The question whether to practise samatha or vipassana comes up again and again. 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…
While the number of drafted articles grows 🙂 . Thought i might share with you some of the topics people were looking for and I hope that at least some answers got solved. May all beings be free from avijja and…
There is a rather interesting sutta in the Samyutta in which the Buddha illustrates the meaning and significance of the term sankharo in a straightforward manner: Idha bhikkhave, assutavā puthujjano ariyānaṃ adassāvī ariyadhammassa akovido ariyadhamme avinīto, sappurisānaṃ adassāvī sappurisadhammassa akovido…
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, lets 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 a bad shape – is surprised as to how much the Buddha was able to help in his wordly affairs: Indeed the Buddha…
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…
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 to ignore this interesting gatha. Seems like every monastic translator…
…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 we…
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…