nature or self-nature) and are thus without any underlying essence, and so are empty of being independent. This doctrine sought to refute the heterodox theories of svabhava circulating at the time.

Read more here and here.

The Three Jewels

All forms of Buddhism revere and take spiritual refuge in the three jewels (triratna): Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

Read more here.

Dharma Wheel And Triratna Symbols From Sanchi Stupa Number 2

Buddha

While all varieties of Buddhism revere Buddha and Buddhahood, they have different views on what these are. Regardless of their interpretation, the concept of Buddha is central to all forms of Buddhism.

In Theravada Buddhism, a Buddha is someone who has become awake through their own efforts and insight. They have put an end to their cycle of rebirths and have ended all unwholesome mental states which lead to bad action and thus are morally perfected. While subject to the limitations of the human body in certain ways (for example, in the early texts, the Buddha suffers from backaches), a Buddha is said to be deep, immeasurable, hard-to-fathom as is the great ocean, and also has immense psychic powers (abhijñā). Theravada generally sees Gautama Buddha (the historical Buddha Sakyamuni) as the only Buddha of the current era.

Mahāyāna Buddhism meanwhile, has a vastly expanded cosmology, with various Buddhas and other holy beings (aryas) residing in different realms. Mahāyāna texts not only revere numerous Buddhas besides Shakyamuni, such as Amitabha and Vairocana but also see them as transcendental or supramundane (lokuttara) beings. Mahāyāna Buddhism holds that these other Buddhas in other realms can be contacted and are able to benefit beings in this world. In Mahāyāna, a Buddha is a kind of spiritual king, a protector of all creatures with a lifetime that is countless eons long, rather than just a human teacher who has transcended the world after death. Shakyamuni’s life and death on earth is then usually understood as a mere appearance or a manifestation skilfully projected into earthly life by a long-enlightened transcendent being, who is still available to teach the faithful through visionary experiences.

Read more here.

Dharma

The second of the three jewels is Dharma (Pali: Dhamma), which in Buddhism refers to the Buddha’s teaching, which includes all of the main ideas outlined above. While this teaching reflects the true nature of reality, it is not a belief to be clung to, but a pragmatic teaching to be put into practice. It is likened to a raft which is for crossing over (to nirvana) not for holding on to. It also refers to the universal law and cosmic order which that teaching both reveals and relies upon. It is an everlasting principle which applies to all beings and worlds. In that sense it is also the ultimate truth and reality about the universe, it is thus the way that things really are.

Read more here.

Sangha

The third jewel in which Buddhists take refuge in is the Sangha, which refers to the monastic community of monks and nuns who follow Gautama Buddha’s monastic discipline which was designed to shape the Sangha as an ideal community, with the optimum conditions for spiritual growth. The Sangha consists of those who have chosen to follow the Buddha’s ideal way of life, which is one of celibate monastic renunciation with minimal material possessions (such as an alms bowl and robes).

The Sangha is seen as important because they preserve and pass down Buddha Dharma. As Gethin states “the Sangha lives the teaching, preserves the teaching as Scriptures and teaches the wider community. Without the Sangha, there is no Buddhism. The Sangha also acts as a field of merit for laypersons, allowing them to make spiritual merit or goodness by donating to the Sangha and supporting them. In return, they keep their duty to preserve and spread the Dharma everywhere for the good of the world.

There is also a separate definition of Sangha, referring to those who have attained any stage of awakening, whether or not they are monastics. This sangha is called the āryasaṅgha, the noble Sangha. All forms of Buddhism generally revere these āryas (Pali: ariya, the noble ones or the holy ones) who are spiritually attained beings. Aryas have attained the fruits of the Buddhist path. Becoming an arya is a goal in most forms of Buddhism. The āryasaṅgha includes holy beings such as bodhisattvas, arhats and stream-enterers.

Other Key Mahāyāna Views

Mahāyāna Buddhism also differs from Theravada and the other schools of early Buddhism in promoting several unique doctrines which are contained in Mahāyāna sutras and philosophical treatises.

