Category: Theravada

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 Ā to the people of Sri Lanka. He met the king, who happened to be on a…

If someone were to ask you

“Tell me, which part of the Tripitaka is the most ancient? Which part would I want to read, study and practice if I look for the most authentic instructions?” The answer is very simple. There are two little collections of…

A Peaceful Vesakh 2553

…to you all! May you “live long and prosper” šŸ˜‰ The above image, quite appropriate for the day, is one of the most skilled artistic representations of the “Buddha visiting the devas” (looks like 33) I have ever seen…thanks go…

Paticcasamuppada – Stop the burning flames

Famous words by the Buddha: Vuttaį¹ƒ kho panetaį¹ƒ bhagavatā:Ā yo paį¹­iccasamuppādaį¹ƒ passati so dhammaį¹ƒ passati; yo dhammaį¹ƒ passati so paį¹­iccasamuppādaį¹ƒ passatÄ«ti. Paį¹­iccasamuppannā kho panime yadidaį¹ƒ paƱcupādānakkhandhā. Yo imesu paƱcasu upādānakkhandhesu chando ālayo anunayo ajjhosānaį¹ƒ so dukkhasamudayo. Yo imesu paƱcasu upādānakkhandhesu chandarāgavinayo…

Nirodha – “Where” is Nibbana?

While preparing the post on AnapanasatiĀ I came across several discussions on the topic of “nirodho”. Currently re- reading the SN on the Khandhas myself I stumbled over one sutta which kept me pondering. In that particular sutta, the Buddha was…

The process of awakening

In the Ā “Group-Section” (Khandhasamyutta) of the Samyutta Nikaya numerous short suttas can be found which – if we squeeze them in the right manner – provide valuable information how a puthujjana (or unenlightened being) turns into an ariyapuggalo (an enlightened…

From Vipassana Hater to Vipassana Lover

And I show you how šŸ™‚ Okay, caught your attention (did you see what happened when you read this headline)? Now, let me rephrase a bit: This post is about how a Vipassana-opponent turned into a Vipassana-proponent. Interested?Ā This is the…

Mindfulness is not Sati?

Many people Ā (especially those who intensively try to put the Buddhas eightfold path into practice) have thought about the meaning of samma sati or “right mindfulness”. In fact, the meaning of this important aspect of Buddhist practice had troubled me…

Samatha (or ???) Vipassana

The question whether toĀ practise samatha or vipassana comes up again and again. Ā In the early days of the Burmese Vipassana movement long debates were waged on which approach would be the correct one (samatha || vipassana, that is). This question…