Category: Dhamma

Chattamanavaka Gatha

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…

Mindfulness is not Sati?

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.

Find the differences…

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…

Lets talk about the world!

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…

Can you feel the sense stream’s drag?

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…

Craving for Nibbana?

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…

no virtue – no meditation?

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 & Vicara – What do they mean?

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.

Remembering previous lives

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:…

Bahiya’s Bodhi

Do you have a favorite passage in the Suttapitaka?… Difficult question, there are so many gems. But this one is really special, IMHO. It’s a Zen master’s dream come true in the Pali canon: ‘Tasmātiha te, bāhiya, evaṃ sikkhitabbaṃ –…