Monday, September 26, 2016

Mahāpa­desa­sutta (AN 4.180)

"“Then a bhikkhu might say: ‘In such and such a residence one elder bhikkhu is dwelling who is learned, an heir to the heritage, an expert on the Dhamma, an expert on the discipline, an expert on the outlines. In the presence of that elder I heard this; in his presence I learned this: “This is the Dhamma; this is the discipline; this is the Teacher’s teaching!”’ That bhikkhu’s statement should neither be approved nor rejected. Without approving or rejecting it, you should thoroughly learn those words and phrases and then check for them in the discourses and seek them in the discipline. If, when you check for them in the discourses and seek them in the discipline, [you find that] they are not included among the discourses and are not to be seen in the discipline, you should draw the conclusion: ‘Surely, this is not the word of the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One. It has been badly learned by that elder.’ Thus you should discard it." 

The Lion’s Roar : Anagarika Dharmapala & The Making of Modern Buddhism

Sarath Amunugama Vijitha Yapa Publication (2016), 728 pp.
"What emerged from Dharmapala’s syncretism was not a mere transformation of contemporary Buddhist practices, referred to in sociological literature as "Protestant Buddhism", but a modernist interpretation of Buddhism which has had a profound impact on present day Buddhist thought and action." [p.6]

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Buddhist Answers to Question asked 031 : Buddhist view on rebirth (Ven. Pasura Dhantamano)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIoAXDTs6CM

Published on Oct 16, 2014
Venerable Pasura Dhantamano was born in Thailand and has over 25 years of meditation experience. He studied a master’s degree in International Relations. He is the chief of international relations division, Wat Phra Dhammakaya, Thailand, an organization dedicated to spreading world peace through inner peace.

MN 108 (Gopakamoggallana Sutta)

“Is there, Master Ananda, any single bhikkhu who was appointed by Master Gotama thus: ‘He will be your refuge when I am gone,’ and whom you now have recourse to?”

Jhana: The Spice Your Meditation Has Been Missing

Meditation teacher and political columnist Jay Michaelson explains how jhana meditation is a transformative and vital part of the eightfold path.
By Dr. Jay Michaelson 
SEP 22, 2016

Jhana: The Spice Your Meditation Has Been Missing
Buddha in Phitsanulok, Thailand | Photo by Andrea Kirkby http://tricy.cl/2dmkC4M

Meditation” is a vague term.
Even in English it has two opposing meanings: thinking and not-thinking. But unsurprisingly, since the word meditation is derived from Latin, the term can be even more confusing when it comes to Buddhist meditation and its recent offshoot, secular mindfulness.

"People want to go to Nibbana but when you tell them there is nothing there, they begin to have second thoughts."

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Ajahn Chah

Why Anicca, Dukkha, Anatta in this order

"A beginner who starts on the path has to work. You are being taught to reach the stage that is without "I" (anattā), and when there is no "I" there is no doer. But if we say there is no "I" in the beginning, you could become confused and think you do not need to work. You must first understand, "Well, I have to take steps on the path."A time will come when you understand, "There is a path but there is nobody to walk over it, there are only steps being taken on the path." That stage has to come naturally. If the "I" is still there in you and you try to impose a feeling that the "I" is not there, it is not helpful.“That is why the Buddha’s teaching is to work first with anicca. When you get established in anicca, then dukkha will naturally become clear to you, and you will understand that however pleasant a feeling may be it passes away. If you develop attachment to it you will become miserable. So misery is inherent in even the most pleasant experience. Understanding of dukkha becomes more and more predominant once you are established in anicca.“When you are established in anicca and dukkha, then the third stage—an understanding of anattā—develops, and you think, "What is this phenomenon? Where is ‘I’? Things are just happening, there is just a flow of mind and matter interacting." When the "I" dissolves at the experiential level it is helpful. An imposed conception of anattā will not help. That is why the Buddha never advised us to start with anattā. Start with anicca, then dukkha will follow, and anattā will develop." ~ S.N.Goenka