What Is BuddhaZine and What Features Does BuddhaNet Have?

Updated

BuddhaZine is BuddhaNet's online magazine, and it sits alongside a much wider set of features on buddhanet.net: guided meditation pages, a large eBook and file library, Buddhist art and photo documentaries, a world directory of centers and organizations, and lighter sections such as a kids' page, crossword puzzles, and comics. All of these are reachable from the site's main navigation, which is organized under Studies, The Buddhist World, eBooks, Resources, and Features.

BuddhaZine: the online magazine

BuddhaZine is listed under the Features section of the site. It functions as the magazine arm of BuddhaNet, gathering articles and editorial content rather than serving as a structured study course. If you want reading material rather than a curriculum, this is the section to start with.

Related magazine-style content appears in the same area, including magazine articles, crossword puzzles, and Buddhist comics.

Meditation guidance

BuddhaNet hosts online meditation instruction in two named areas:

  • Insight Meditation — listed as its own page under the site's meditation content.
  • Loving Kindness Meditation — a separate page alongside it.

There is also a section titled "Therapy and Meditation," which sits with the other feature pages. These pages are guidance material, not a directory of teachers or retreat centers; for finding a physical center, the World Directory is the relevant section.

eBooks and the file library

The eBooks section is broken into subject categories:

Category What it covers
General Buddhism Introductory and general titles
Buddhist Meditation Meditation-focused books
Theravada Teachings Theravada tradition texts
Mahayana Teachings Mahayana tradition texts
History and Art Historical and artistic works
Children's Books Material aimed at younger readers

The Resources section is a separate file library, organized by both tradition and file type:

  • Artwork Files — General Buddhism, Theravada, Mahayana, and Tibetan Buddhism
  • Audio Files
  • Study Materials
  • Palm Pilot Files and TomeRaider Files — older portable-format documents
  • Pali Fonts (Mac/PC) — fonts needed to display Pali text correctly

The Pali font files are worth noting: if Pali text renders incorrectly on your device, the font downloads in this section are the fix.

Art, photography, and visual resources

Visual material is spread across several sections rather than gathered in one gallery:

  • Buddhist Computer Art
  • Photo Documentaries
  • Art and Architecture
  • Treasury of Truth
  • Artwork Files (in the Resources library, split by tradition)

"Treasury of Truth" appears as a distinct feature page, separate from the general art and architecture content.

Directory of Buddhist centers and organizations

The Buddhist World section contains the World Directory, organized geographically:

  • The Americas
  • Asia
  • Australia and New Zealand
  • Europe
  • Africa / Middle East
  • Masters / Organisations

There is also a "Send/Update Your Info" page for submitting or correcting a listing. If you are trying to locate a center in a specific region, this is the section to use rather than the study or eBook areas.

Studies: structured learning

The Studies section is the closest thing to a course pathway:

  • Buddhist Studies – Main
  • Basic Buddhism Guide
  • Online Study Guide
  • CD-Rom for Schools
  • Buddhist Scriptures
  • Buddhist Teachings
  • History & Culture

The "CD-Rom for Schools" entry indicates material originally packaged for classroom use, now listed within the site's study offerings.

Other feature pages

Beyond BuddhaZine and the meditation pages, the Features section includes:

  • Place of Enlightenment
  • Buddhist Books
  • Women in Buddhism
  • BuddhaNet Kids Page
  • Magazine Articles
  • Crossword Puzzles
  • Buddhist Comics
  • Multimedia
  • Bodhi Tree Monastery — with an "About Bodhi Tree" page

The site also carries a Buddhist News page ("Read All The Latest Buddhanet News") and a Donation Form under its About/Contact area.

Newer additions

Two items are flagged as new on the site:

  • "The Vipassana Retreat" — a Vipassana meditation book and CD by Ven. Pannyavaro, described as the resident teaching monk of Bodhi Tree Forest Monastery and webmaster of BuddhaNet.net. It links to the site's store page.
  • Buddhist Digital Resources — described as a collection bringing together representative Buddhist digital resources.

How to choose where to start

  • Want to read articles? Go to BuddhaZine.
  • Want to learn to meditate? Start with Insight Meditation or Loving Kindness Meditation.
  • Want books or downloadable files? Use the eBooks section for reading, and the Resources file library for artwork, audio, study materials, and fonts.
  • Looking for a local center or organization? Use the World Directory under The Buddhist World.
  • Want a structured introduction? Begin with the Basic Buddhism Guide or the Online Study Guide under Studies.
  • Looking for something for children? The Children's Books category and the BuddhaNet Kids Page are the two relevant areas.