Category: Dhamma

Ultimate Dhammapada

The Theravada Tipitaka Press has recently released a new book in their series of bilingual Pali primers. In case you are unfamiliar with the concept: In South-East Asia traditionally to learn the “sacred” language of the Buddha beginning students would…

Walking towards freedom

Here is a very beautiful description by the Buddha on the progressive stages a meditator goes through until he realizes Nirvana. It sheds some additional light on the progress of insight meditation which the later commentary literature called “insight-knowledges” or “vipassana nyana”….

Bhikkhu = Beggarmonk

Theragatha v.127-128 ‘‘Tiṇṇaṃ me tālapattānaṃ, gaṅgātīre kuṭī katā; Chavasittova me patto, paṃsukūlañca cīvaraṃ. ‘‘Dvinnaṃ antaravassānaṃ, ekā vācā me bhāsitā; Tatiye antaravassamhi, tamokhandho padālito’’ti. == (English) Using three palm leaves I made myself a hut on the bank or river Ganges….

How to really cleanse your mind

Can a practice that we undertake which does not purify our mind be truly considered “cultivation of the mind”? Let’s forget our concepts and ideas about “meditation” for a moment and look at some words of the Awakened One on…

The Lay Disciple

This is the disciple of the Buddha, living in the house. He has confidence in the Buddha’s awakening. He trains himself to purify his actions and his speech. He cultivates generosity, learns to sacrifice and let go. And this is…

Māgandiya Sutta (Māgandiyo) – MN.75 (VIII, 5)

Majjhima Nikaya, Middle collection M. 75th (VIII, 5) Māgandiya Sutta (Māgandiyo) translated from Pāli by Karl Eugen Neumann THIS HAVE I HEARD. At one time the Blessed One was staying in the Kuru country, in a town of the Kurus called Kammasadammam,…

God and Jesus in Buddhism

Okay, the following anthology seemed long overdue – I found that especially in a Western Christian environment many Buddhists do not know what the Buddha (or the early Buddhist literature, depending on the grade of your trust) had to say…

Ox and crops

From the Theragatha, the Verses of the Elders. 445. Uppajje te sace kodho, āvajja kakacūpamaṃ; Uppajje ce rase taṇhā, puttamaṃsūpamaṃ sara. (1) 446.‘‘Sace dhāvati cittaṃ te, kāmesu ca bhavesu ca; Khippaṃ niggaṇha satiyā, kiṭṭhādaṃ viya duppasun”ti; 445. If anger arises…

Buddhism: More Than Mere Philosophy

A dear friend of mine–that happens to be a fairly new convert to Theravada Buddhism–emailed me with a question.  Is Buddhism more than just a philosophy?  A colleague of hers, upon hearing of her new-found religion, quickly dismissed her ambition…

The Heretic Sage

Many of you already know about my deep gratitude towards Ven. Ñāṇananda who I consider to be one of the greatest living Dhamma and Meditation masters. If anything you ever read on this blog might have helped you, all that…