Imagine you just planted an apple tree. Well, you actually took one little apple seed and found a nice spot for it to grow. Then you covered it with some earth and sprinkled water over the spot. Every day you…
What is the difference between a Buddha and an Arahant? Before “deciding” which way to go, let’s hear what the Buddha has to say on this topic: At Savatthi… “Monks, the Tathagata — the worthy one, the fully enlightened one,…
In the Samyutta Nikaya we find this famous saying by King Pasenadi who – being physically in bad shape – is surprised at how much the Buddha was able to help in his worldly affairs: Indeed the Buddha has shown…
In the famous sutta on the four pillars of mindfulness (Mahasatipatthana), we find a passage which is repeated throughout the text as some kind of refrain, summarizing the quintessence of samma sati, or right mindfulness/awareness: “In this way he remains…
Temple monks – Dana 1960 Temple monks – Dana 2008 Found all the differences? Maybe now you know why there is no English translation of the Phusso Theragatha? v. 949 – 980. Hmmm…. The online versions of the Theragatha seem…
…was Ayya Khema‘s noble intention. Let us all walk in her footsteps. From an email thread: Better I respond now, before letting this lie around too long…so short answers. If not clear enough, give me a call 🙂 I’m glad…
Or: There IS a Buddhist Bible. An invitation to read: When was the last time you read a book? How many pages did you gobble up during a weekend? 400? 200? 800? What if someone tells you that after reading…
Just recently I came across this fascinating story, which is especially valuable to those among you who read or chant Pali texts: Dhammaruwan Story: Dhammaruwan was born in a small village near Kandy, Sri Lanka in November 1968. From the…
A story from the Pali canon: “The wise teachers of old, however, used manual work to break strong obsessions. This is how the story goes: A young monk called “Tissa” lived together with his preceptor in the Tissamahavihara monastery. It…
One of the better-known parts of the famous 5th century Buddhist compendium “Path to Purity” by the scholar monk and commentator Ven. Buddhaghosa deals with concentration meditation and the steps necessary to get meditation instructions from an experienced teacher. The…