While the number of drafted articles grows 🙂 
.
Thought i might share with you some of the topics people were looking for and I hope that at least some answers got solved.
May all beings be free from avijja and find the bliss of Nibbana:
| theravadin | 63 |
| dhammaruwan | 51 |
| nibbana | 20 |
| jhanas | 19 |
| yathabhuta | 19 |
| bhanga nyana | 11 |
| pali pitaka | 11 |
| palikanon | 10 |
| buddhaghosa | 9 |
| 16 gradual knowledge of vipassana | 8 |
| kalugala aranya | 8 |
| buddhaghosa visuddhimagga authenticity | 7 |
| thesixsenseworld | 7 |
| the buddhist bible | 7 |
| sankharupekkha | 7 |
| as a buddhist why meditate site:therav | 7 |
| vitakka | 7 |
| zen vipassana | 6 |
| butea frondosa | 6 |
| vipassana instructions | 6 |
| jhana | 6 |
| phala samapatti | 6 |
| chanting in the pali language | 5 |
| jhanas y arrupas | 5 |
| bhanga vipassana | 5 |
| jesus in buddhism | 5 |
| path to nibbana | 5 |
| theragatha | 5 |
| pali tipitaka download | 5 |
| s n goenka on sotapanna | 5 |
| 6 year old chanting buddhist pirith | 4 |
| sixteen nyanas | 4 |
| ksana | 4 |
| cst4 frank snow | 4 |
| what are the theravadin practise, believ | 4 |
| jhana factors | 4 |
| nirodha centre | 4 |
| buddhist monks medittion | 4 |
| ven. k nyanananda | 4 |
| vipassana knowledge | 4 |
| the buddha experience | 4 |
| the jhanas | 4 |
| the path of purification visuddhimagga d | 4 |
| arahant stories | 4 |
| life story of dhammaruwan | 4 |
| yathābhūta | 4 |
| sankharupekkha | 4 |
| seeing nibbana | 3 |
| bahiya sutta cscd pali | 3 |
| dhammaruwan foundation | 3 |
| bhanga vipassana | 3 |
| buddha contemplation piti | 2 |
| buddha “desire for nibbana” | 2 |
| vipassana brainwave | 2 |
| yatha-bhuta | 2 |
| beyond anusayas and kilesa | 2 |
| arahant and buddha | 2 |
| 16 stages vipassana | 2 |
| progress in vipassana | 2 |
| brainwave entrainment vs vipassana | 2 |
…looks like an article on the Bhanga Nyana is long overdue :-). However, when it comes to compare brainwave entertainment and vipassana i am slightly biased.
Health’s the greatest gain,
contentment, best of wealth,
trusting’s best of kin,
Nibbana bliss supreme.
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belatedbee
Dear Theravadin,
According to this poster from the below link,
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071204180247AAYyuVV
“PS. Not all Theravada think Vipassana is the highest way, it seems Buddha did not practise Vipassana but rather Samatha meditation which leads to the 8 Jhana mind states called Divine Homes.
It seems Vipassana became a popular method of meditation after a Sri Lanka monk called BuhhhaGosa (BG) wrote his commentary on Buddhism. BG wrote an instruction manuel on meditation (VisudhiMaggha) and from that various forms of meditation arose. It seem BG was actually a Vedic scholar and included lots of ancient Hindu practises into his commentary.”
Is this true? Recently I’m wondering if the 16 steps and vipassanupakilesas are sort of zen koans–a tool, measuring stick, to stick to for a moment.
Anapanasati seems to be the technique mentioned in the suttas.
theravadin
Hi belatedbee,
a rather lengthy reply to your great question, but i thought this comes up so many times i might turn it into a post…and it so happened that i was talking about the exact same question just a couple of days ago with a friend. Thanks again for the comment, here is the link to my follow up:
http://theravadin.wordpress.com/2009/01/09/samatha-or-vipassana/
belatedbee
I understand about how jhana sharpens the mind in order for us to launch the mind into observing reality, in vipassana.
But in that quote… is it true or not that the Buddha actually taught 8 jhanas (form+formless jhanas)? I thought he only taught anapanasati?
The 16 steps, and the term vipassana, somebody else wrote (Hindu-based?)? And the Buddha himself didn’t really explain about what a Sotapanna would experience?
theravadin
Some links for you:
Buddha on the 8 jhanas:
You can almost use any subject for concentration and develop the 8 jhanas on it. Lots of passages where the Buddha talks about the 8 jhanas, for example:
http://www.mahindarama.com/e-tipitaka/Majjhima-Nikaya/mn-8.htm
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.111.than.html
The term vipassana is found already in the sutta pitaka:
http://220.128.136.40/cgi-bin/accelon3cgi.exe/ksana?db=tipitaka.adb&tofind=vipassana&act=text&dn=$A000002&t=&excerpt=1
The vipassana nyana occur first time in commentarial works and at later times but could be traced back to indications already found in the suttas. The path from rudimentary mindfulness to deep insight is of course not a mechanical one but parallels and stages can be observed:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.024.than.html
The Buddha, in fact, very often explained how and what a Sotapanna would experience:
http://www.google.com/cse?cx=016191283175230797672:kqievqd5qf4&q=stream+enterer&sa=Search
A very helpful primer in the Buddha’s own words is this book:
http://www.wisdompubs.org/Pages/display.lasso?-KeyValue=104&-Token.Action=&image=1
http://theravadin.wordpress.com/2008/08/30/where-is-the-buddhist-bible/
metta!
belatedbee
Thanks!