[This story is part of our Arahant series.] Once, they say, the elder Mahāsīva of ‘Mountainpeak’ lived in the city of Mahagama, in Tissa’s Abbey. There, he taught eighteen groups of young monks in the three baskets – the traditional…
Sappuriso ca kho, bhikkhave, kataññū hoti katavedī. Sabbhi hetaṃ, bhikkhave, upaññātaṃ yadidaṃkataññutā kataveditā. Kevalā esā, bhikkhave, sappurisabhūmi yadidaṃ kataññutā kataveditā”ti. Katannu – Sutta, AN Just wanted to say “thank you” to all of you who came and shared time with…
The English word mindfulness is a mistranslation. In the oldest Pali texts, sati carries a precise, active meaning that is central to the Buddhist path to Nibbana — and understanding the difference changes everything about how you practice.
Temple monks – Dana 1960 Temple monks – Dana 2008 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…
Normally, when we talk about the world, we think of mountains, oceans, rivers, valleys, towns, transportation, globalization, earth, planets, the universe. When the Buddha spoke about “the world” he had something else in mind: As he was sitting there, he…
There are a couple of instances in the Pitaka where the Buddha compares our moment-to-moment experience (zoom out and you would call it “life”) with a swift river. In some similes he compares our journey from Samsara to Nibbana as…
Or: How can I desire Nibbana if it is supposed to be the end of desires? Part of mainstream Buddhism and supported by a notion from the late Mahayana school of thought is the proposition that you cannot achieve Nibbana…
Why did the Buddha emphasize, over and over again, the necessity to keep the 5 basic precepts PURE in order to progress in meditation? Keep them for a couple of days while meditating and you will know! Nothing helps to…
Vitakka and vicara — applied and sustained thought — are the two mental factors that carry the meditator into the first jhana. A close reading of the Pali Canon reveals their exact meaning and how to use them in anapanasati practice.
Please add to the list of Prof. Ian Stevenson, Dr. Jim Tucker, Dr. Raymond Moody, Francis Story and Thomas Shroder one other name: I found Prof. Erlendur Haraldsson’s website this afternoon. Have a look at these three cases from Lebanon:…