Sariputta

Illuminating the World, like the moon freed from Obscurities

Xuan Zang stayed in Vijayawada to study Buddhist scriptures

by G. Venkataramana Rao, The Hindu, November 3, 2016

Chroniclers of history have documented ancient inscriptions in the region.

Andhra Pradesh, India -- Chinese Buddhist pilgrim and scholar Xuan Zang stayed a couple of years in Bezawada (the old name of Vijayawada) to copy and study the Abhidhammapitakam, the last of the three pitakas (Pali for baskets) constituting the Pali canon, the scriptures of Theravada Buddhism.

The Nataraja cave in Moghalrajpuram in Vijayawada is the largest cave left of Poorvasaila monastery. Photo: V. Raju 

The writings of Xuan Zang (also spelled Hsuan Tsang or Hiuen Tsang) about his travels in India are detailed accounts of the life of the people in the 7th century. The Chinese government has used his work to establish that the relationship between India and China is 1,400 years old.

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Ajiro: Vegetarian ‘shojin ryori’ in a Buddhist temple complex

by J.J. O'Donoghue, The Japan Times, Nov 11, 2016 Kyoto, Japan -- I ate my lunch at Ajiro in the company of a bewildered farmer with a comical Donald Trump-like mop of hair. But looks were the least of his concern; rather it was a bull that had got the better of him, escaping from the herd and hightailing it to the hills. Luckily he finally found the animal hiding behind a rock, lassoed him and triumphantly led him back to the herd. Was there something in my miso soup you might be wondering? Sharp and creamy: Ajiro's goma-dofu (sesame tofu) comes topped with a sprig of hana-sansho (pepper flowers). | J.J. O'DONOGHUE This was the simple but satisfying scene painted on the six fusuma (papered sliding doors) that surrounded me while I ate lunch at Ajiro. This restaurant specializes in shojin ryori, traditional vegetarian Buddhist cuisine. And that painted bull was the only trace of meat at this restaurant, which serves only vegetarian meals.

Only ourselves

The Best Remedy

The Venerable Sayadaw U Pandita at Panditarama Hse Mine Gon Forest Meditation Center in Burma, 2014

Regarded as one of the world’s most eminent meditation masters and Theravada Buddhist scholars, the Venerable Sayadaw U Pandita of Burma (now Myanmar) passed away on April 16, 2016, at the age of 94. Successor to Mahasi Sayadaw and spiritual adviser to Burma’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate and State Counsellor, Aung San Suu Kyi, Sayadaw U Pandita entered monastic life at the age of 12. Through decades of experience in the theory and practice of meditation, he cultivated in others the motivation to know and experience the taste of the dhamma, which he viewed as many times better than all the other tastes of the world. With this goal in mind, he established meditation centers throughout the world, working tirelessly to share the Buddha’s teachings in accordance with the instructions of Mahasi Sayadaw (1904–1982), encompassing both scripture and practice so that neither would be omitted. He lived as head teacher for eight years at the Mahasi Meditation Centre in Yangon, where the worldwide mass lay insight meditation movement began in 1947, until 1990, when he founded the meditation and study monastery Panditarama Shwe Taung Gon Sasana Yeiktha, also in Yangon.

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The Bases of Success (Iddhipāda) 四種成就之基因

I shall now give a brief description of the iddhipādas, the bases of success.

Iddhi 
The word-explanation is: “ijjhanam iddhi”; this means the fact of having succeeded, completed or perfected.
In the Buddha Sāsana there are five iddhis:
1.Abhiññeyyesu dhammesu abhiññā-siddhi
2.Pariññeyyesu dhammesu pariññā-siddhi
3.Pahātabbesu dhammesu pahāna-siddhi
4.Sacchikātabbesu dhammesu sacchikiriya-siddhi
5.Bhāvetabbesu dhammesu bhāvanā-siddhi

On a lighter note

What Love Is

 By Ayya Khema  Winter 1994

Born in Berlin of Jewish parents in 1923, Ayya Khema [1923-1997] escaped Nazi Germany in 1938 with a transport of 200 children to Glasgow. She joined her parents two years later in Shanghai, where, with the outbreak of war, the family was put into a Japanese POW camp, in which her father died.

SN22.1

Ven. Sariputta said: "Now, how is one afflicted in body & afflicted in mind?

"There is the case where an uninstructed, run-of-the-mill person — who has no regard for noble ones, is not well-versed or disciplined in their Dhamma; who has no regard for men of integrity, is not well-versed or disciplined in their Dhamma — assumes form (the body) to be the self, or the self as possessing form, or form as in the self, or the self as in form. He is seized with the idea that 'I am form' or 'Form is mine.' As he is seized with these ideas, his form changes & alters, and he falls into sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair over its change & alteration.

