Smiling like the morning sun
The story of the elder Mahāmitta: The elder Mahāmitta, as they say, dwelled in the “plougher cave”. Close to the cave was a little village where he went for alms. An old lady cared for him like her own son…
Monthly Archives: April 2008
Dassanabhumi – studies in context II
Continuing on where i stopped the other day, i was amazed to see the interpretation of the next line of the Sutta Nipata by our alleged Mahakaccayana: ‘‘Paññā ceva sati ca, Nāmarūpañca mārisa; Etaṃ me puṭṭho pabrūhi, katthetaṃ uparujjhatī’’ti. ‘‘Yametaṃ…
Anusayā – studies in context
Caveat: This post is probably very boring for most of you. However, if you manage to read it, you might a.)get a clearer picture what anusayā (‘latent tendencies’) are and b.)see how one can arrive at filling pali terms with…
Karma and stock price action
Thinking about karma (pali: kamma), many people entertain a popular notion that your past bad and good karma is similar to a bag pack which you carry with you. On occasion the understanding of kamma also comes pretty close to…
The hidden meaning of ‘yathabhuta’
In the context of liberating wisdom the Buddha frequently employs a term called “yathabhuta” when describing the practice of insight meditation. Usually this term is translated as “as it really is”. So, a passage like this: Sāvatthinidānaṃ. ‘‘Rūpaṃ, bhikkhave, anattā….
Lankavatara – reinventing the wheel
This posting, in a way, continues the discussion on whether there can be craving for Nibbana. We concluded that there well can be such a desire which is more like a motivation for the goal and the craving for Nibbana…
Reflecting on the Jhana Factors
If you drive back from a peaceful mountain region to the busy town you can reflect on all the milestones and passing sights either while you drive or when you are back home. Now of course watching the scenery while…
Dancing on the Ocean of Nothingness
Imagine a person, hovering over the water surrounded by an endless ocean stretching in all directions. As you come closer, you realize that this person does not really hover over the water. In fact, it is falling towards the water….
Forever taking a stand
The most difficult part in insight meditation is to realize that your mind always takes a stand. Otherwise it could not exist. If you see, you took a stand on a sight, a see-sensing, a seeing, a see-feeling If you…
So close you cannot see it
Or: What does sankhara mean? There is quite a deal of confusion regarding this important Buddhist term some of the translations run as follows volitional formations mental formations fabrications, etc. etc. However, a translation for sankhara is quite easy 🙂…