One of these is the unique interpretation of emptiness and dependent origination found in the Madhyamaka school. Another very influential doctrine for Mahāyāna is the main philosophical view of the Yogācāra school variously, termed Vijñaptimātratā-vāda (the doctrine that there are only ideas or mental impressions) or Vijñānavāda (the doctrine of consciousness). According to Mark Siderits, what classical Yogācāra thinkers like Vasubandhu had in mind is that we are only ever aware of mental images or impressions, which may appear as external objects, but, as he says, “there is actually no such thing outside the mind.” There are several interpretations of this main theory, many scholars see it as a type of Idealism, others as a kind of phenomenology.

Another very influential concept unique to Mahāyāna is that of Buddha-nature (buddhadhātu) or Tathagata-womb (tathāgatagarbha). Buddha-nature is a concept found in some 1st-millennium CE Buddhist texts, such as the Tathāgatagarbha sūtras. According to Paul Williams these Sutras suggest that “all sentient beings contain a Tathagata’ as their ‘essence, core inner nature, Self”. According to Karl Brunnholzl “the earliest Mahayana sutras that are based on and discuss the notion of tathāgatagarbha as the buddha potential that is innate in all sentient beings began to appear in written form in the late second and early third century.” For some, the doctrine seems to conflict with the Buddhist anatta doctrine (non-Self), leading scholars to posit that the Tathāgatagarbha Sutras were written to promote Buddhism to non-Buddhists. This can be seen in texts like the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, which state that Buddha-nature is taught to help those who have fear when they listen to the teaching of anatta. Buddhist texts like the Ratnagotravibhāga clarify that the Self implied in Tathagatagarbha doctrine is actually not self. Various interpretations of the concept have been advanced by Buddhist thinkers throughout the history of Buddhist thought and most attempt to avoid anything like the Hindu Atman doctrine.

These Indian Buddhist ideas, in various synthetic ways, form the basis of subsequent Mahāyāna philosophy in Tibetan Buddhism and East Asian Buddhism.

Read more here and here.

The above articles and the rest of the images on this page were sourced from Wikipedia and are subject to change.

Read notes etc. regarding the above post here.

Blog Posts

Peace: Buddhism – Part Two.

Peace: Buddhism – Part Three.

Peace.

The Birmingham Buddhist Vihara.

The Birmingham Buddhist Vihara Photos: Page 1.

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Mental Health: I Am A Domestic Violence Survivor By Paul Hibbert

Let me start by saying Domestic Violence / Domestic Abuse is WRONG (albeit if it is physical, mental or both), end of, regardless of if it is a man or woman who is the victim. However, you rarely hear it mentioned or shown about it happening to men. This needs to change NOW!

Let me tell you from daily experience we don’t all cope well regarding our mental health, despite what others may think differently.

This video brought tears to my eyes and after watching it I knew I had to share it on my website.

Paul posted this video as part of men’s mental health awareness month. He is an inspiration and has my total admiration and respect for his honesty here and his braveness in publicly speaking out the way he is here. Like him I want men to know THEY ARE NOT ALONE and if I can help in any way to get that message across then I will. The more this video is seen the better and hopefully it will help someone.

About Paul Hibbert

Paul Hibbert is a UK-based journalist creating a broad range of technical product reviews and tutorials primarily on the Youtube platform.

He creates videos using honesty and humour as his fundamental principles.

Audiences that would not usually be engaged with technology who watch him will get a unique perspective and an engaging presentation style that is otherwise absent from the technology sector.

Blog Posts

Charities: Frankie And Zoe Do Sober For October For Sands.

Charities: Help Harry Help Others.

Charities: Sands.

Notes And Links

Hibbert Home Tech – The image shown at the top of this page is the copyright of Paul Hibbert and comes from his official website.

Hibbert Home Tech on Facebook.

Hibbert Home Tech on Twitter.

Hibbert Home Tech on Instagram.

Hibbert Home Tech on TikTok.

Hibbert Home Tech on Patron. – Like me, if you can, help support Paul with his funny, informative and entertaining content here or make a one-off payment on PayPal by clicking here. In Paul’s own words, “There’s no pressure to donate anything at all, but if I’ve helped you and you’re feeling generous then your kindness is welcome.”

Regarding domestic abuse, this is advice from Gov.UK. Click the link for more information.

If you are in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police. If you can’t speak and are calling on a mobile press 55 to have your call transferred to the police. Find out how to call the police when you can’t speak here.