He assumes feeling ... perception ... mental fabrications ... consciousness ...

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All phenomena are dhamma and all dhammas are anatta

Peaceful Uplifting Monasteries

All phenomena are dhamma and all dhammas are anatta. This means that sati (awareness), sampajanya (wisdom), physical phenomena, feelings, minds, and all other dhammas are anatta. They arise and pass away according to their causes and conditions beyond one's control.

SN 9.11

Ayoniso manasikārā,

so vitakkehi khajjasi;
Ayoniso paṭinissajja,
yoniso anucintaya.

Because of attending carelessly,
You, sir, are eaten by your thoughts.
Having relinquished the careless way,
You should reflect carefully.
~ Bhikkhu Bodhi

From inappropriate attention
you're being chewed by your thoughts.
Relinquishing what's inappropriate,
contemplate appropriately.
~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Buddhist Discipline: an interview with Phiroz Mehta

Posted on 8 November 2016 by Buddhism Now  From an interview with Phiroz Mehta July 1988

Questioner: Can you remember when you first read about the Buddha and what it was that first appealed to you about Buddhism?

Phiroz Mehta: I first read about the Buddha in any serious measure during the war years — in this country of course — and that was round about 1943 and 1944, from then onwards. I had Radhakrishnan’s two Volumes Indian Philosophy and you know he has several chapters dealing with the various aspects of Buddhism. It appealed to me very strongly — the rationality of the thing and the depth of the teaching — so that was when my interest started seriously. Prior to that of course, having spent my boyhood in Colombo, I naturally knew about Buddhism in a superficial manner. Through reading theosophical books, I came to know something about Buddhism and I came to know something about all of the other religions at the same time, apart from Islam; I am quite ignorant of Islam, although I have looked into the Koran a certain amount. But Buddhism struck me as really deep.

Buddhism, Politics, and Violence

"He abused me, he struck me, 
he overpowered me,
he robbed me." 
Those who harbor such thoughts do not still their hatred.

- Dhammapada Verse 3

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Dhammapada 002

A Trump Presidency Need Not Be the End Times

by Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi, The Buddhist Channel, November 11, 2016

San Francisco, CA (USA) -- It was with feelings of shock and dismay that early this morning I woke up to learn that Donald Trump had been elected president of the United States.

Although, as a monk, I do not endorse political candidates or align myself with political parties, I feel that as a human being inhabiting this fragile planet, I have an obligation to stand up for policies that promote economic and social justice, respect for the innate dignity of all human beings, and preservation of the earth’s delicate biosphere. 

Five Things To Do Now That Trump Has Been Elected

Nov 9, 2016 by Domyo Burk 

One: Grieve

Half of the people in our country (maybe slightly less than half?) just said a big f___ you to immigrants, Muslims, Mexicans, refugees, minorities, poor people, women, disabled people, LGBT people, the environment – the list goes on and on. Why? I wish I knew, but here’s the political outcome I feel most confident about right now: I’m going to be able to keep more of my money for myself. For a beautiful description of our grief, read “Here’s Why We Grieve Today” by John Pavlovitz.

Meditate, bhikkhu - AN 5.73

Jhāyatha bhikkhu, mā pamādattha. Mā pacchā vippaṭisārino ahuvattha. Ayaṃ amhākaṃ anusāsanī'ti. 

~ AN 5.73

"Meditate, bhikkhu, do not be heedless. Do not have cause to regret it later. This is our instruction to you."
~ Bhikkhu Bodhi

"Practice jhana, monk. Don't be heedless. Don't later fall into regret. This is our message to you."
~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu

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Why We’re Hardwired to Armor Our Hearts

Keeping a distance shields us from the pain we've already experienced and future wounds. But it's only when we acknowledge pain and tend to it that we're able to open up—to others and ourselves. By Vinny Ferraro October 27, 2016

Compassion: it feels like a real response to the world we live in particularly to those who have been through a lot. You’ve got two choices: Either we armor up our hearts for fear of ever being hurt again, or we make a more courageous decision. We have those resources.

Contentment and peace

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Practising in family life

Family life can at times flow with love and harmony, but it can also be fraught with difficulties...

Sangha-dana (giving to monks).

The monks are also given robes and other personal items such as blankets. Goenkaji carefully explains two reasons why give to the Sangha.

Jata sutta, SN7.6

“The inner tangle and the outer tangle —

This generation is entangled in a tangle.
And so I ask of Gotama this question:
Who succeeds in disentangling this tangle?”

“When a wise man, established well in virtue,
Develops concentration and insight,
Then as a bhikkhu ardent and prudent,
He succeeds in disentangling this tangle.”

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