AN 3.109

The Buddha said to Anathapindika the householder: 

"Householder, when the mind is unprotected, bodily actions are unprotected as well, verbal actions are unprotected as well, mental actions are unprotected as well. When one’s bodily actions, verbal actions, & mental actions are unprotected, one’s bodily actions get soggy, one’s verbal actions get soggy, one’s mental actions get soggy. When one’s bodily actions, verbal actions, & mental actions are soggy, one’s bodily actions… verbal actions… mental actions rot. When one’s bodily actions, verbal actions, & mental actions rot, one’s death is not auspicious, the mode of one’s dying not good."

If you use samādhi to resist your desire without knowing the purpose of doing so, you will not be able to get rid of your desire entirely

Question:  I can see my desire but I feel so weak and am unable to resist and resolve it. How can I lessen my desire and eventually uproot it?

Than Ajahn:  First of all you need to develop mindfulness. If you have mindfulness you can disregard your desire when it arises. When you have desire, you just concentrate on your meditation subject, like reciting a mantra: Buddho, Buddho. If you can keep repeating Buddho, Buddho, eventually your desire will disappear temporarily. This is the first step of engaging with your desire.

When and where was the Tipitaka first written?

May 1, 2017

In an article I wrote for The Island and which was published on 21st April 2017, I highlighted several well-known details about the life of the Buddha, which most Buddhists assume come from the Tipitaka, but which in fact cannot be found there. I went on to suggest that some of these stories may well have been created centuries after the Buddha. Several people have responded to this article, including Dr. Chandre Dharmawardene of Canada. In his response he mentions that the Tipitaka was first committed to writing in the 1st century BCE at Aluvihara in Sri Lanka. In saying this Dr. Dharamawardene is of course in accordance with generally accepted and oft repeated ‘fact.’ However, it is a ‘fact’ that I would like to reassess.

Don't ignore your suffering

If you have experienced hunger, you know that having food is a miracle. If you have suffered from the cold, you know the preciousness of warmth. When you have suffered, you know how to appreciate the elements of paradise that are present. If you dwell only in your suffering, you will miss paradise. Don't ignore your suffering, but don't forget to enjoy the wonders of life, for your sake and for the benefit of many beings.

- Thich Nhat Hanh, in “The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching”.  Photo: Noel CasajeKevin Ooi

You have to know that you are breathing in now, or you are breathing out now

Question: In breath meditation, there are different points of focusing ie focusing on different parts of the body like at the tip of the nose, or in the diaphragm or in the throat. How do I chose which point of focusing is suitable for me?

His Holiness the 103rd Gaden Tripa, Head of the Gelug School, Passes Away

By Craig Lewis Buddhistdoor Global 2017-04-24 

His Holiness the 103rd Gaden Tripa. From tibet.net

The 103rd Gaden Tripa, His Holiness Jetsun Lobsang Tenzin, the spiritual head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism, has passed away at the age of 80, the Central Tibetan Administration announced. Rinpoche had recently been admitted to the intensive care unit of Max Hospital in New Delhi after several months of illness. 

Children Becoming Buddhist Monks

https://www.facebook.com/todayonline/videos/10154717044117572/

WATCH: Children get their heads shaved by Buddhist monks during a ceremony called 'Children Becoming Buddhist Monks' at the Jogye Temple in South Korea. Following the ceremony, the children will stay at the temple where they are taught about Buddhism until Buddha's birthday on May 3.