To neglect all your mothers from the past,
And remember only one is a form of attachment.
So don’t think that you’ve truly aroused compassion!
For as long as you have partiality and attachment,
There will be no liberation from saṃsāra.

So no matter which of the aggregates you focus on, the analysis always seems to come down to perception, and especially the perception of value, the perception of meaning.

Among these are an impressive variety of didactic poems, or cpāp’ (chbap), short, aphoristic verse compositions that were traditionally studied, copied, and recited by children studying at Khmer Buddhist temples.

Seemingly, we might have boundless knowledge, all derived from study and reflection, but if our fundamental character is not attuned to the Dharma, we will not tame the enemy, the destructive emotions.

Longchen Rabjam urges practitioners to go beyond mere study and rituals, to rest in pure awareness free of grasping, dedicate all virtue to others, and thereby realize the ultimate meaning of the Dharma.

By the end of the 15th century, a major syphilis epidemic had swept Europe…

As well as hiding syphilitic sores, merkins could help to mask the scent of the rotting flesh…

the burning of organic carbon warms the Earth about 100,000 times more from climate effects than it does through the release of chemical energy in combustion.

The Sakya Tradition has the distinction of having a close connection with the other three major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The Vajrakila lineage, which the Sakyapas follow, originates from Guru Padmasambhava, the founding master of the Nyingma school. The Kagyu and the Sakya schools originated almost at the same time, and both received important lineages from Naropa.

This brief essay outlines the origins and development of the Sakya Tradition, which began in the eleventh century and has been closely associated with Tibet’s Khon family.

It is through the generosity of King Trisong Detsen, the monastic ordinations given by the abbot Shantarakshita, and the spiritual transmissions given by Guru Padmasambhava, that the Buddhist tradition was able to spread and flourish in Tibet from early times up to the present.

A brief introduction to the Nyingma (Ancient Translation) school of Tibetan Buddhism, founded on the tantric and terma traditions of Guru Padmasambhava and Śāntarakṣita in the 8th century, written by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, who was head of the Nyingma school from 1988 to 1991, and one of its most revered modern masters.

Thus, the particular feature of the Kagyu lineage is that the teacher, having mastered the instructions, clears away defects - relating to intellectual understanding, meditation experience and the various levels of realisation.

A brief introduction to the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, rooted in the tantric transmissions of Tilopa and Naropa, passed through Marpa to Milarepa, and emphasizing the experiential path of Mahāmudrā and guru devotion as keys to realization.

Tsongkhapa saw the study and practice of such Indian classics as the Bodhisattvacaryavatara of Shantideva and the Ratnavali (Precious Garland) of Nagarjuna as highly supportive to an individual’s path to Buddhahood.

A brief introduction to the 14th-century Tibetan Buddhist school founded by the philosopher and saint Tsongkhapa.

Language is dealt with in Tibetan epistemological treatises in terms of the relationship between “what expresses” (rjod byed) and “what is expressed” (brjod bya)—two notions that come quite close to the Saussurian distinction between “signifier” and “signified.”

The Tibetan tradition of epistemology and philosophy of language focuses on how knowledge is defined, validated, and expressed. This article explains the rich tradition and examines key concepts like “reliable cognition” and the influence of Indian Buddhist thinkers such as Dignāga and Dharmakīrti on Tibetan thought.

18% of samples exceeded relevant health guidelines or regulatory limits. Metal foodware (51%), ceramics (45%), paint (41%), toys (13%), and cosmetics (12%) were the most common culprits.

While the developed world has (mostly!) eliminated lead from consumer goods, lower-income countries are still producing contaminated items.

Since this is an extraordinary method for completing the transcendent perfections and pacifying obstacles anyone and everyone should take it to heart.

The Sur offering within Tibetan Buddhism involves the burning of fragrant substances to aid beings in other realms and dispel the obstacles they can cause. In this text, Mipham Rinpoche presents a concise and powerful version of the ritual, complete with its accompanying chants.

Generally, even if we are attached to our own tradition, it is important that we have no antipathy towards other traditions.

A humorous, but insightful, analysis of Tibetan Buddhism’s four schools.

Bless me, so everything that obstructs the attainment of enlightenment may be pacified

A short hymn, praising Padmasambhava, a central figure in the transmission of Buddhism to Tibet.

May he free the kind ones immersed in misery’s ocean
So that all may come to resemble Mañjughoṣa himself.

