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….
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 called Kammasadammam,…
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…
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 grade 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 she…
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…
a peaceful Vesak to everyone. If you don’t know what Vesak is, please read here. Thus I have heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling among the Sakyans at Kapilavatthu in Nigroda’s park. Then Mahanama the Sakyan approached…