In one of his prefaces to the translation of the Majjhima Nikaya, Karl Eugen Neumann (who lived many years before the relativity theory was conceived, let alone quantum physics) once made the following observation: These discourses originated in the 6th…
Recently I was asked whether jhana and vipassana meditation ultimately lead to the same results.* My answer was, that I would rather rephrase that question: “How are jhana and vipassana faculties tied together on the path to Nibbana?” Ā A…
Sometimes we forget all about gratitude and respect for the help we receive from others. If one were to look at our attitude towards the many hardships and sacrifices of all the people who came before us who made it…
“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…
…to you all! May you “live long and prosper” š 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…
Famous words by the Buddha: Vuttaį¹ kho panetaį¹ bhagavatÄ:Ā yo paį¹iccasamuppÄdaį¹ passati so dhammaį¹ passati; yo dhammaį¹ passati so paį¹iccasamuppÄdaį¹ passatÄ«ti. Paį¹iccasamuppannÄ kho panime yadidaį¹ paƱcupÄdÄnakkhandhÄ. Yo imesu paƱcasu upÄdÄnakkhandhesu chando Älayo anunayo ajjhosÄnaį¹ so dukkhasamudayo. Yo imesu paƱcasu upÄdÄnakkhandhesu chandarÄgavinayo…
From time to time I wonder: How many of you out there scratch their heads when they read the first line of the metta sutta? Sure enough, translations of the metta sutta abound and almost every (Theravadin) monastery in East…
[This story is part of our Arahant series.] Once, they say, the elder MahÄsÄ«vaĀ of āMountainpeakā lived in the city of Mahagama, in Tissa’s Abbey. There, he taught eighteen groups of young monks in the three baskets – the traditional teachings…
You do not need to see the end of your dish washing activity and the beginning of you moving to the fridge. That is not going to stop mental proliferation from happening. And it won’t stop suffering – not in…
What do Vibhajjavada and Early Tibetan Meditation have in common?Ā Quick answer: they knew about the importance of insight meditation. Long answer: Just stumbled over this very interesting academic paper on a technical term called “bhÅ«ta-pratyavekį¹£Ä” used by the Mahayana Buddhist…