A hymn of praise to the great Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, written by the 12th century Tibetan monk, philosopher, and yogi Je Tsongkhapa.

There are thus a great many systems of Dharma teaching in Tibet,
But aside from their nominal variations,
There is really no significant difference between them
All share the crucial point of seeking ultimate awakening.

In this concise work, Chökyi Lodrö offers a clear and accessible overview of the four major Tibetan Buddhist traditions—Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelug—highlighting their unique lineages, practices, and shared objectives. He emphasizes the universal path to enlightenment through ethical discipline, meditation, and wisdom, providing practical guidance on cultivating virtues and accumulating merit to achieve lasting happiness.

Milarepa spent the rest of his adult life practicing meditation in seclusion and teaching groups of disciples mainly through spontaneous songs of realization (mgur).

The life of the great Tibetan yogi Milarepa, beginning with the story of his parents and birth, then tracing his journey from sorcery to spiritual awakening, highlighting his devotion to Marpa, solitary meditation, and legendary songs.

This work however introduces the ten transcendent perfections and eleven bhūmis on the basis of relative truth and, on the basis of the ultimate truth, explains how there is no arising even conventionally according to the four extremes. Thus, this commentary on the intent of the Middle Way includes several uncommon features not found in the works of other scholars.

Khenpo Shenga’s prologue to Madhyamakāvatāra emphasizes that Candrakīrti’s text serves as a comprehensive introduction to Nāgārjuna’s Mūlamadhyamaka-kārikā, elucidating the two truths—relative and ultimate—and their interdependence.

The inconceivable qualities of this sacred place
I have sung in the form of a joyful song.
I have spoken of them as an oral instruction.

A song by Milarepa, praising the sacred place Kyangpen Namkha Dzong.

These days, however, if you consult followers of Mahāmudrā, Dzogchen and the like, they will not make even the slightest acknowledgement of instructions that suit people’s actual capacity, such as the way to progress in tranquillity and insight taught in the scriptural approach of the great pioneers.

In this work, Dongak Chökyi Gyatso emphasizes that advanced teachings like Mahāmudrā and Dzogchen are most effective when tailored to an individual’s capacity, distinguishing between general instructions and those suited for exceptional practitioners. He critiques the indiscriminate application of these profound methods, advocating for a gradual approach rooted in scriptural tradition to ensure proper understanding and avoid potential misapplication.

As long as one remains with a tenet system that accepts outer [objects], it is not tenable for the object and the [apprehending] consciousness to be of a single substance. In that case, the [object that is] the cause that casts an aspect [upon the consciousness] is called the apprehended object.

In this excerpt from “The Word-By-Word Commentary on the Treasury of Valid Reasoning,” Jamyang Loter Wangpo, an important Rime Sakya master, explains that knowable objects are those that can be apprehended by the mind. He distinguishes between object generalities and non-existent clear appearances, arguing that while both can appear to the mind, they lack substantial existence and are not valid objects of cognition. Though a non-sectarian thinker, he respectfully examines competing views from other schools, critiquing their reasoning to clarify and strengthen the Prāsaṅgika-Madhyamaka position.

Single embodiment of all the buddhas’ compassion,
Lotus King, chief of all sky-faring ḍākas and ḍākinīs,
Miraculously born nirmāṇakāya, untainted by a womb —
To this great eternal bearer of the lotus, I bow down!

In this devotional poem, Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö praises Tso Pema (Lotus Lake), a sacred site in Rewalsar, India, associated with Guru Padmasambhava. The poem extols the miraculous transformation of a funeral pyre into a lotus-filled lake and praises Padmasambhava’s enlightened qualities and compassionate activities

So, like children of the same father and same mother,
Cultivate mutual accord, devotion, and pure perception,
And, while focusing on your own tradition, avoid belittling others.

A brief poem on the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

the vows of a bhikṣu,
The root of the teachings,
guard them as you would your very own eyes.

Some life advice to an unnamed Tulku.

Therefore, since it is extremely incongruous to kill and offer up sentient beings to pure gods who are kind and caring, it is only right and proper that you renounce such practices and worship these deities with abundant clean offerings instead.

In addressing Hindu worshippers who engage in animal sacrifice, Jamyang Khyentse highlights the karmic repercussions of taking life and challenges the notion that compassionate deities would ever endorse such a practice.

the abbot Shadeu Trulshik wrote down whatever came to mind and offered it from Māratika cave.

