Category: Buddhism

Zhiyi and Bodhidharma

There is a beautiful translation of the Mohechikuang available. The translation was done by Bhikkhu Dhammapala who was also working on the Gandhara texts some time. In case you don’t know who Zhiyi was, here a little Buddhist history: A contemporary of…

Secret meditation instructions? Not with Sariputta on the watch.

The Buddhist world has seen its fair share of “gurus” and “masters” who introduced “secret meditation techniques” and found instructions nobody had ever seen before because they “allegedly” got lost or distorted over time – only to be (re-)introduced by…

A Dhamma rain shower – Mahamevnawa

2300 years ago emperor Ashoka‘s son, a Buddhist monk by the name of Mahinda, was sent to Sri Lanka to propagate the Buddha’s message  to the people of Sri Lanka. He met the king, who happened to be on a…

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,…

More Restraint More (True) Happiness

One of the most amazing and completely counter-intuitive “discoveries” of the Buddha is that samvara (typically transl. as “discipline” or “restraint”, lit. “holding together”, “keeping sth shut”) can lead to happiness. One could almost argue that by being so counter-intuitive to the…

Sabbe sankhara anicca

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 she…

To Nirvana in 5 sentences

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…