Household isolation instructions do not apply if you need to leave your home to escape domestic abuse.

The Men’s Advice Line – This website is run by Respect and is a confidential helpline specifically for male victims.

ManKind Initiative – Official website. Their confidential helpline is available for male victims of domestic abuse and domestic violence across the UK as well as their friends, family, neighbours, work colleagues and employers.

They provide information, support and a signposting service to men suffering from domestic abuse from their current or former wife, partner (including same-sex partner) or husband. This can range from physical violence or object throwing to abuse such as constant bullying or insults.

Men’s Aid Charity – Official website. Formed in 2006 to help provide practical advice and support to men who have been abused, Men’s Aid has grown to represent the views of many individuals both male and female and is committed to helping those who have suffered from bias in the legal system, Family Courts or any other areas. They strive to remove bias and prejudice from all parts of our Society and focus on providing help and assistance to anyone, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, who may need it, in particular males.

For further help and advice for men being abused click here.

Women’s Aid – Official website. They are coming together across society and communities to end domestic abuse.

UKSaysNoMore – Official website. They seek to unite and strengthen a diverse community of members and organisations nationwide to actively take a stand against domestic abuse and sexual violence under one powerful, visual symbol. The campaign provides open-source tools and resources for individuals and organisations to take action and get involved in making a difference. Together they can challenge the myths and misconceptions around these issues, share resources and information, and ultimately work together to make real positive change.

Bright Sky – This is a mobile app and website for anyone experiencing domestic abuse, or who is worried about someone else. The app can be downloaded for free from the app stores. Only download the app if it is safe for you to do so and if you are sure that your phone isn’t being monitored.

If you are experiencing domestic abuse and need immediate help, ask for A.N.I. in a participating pharmacy. ‘It stands for Action Needed Immediately. If a pharmacy has the Ask for A.N.I. logo (below) on display, it means they’re ready to help. They will offer you a private space, provide a phone and ask if you need support from the police or other domestic abuse support services.

Local History: The Birmingham Buddhist Vihara

On Saturday 17th September 2022, I visited the Birmingham Buddhist Vihara in Osler Street, Ladywood, Birmingham as part of Birmingham Heritage Week. I never realised there was a Buddhist Temple in Birmingham so it was a pleasant surprise to find out there was and I am glad I went.

It is such a peaceful, tranquil, and friendly place to visit. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you visit this Peace Pagoda.

The Birmingham Buddhist Vihara Photos

Click here to see photographic memories of my day out.

About The Birmingham Buddhist Vihara

In 1975 Dr. Rewata Dhamma, the Founder and Spiritual Director of Birmingham Buddhist Vihara and Dhammatalaka Peace Pagoda, was invited to England where he established a Buddhist monastery in Birmingham as his base.

Since his arrival in England in 1975, the majority of those who have called on Venerable Dr. Rewata Dhamma for teaching have been English. Impressed by this, and wishing well for the future of Buddhism in England, he realized that the teaching would only become truly established here once the British themselves took responsibility for its development. Buddhism is not a missionary religion in the sense that is usually understood. Religion cannot be imposed from outside; it must develop in line with the culture in which it finds itself and how best to do this can only be truly understood by people who are native to that culture. On the other hand, it is also necessary for these people to have some depth of understanding of Buddhism itself and so they must have training and information available to them which is suitable to their cultural background and age group.

Interest in Buddhism from schools, colleges and universities has steadily increased over the years and the Vihara has become one of the major centres in the West Midlands serving this need. As Buddhism becomes increasingly an accepted part of comparative religious studies so they welcome the many groups and individuals who need information and guidance from them. This encourages further development of Buddhism and practice for seekers of Buddhist knowledge.

In 1998 he accomplished the building of Dhamma Talaka Peace Pagoda, after years of planning, as a suitable resting place for the royal relics.

The Peace Pagoda is the only purpose-built Myanmar-style pagoda in the UK and can offer a unique educational and cultural experience to visiting students and groups of all ages. The pagoda is a miniature replica of Shwedagon pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar, which is one of the most important pagodas in that country. Visitors to the pagoda may learn about Theravada Buddhist beliefs, practices and meditation methods; students can also be given the opportunity to try meditation for themselves.

You can read more information and see what they have to offer on their website here.