Four simple, but direct, instructions on cultivating the Dharma.

Everything has the potential to support and realize spiritual life.

Amida Buddha’s vows form the foundation of the Pure Land tradition’s vision of universal salvation. While emphasizing that these vows create the Pure Land as an ideal realm for awakening, Bloom underscores that Amida, as dharmakaya, represents the buddha-nature inherent in all things—making awakening possible anywhere.

Our passions, while remaining just as they are, become one with great wisdom, so that they are gradually transformed like ice melting into water through the working of the wisdom.

This article explores the concept of “deeply entrusting mind” (shinjin) in Shin Buddhism. It highlights Amitabha Buddha’s compassion, the expression of his name, and the transformative experience that follows the awakening of shinjin.

Since in the teachings of Shin Buddhism Obon itself is nothing special but provides one of the opportunities for listening to the Buddha Dharma, there is no reason to do something special for it. In traditions other than Shin Buddhism, however, Obon is a special, fancier and more serious event for people to welcome their ancestors back home.

A short and humorous explanation of the Japanese tradition of Obon.

We are too spiritually weak and degenerate at this present time to carry out the earlier disciplines.

The two kinds of Japanese Buddhist schools are those that believe in jiriki (self-power) and those that rely on tariki (other-power) to lead to awakening.

Tantra finally gained official recognition and patronage during the reign of Sena 1 (833-853) who, we are told, had taken the bodhisattva vow. This monarch was interested enough in new trends in Buddhism to establish an ecumenical institute named Virankurarama, where 25 monks from each of the four major sects in Sri Lanka could study the new ideas coming from India.

While we usually think of Sri Lankan and Tibetan Buddhism as unrelated, this essay highlights that they have, in fact, had intermittent contact over the centuries.

a set of correspondences between his/her 32 bodily formations, the 32 consonants of the Pāli syllabary giving origin to those bodily formations, the 32 contemplative mūlakammaṭṭhāna and the 32 marks of a Buddha’s body. The key factor linking those correspondences is mūla-kammaṭṭhāna

How Tantric elements came to inform a premodern, Cambodian meditation practice.

Without a coercive village structure to enforce giving, the low-tension temples found themselves without their effective retainer. With the first-best contract unavailable, many temples have turned to fee-for-service arrangements of which the abortion-related ritual is merely the most notorious. Ironically, the new environment presents an entirely different challenge: temples now find themselves competing with internet-based priest-dispatch services.

I urge you to meditate beforehand, i.e., before you come across old age, sickness and death

Six brief talks given by Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw in 1952 around Asia on the path to Nibbana while on a tour sponsored by the newly-independent Burmese government to drum up support for its then-upcoming Sixth Council.

The present nuns in Burma had a great period of revival and prosperity during the sasana reforms sponsored by King Mindon, who built the royal city of Mandalay and held the Fifth Buddhist Council…

The historical and social context for the Theravāda nuns of Burma.

The primary flower used in traditional offerings in modern Sri Lanka is not actually the Sal flower but rather the flower of the Cannonball Tree.

Here are some points to consider about ordaining at Dambulla…

It actually saddens me as a monk that women don’t have the support to renounce. If we had bhikkhuni ordinations and monasteries just like we have for monks, women would flourish. That’s why we have to work really hard.

In this interview, Ajahn Brahm explains why granting Bhikkhuni ordinations is good for Buddhism in both Thailand and the West.

we are dealing here not with two groups but with three: the Dhammayut order of the Third and Fourth Reigns, which is the parent group; the Dhammayut order of the Fifth Reign and later, which is the royal child; and the Forest tradition, which is the parent group’s peasant child.

This essay explores the roots of the contemporary Thai Forest Tradition with an eye to explaining the dynamics that other historians have missed.

The heart is what is aware. When the current of sound dealing with the Dhamma comes in and makes continual contact with the heart, the heart won’t have any chance to go slipping outside, because the Dhamma is something calming and absorbing.

In this short discourse, Venerable Maha Boowa explains that the Dharma is found in the stilled and purified heart, and this is something to be experienced rather than simply believed.

Samādhi, in all its glory is Samudaya.

Luang Dta Maha Boowa talks at the funeral for Ajahn Paññā about the importance of good teachers to keep us straight on the path.

This is the practice. I ask that all of you practise. Don’t ignore your heart, alright? Don’t let the Kilesa walk all over it.

