Yesterday I stopped by the new asapuwa in Tampa where Bhante Vimala gave a very, very interesting little Dhamma talk, which I wanted to share with you. It was not planned or anything, but you know me, I like talking…
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 of the river…
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…
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…
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…
One of the most amazing and completely counter-intuitive “discoveries” of the Buddha is that samvara (typically translated as “discipline” or “restraint”, literally “holding together”, “keeping something shut”) can lead to happiness. One could almost argue that by being so counter-intuitive…
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 degree of your trust) had to say…
With deepest gratitude to Menyan Vahanse, Meetirigala for all the amazing teachings she has given. Her devotion to the Buddha’s message and compassion for all living beings was unrivaled. Her meditation experience and insight were out of this world. May…
One evening about two weeks ago, I picked up the Samyutta Nikaya and stumbled over a short sutta which mesmerized me for the next two weeks. It is one of those short yet deep suttas which makes the Samyutta Nikaya…
Here is an interesting book I read the other day: “Buddha laughed at theists (and accidentally created Christianity)”. The core idea revolves around the “strange” similarities between the Jesus of the New Testament and many of the (sometimes close to…