We must practice putting the mind back into shape. Before we do anything, while we’re doing it, and after it’s done, we have to practice keeping the mind cheerful and bright, with a constant sense of well-being.

A concise overview of the teachings of Chao Khun Nararatana Rajamanit, a respected yet lesser-known teacher of the Thai City tradition.

in a living tradition of Buddhism such as in Thailand, the members of that tradition themselves are often not quite aware of how the whole system is meant to work.

In this short talk, Ajahn Jayasaro discusses the history of Theravāda Buddhism especially in Thailand, giving a brief overview of Thai Buddhism’s own understanding of Buddhist history and its place within it.

To practise Dhamma means to apply the Dhamma, to use the Dhamma in conducting your life and work.

This work is a translation of “Thamma chabap rian lat”, designed to help newcomers to Buddhism understand key principles and their practical applications. It is also valuable for those already practicing the Dharma, furthering their understanding. The book is divided into four sections, each with a focus on different aspects of practice.

We conducted semi-structured interviews with 26 people who reported experiencing existential distress following psychedelic experiences. We explored the phenomenology of participants’ difficulties and the ways they navigated them, including what they found helpful and unhelpful in their process.

Our findings suggest that psychedelic-induced ontological shock leads to cognitive, emotional and social ungrounding which can in turn lead to existential confusion. Grounding, whether somatic, through embodiment practices, or through social connection and the normalisation of unusual experiences, helped people navigate their confusion

May I too accomplish the transcendent perfection
Of ethical discipline, just like you!

This prayer for accomplishing the transcendent perfections, attributed to Āryaśūra, is adapted from Dharmakirit’s commentary on the Jātakamālā. Covering the first four perfections, additional verses for the remaining perfections and birth stories were composed by the Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje.

The Buddhāpadāna further develops the concept of Buddha-field, in that it speaks of innumerable Buddha-fields in all ten directions in the multiverse. Thus the Apadānas clearly show the line of development from the concept of merit-field in the early Suttas to the Pure Land systems of later Mahāyāna.

This essay features translations by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu of four Apadānas: the Buddhāpadāna, Therāpadāna 502, Therāpadāna 80, and Therāpadāna 21. He provides a concise yet insightful introduction to Apadānas in general and explains the rationale behind his selection of these particular narratives.

Pure Land Buddhists in America seek to create a Pure Land here on Earth through ritual acts of devotion, care for animals and human beings, study, meditation, and acting compassionately in the public sphere.

In Southern California, some Theravāda temples have taken up the practice of granting temporary novice ordinations to Cambodian American gang members, with the hope of reorienting the youth toward their families’ religion and culture.

The Tibetan term for mandala, kyinkor, means ‘center and surrounding environment.’ The center with its surrounding geometric designs, its doors, its guardians, and its gods—all become charged with the order and the energy of the whole cosmos.

The sesshin is designed to enable one to plunge ahead in one’s practice.

Regardless of what kind of unhealthy body image you start with, this contemplation is sure to get under your skin—not only in a literal sense but also in an idiomatic one.

This use case that Apple is proposing is a near exact replication of a technology imagined in Kathryn Bigelow’s 1995 dystopian sci-fi film Strange Days.

You will also need a writing implement and a blank sheet of paper, and you should find the darkest spot possible…

Take a few minutes to copy a text by candlelight 🕯️ and reflect on the experience 🪞.

A model lab report for this exercise can be read here.

Whereas the texts discussed in the first section generally argue for a stricter separation between these two domains, those in the second [Mahāyāna wave] strove to integrate medicine into the very heart of Buddhism.

On how the relief of medical suffering became central to Mahāyāna Buddhism.

The Taliban were by no means the first people to try to destroy the Buddhas. Islamic iconoclasts had been hacking away at them for centuries. The Emperor Aurangzeb ordered cannons to blast the statues, as did a Persian king in the 18th century. Both attempts damaged but did not destroy the statues.

This essay is a brief history of and reflection on the giant Buddhas of Bamiyan.

Having been the greatest worldly ruler, her final and enlightened form is of a female ascetic by choice

This article delves into the story of Bhikkhunī Uppalavaṇṇā and the growth and complexities her story took over the centuries in different Buddhist traditions, texts, and artworks.

A true hero will be prepared to sacrifice much of himself or herself for others.

This brief essay discusses two similar Jataka stories that show how the Bodhisattva sacrificed himself to relieve the suffering of others. S. Dhammika muses on the purpose of such stories.

An accused who was able to flee to the nearest monastery would be protected from such mob justice. Sanctuary would give the person an opportunity to explain himself and allow his accusers to calm down so the facts could be examined more objectively.

The Pali terms equivalent to sanctuary would be abhayatthana or pujjatthana. Sanctuary in Buddhist monasteries had a long history in Sri Lanka lasting for at least 1,000 years.

For me, understanding is more and more taking the form of understanding the necessity of the tensions and problems and the simple importance of my grappling with them. I do not seek their dissolution, for that would negate the human experience; rather, I seek to understand them, my relations to them, and how best to navigate them.

For the time being stand on top of the highest peak.
For the time being proceed along the bottom of the deepest ocean.
For the time being three heads and eight arms.
For the time being an eight- or sixteen-foot body.

All being is time.

We are going to give the departed the opportunity to rejoice in the good we have done.

This essay is a short response to a newspaper article that Ven. Dhammika read in May of 2020. In his respose, the venerable corrects the idea that rituals are not part of the Theravāda faith and practice, giving doctrinal support along the way. However, Dhammika does agree that the view of transferring merit is not supported in early Buddhist teachings. Rather, early Buddhism taught that a practitioner can give others the opportunity to share in the happiness of wholesome action. 

Without the pressure of a life cut short, Keith Haring’s art might never have been as deep as it was. Yet that would have been a good trade.

On recognizing that “the nobility of suffering has always been a coping mechanism.”

This was the genius of our ancestors, that by cutting off the light from this empty space they imparted to the world of shadows that formed there a quality of mystery and depth superior to that of any wall painting or ornament.

A meditation on what was lost when Japan rapidly modernized and traded in its traditional aesthetics for Western appliances.

Leave behind the analogies of foolish minds and modes of speech,
And look instead into the mind for which there can be no analogy.

In this poetical advice, Mipham Rinpoche calls on his listeners to forget conceptions of reality, no matter how grand, and to look directly at the mind in order to gain wisdom.

This essay is in particular a response to Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi’s thoughtful critique of this position.

Aho ye! When looking at these outer appearances…

A translation of Lachung Apo’s short poem on attaining Great Perfection (Dzogchen/Mahamudra).

… and now the geneticists say I may have 2% Neanderthal DNA, which presumably changes the status of Neanderthals, or the [definition] of species, or [possibly] both.

The units of paleontology, and of biology more generally, are different from the units of paleoanthropology, in that the latter are units in a story of our ancestors, and the ancestors are invariably sacred.

On why the species of historic hominids are so numerous and contested.

If something is interdependent, it is necessarily emptiness.

In this short teaching, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo summarizes five logical arguments of Nagarjuna’s Mādhyamaka (Middle Way).

Bombu refers to a foolish being such as myself.

When I could finally admit this to myself, I saw that the license plate had to go …

The listener seeks cues about what is important to the other, sorts these cues to conclude which are the most important, and expresses the essence of the communication back to the speaker. In other words, the listener checks out his or her understanding of what the other person is trying to say.

The precariousness of intimate speech adds to its power and the power of the reader, through whose agency the voice is encouraged in its urgent plea or confidence.

Poet Louise Glück graciously accepts the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature in a master class of rhetoric and humility.

You can also watch Glück rereading her speech for the Nobel YouTube channel just months before she passed away from cancer in 2023.

The ultimate condition in which the two truths cannot be separated,
That is the yoga of the Great Middle Way.

A medium length peom by a modern Tibetan master on realizing the fruit of the Middle Way: non-duality.

Pray to your master and to the Three Jewels,
and strive to be wholesome – physically, verbally and mentally.

In this brief poem, the great Tulku and Yogini, Sera Khandro, exhorts readers to wholeheartedly practice the Dharma. Khandro points out the importance of impermanence and karma to help practitioners overcome attachments and develop wholesome behavior. Other pieces of advice are to remain in solitude, establish mindfulness, and develop bodhicitta.

Whenever we perform an action with intention, such action deposits a “seed” in the mind, a seed with a potency to bring about effects in the future.

A brief but thorough explanation of kamma, its potential for creating one’s future, and the various realms of rebirth that it can lead to. Bhikkhu Bodhi ends by reminding us that the trajectory of our lives is in our hands, and that the ultimate aim of Buddhism is to reach the freedom of liberation.

As a result of his theft of soma, Vedic Namuci is said to be “wicked”…

A possible Vedic origin for the Buddhist “devil.”

The anidassana verse refers to the formless attainments, especially infinite consciousness, treating them as the highest goal of the Brahmanical system, and as a step towards the Buddha’s teaching of cessation.

Putting the Buddha’s teaching on viññāṇaṁ anidassanaṁ into its historical and doctrinal context.

You may fall prey to the curses and spells of demons and other ethereal entities…

Some practical advice.

Someone like that is truly amazing, is truly a friend!

A translation of a short, encouraging talk on how to move towards freedom.

Astikāya is merely a formal variation of the same word we know as sakkāya. So it seems clear it was a term the Buddha drew from the Jains, or from the ascetic teachers more generally.

Astikāya means “existent substance” or “ontological category”.

We can draw upon this, and keep a broad consistency with the handling of astikāya in Jainism, by rendering sakkāya as “substance” or “substantial reality”, and sakkāyadiṭṭhi as “substantialist view”

Exert yourself in the Dharma, therefore, Lodrö, Before you must bear the burden of your misdeeds. Don’t squander this freedom while you have the chance, O child, but apply your mind to the cultivation of virtue.

A short poem meant to remind the author of the importance of sustained practice and recognizing our shortcomings, especially in the face of impending death.

Within the framework of experience, there is no quantum enigma; the boxed cat, being outside of one’s experiential frame of reference, doesn’t exist. Once I observe the cat, then it exists

Although buddhas and bodhisattvas came in the past,
Their activities pervading throughout the three realms,
Now they are no more, and only their names remain,
Still, in this they are teachers of impermanence.

Könchok Tenpe Drönme’s response to his disciple, Zhabdrung Ngawang Drakpa, who requested advice in verse on how to meditate on impermanence.

Now, for as long as I live, bless me so that I shall not deceive myself with so many pointless acts, But end my days striving in the practice of profound Dharma.

In this short lamentation, Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö invokes the blessings of his guru, Jamyang Loter Wangpo, to live an honest life of Dharma practise, despite his shortcomings.

I myself believe there is strong evidence in the Nikāyas that the jhānas become an essential factor for those intent on advancing from the stage of once-returning to that of non-returner.

Addressing the deabate of the jhānas’ role in attaining nibbāna, Bhikku Bodhi argues that, while not critical for attaining stream-entry, the jhānas are vital to further attainments.

Following is a summation of the extraordinary story, as explicated in the Aitken letters, of a Zen master teaching in America for some 35 years, who has been accused of sexual misconduct numerous times and yet was never called to task nor properly investigated.

In response to a question from a Sakya geshé, asking what should be done in the event of sickness and the rest, I, the monk Tokmé, who discourses on the Dharma, set down these ways of bringing sickness and other circumstances onto the spiritual path.

We should see the truth that the mind that performs a deed is kamma itself and the subsequent mind is the result (vipāka) of that kamma. Other results that follow it are only uncertain by-products, since they may or may not occur, or do not keep up with our expectations due to other interfering factors.

Explains kamma (karma) as it is understood in Buddhism and how to use kamma (action) in a way that leads to the end of action and results: Nibbāna.

The thing that first comes to mind is the Buddha’s immediate connection with trees, the fact that he was born under a tree, had an early spiritual experience under a Eugenia jambolala tree, became Awakened under a Ficus religiosa, and passed away between two Shorea robusta. But it would be a mistake to think that this was the most significant connection between the Buddha or Buddhism and trees.

This article briefly discusses the importance of trees outside of the usual incidents tied to the Buddha Shakyamuni’s life.

How do you know the natural world is real?

The Buddha’s provisional worldview could not be purely materialistic. He established this point with the line that his followers posted in the first line of the Dhammapada: “The heart/mind is the forerunner of all phenomena.” With this line, the Buddha rejected the worldview in which the mind is simply the passive recipient of sense data, or in which its functions are nothing more than the after-effects of physical processes.

In order to end suffering, a provisional worldview was adopted by the Buddha. This article discusses that view and the strategic reasons for adopting it.

… it was common for khattiyans to be referred to by brahmanical priestly names

and no his smile isn’t much
like a skeleton at all. And no
his neighborhood is not like a war zone

… meditation is carried out for the purpose of realising nibbāna and thereby escaping from the ills of life

… a defense against reality

Therapy assumes that someone is sick and that there is a cure, e.g., a personal solution. I am greatly offended that I or any other woman is thought to need therapy in the first place. Women are messed over, not messed up! We need to change the objective conditions, not adjust to them.

A highly influential, feminist essay which is still informing leftist thought today.

For a conversation on what it means, check out Chris Hayes’ interview with Brittney Cooper.

The fact that there are so many scripts is hardly a pretext for learning none of them.

Along with information about the pronunciation of Pāli across Southeast Asia, the organization of the canon, and links to several resources for learning more about the language itself.

The wonder is not that these intuitive translators were sometimes incorrect, but that they were correct so often.

koans are presented along with a poetic introduction and an elaborate commentary. A hua-t’ou however is a stand alone, always short phrase or a part of a koan that can be taken as a subject of meditation and introspection.

After the Buddha’s awakening he spent seven weeks at Uruvelā, the modern Bodh Gaya, and during the second week he sat gazing at the Bodhi Tree without blinking. In time, a shrine called the Animisa Cetiya, in English the Shrine of Steadfast Gaze or sometimes the Unblinking Shrine, came to be built on this site and became one of the seven sacred locations at Bodh Gaya.

To defend the innocent is a bright deed. To kill is a dark deed. To kill in defense of the innocent is a deed both bright and dark

On how the Buddhist tetralemma helps us to approach ethical questions with an appropriate level of compassion, nuance, and humility.

This essay constitutes Bhante Sujato’s (somewhat elliptical) response to the now-infamous Bodhi/Thanissaro debate on “Just War.”

While [Engaged Buddhists] constantly imply that social activists would do well to adopt meditation, mindfulness, compassion, nonviolence and other Buddhist qualities, they rarely acknowledge that they themselves might have anything to learn from non-Buddhists

… an overview of how bhikkhunis, or fully ordained nuns, came into being, disappeared and are now reappearing again

Learn through your practice the moment when the flower blooms…

One way to practice dana is by giving money, and another is by giving time.

So far the Bhikkhuni Sangha has mainly been comprised of individuals scattered here and there with no consistent standard. They have had to be very strong people in order to get where they are, but the next step is to take these strong individuals and form a community.

An interview with a monk from the Ajahn Chah lineage on what it will take for the Bhikkhuni Saṅgha to thrive in the West.

… a look at some of the puzzles or problems that bhikkhunīs are working on within the Theravāda tradition

Only a few have heard that “painted rice cakes do not satisfy hunger” and none have really understood what it meant. I’ve asked several of these skin bags about it and everybody was quite certain without even bothering to look into it.

A classic sermon from 1242.

… on the Western side of the Caspian Sea…

… during this season we remember and celebrate the lives of all our departed loved ones

A brief introduction to the idea behind the Japanese “ghost” festival.

Although Gunamuniratana and Dhammaratana did not go to Britain to teach the Dhamma they still stand as the first Buddhist monks to arrive in Europe, an extraordinary adventure in itself.

Having lost much of their following in the West, churches are now beginning to look for opportunities elsewhere.

A reminder that Christian, missionary zeal in Asia continues to this day.

180 years ago nobody really knew anything authentic about King Asoka

In the end money did come, from a most unexpected and unusual source

The story of the Hawaiian heiress who bankrolled Anagarika Dharmapala’s missionary activities.

For fascists, yoga was an occult tool for purifying and exalting the individual body as a microcosm of the triumphant nation.

Intuition is the key to establishing any organization

In 1909 Lama Dorjev proposed to the Tsarist government that a Buddhist temple be set up in St. Petersburg

What impresses me most about that encounter is how unimpressive it was.

As Buddhism comes West, what should we do with this problem of “Buddhist culture?”

It is remarkable that there was a cosmology in Buddhism twenty-five centuries ago that doesn’t conflict with modern physics.

Ajahn Brahm explores how Buddhism and scientific inquiry aren’t opposed but complement each other.

… the real enemy of man is not man. The real enemy is our ignorance, discrimination, fear, craving, and violence.

Was Baker’s commitment to Zen practice much greater than a number of other of Suzuki’s close, very committed senior disciples? Or was it that Baker, in addition to his commitment to Zen, was more committed to institutional growth than the others, and importantly, was the only disciple who possessed the necessary skills and qualities to achieve the growth that Suzuki desired?

The recent and (relatively) well-documented passing of the SF Zen Center from Suzuki Roshi to his American student Dick Baker offers a fascinating and rare glimpse into the inner dynamics of a “Dharma Transmission” and the social role it plays in Mahayana institutions.

Why were women not ordaining at a time when our world is so in need of the wise counsel and compassion of women monastic leaders?

While the Buddha analyzed and explained the sequence of mind moments in minute detail, to me it’s more like falling out of a tree. As we come crashing down there’s no opportunity to estimate how many feet and inches we’ve fallen. What we know is that we’ve hit the ground with a thud and it hurts!

… no ordinary being can truly take the measure of another…

When practicing Vipassana in line with the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, there are some important basics

… language, concepts, and meanings are embodied through our dispositions, abilities, comportment, and actions

After identifying two related, Zen “dogmas”—(1) that language obscures reality and that (2) Buddhist practice is about cultivating the experience of emptiness—this essay sets about to refute these by examining the way that concepts are enacted and embodied.

Allowing inner awareness to be unrestricted…

Three verses to inspire the development of undistracted awareness.

In meditation one lets go of the complex world outside in order to reach the serene world inside. In all types of mysticism and in many traditions, this is known as the path to the pure and powerful mind.

simply abide by that natural state,
There is neither meditation nor distraction.

You begin by sitting in a comfortable, upright position…

… allow the mind, which is the source, to settle

… most yogis succeed with that method

If you have been unable to penetrate through, I guarantee you that when the last day of your life arrives, you will be frantic. Nice to have some things be certain, isn’t it?

A talk giving an overview of Zen Koans and how they encourage our meditation practice.

All beings by nature are Buddha,
As ice by nature is water.

Position your buttocks in the center of the zafu and cross your legs.

Simple, step-by-step instructions for doing Zen meditation, with accompanying illustrations.

… arouse the thought of enlightenment…

The first five of Dogen’s ten points of advice on entering the path.

reflect on the trials of saṃsāra
With a determination to escape

A short letter of advice on walking the Vajrayana path.

Kyeho! All activities within saṃsāra are pointless

… the first of the four major holy places of Buddhism, being where the person who was to become the Buddha was born.

A short history of Lumbini.

Buddhas and Bodisattvas and frequently other deities are shown with their hands forming a number of different ritualized and stylized poses (Mudrās).

there’s no teaching more profound
Than emptiness with compassion

Overpowered by the three poisons, I have committed the five boundless crimes…

It is very important to distinguish between mind and awareness.

Vajrayana Buddhism didn’t lose simple meditation so much as bury it under successive conceptual layers.

on the eighth and full and new moon days,
I shall abandon killing, stealing, sexual misconduct,
Lying, intoxicants; singing, dancing and wearing jewellery;
Sitting on high seats and eating after midday—
These eight branches I shall maintain.
May the enemies, destructive emotions, be destroyed!

We must decide, with firm conviction, that all that appears to us is nothing but our own deluded perception

The path from a Tibetan perspective, showing how Vajrayana is an extension of the Mahayana.

Ho! Out of the great purity and equalness of appearance and existence,
Samantabhadra’s offering clouds appear spontaneously without obstruction

Just as I was talking about the unhindered Light,
In rolled the morning fog

A collection of “waka” verses on chanting the nembutsu.

Because of the difficulty of understanding the more abstruse concepts of Buddhism, popular Buddhism took over and modified Indian mythology

A very brief overview of the history of Pure Land Buddhism.

A reading of this essay can also be seen on YouTube

Kannon has taken many forms in Japan and is probably the most venerated of Buddhist divinities.

A short introduction to Guanyin.

You can also hear a reading of this essay on YouTube.

When feelings of discouragement come up and we are tired and disheartened we might want to give up our efforts, but once we have given up, there is no chance any more to reap the benefits of the practice. So at least keep trying, everyone. Whether we have already attained peaceful states or not doesn’t matter. Just keep on meditating, sitting or walking. Peaceful or not.

There are three ways: best, intermediate and inferior.

I have no problems with doing ‘Otsutome’ at the Hondo of our temple every morning and every evening. Chanting sutras to praise the virtue of Amida Buddha, and reciting the nembutsu to express gratitude for the process of interdependence at the end of Otsutome makes me feel great!

A few memories from a Japanese Shin Priest.

Continually, I shall take refuge…

Theravada, like any religious tradition, has evolved and changed over the years.

… some major points of distinction between Early Buddhism and Theravada

… humans are driven by feelings. We feel the world, and when things feel right, we get a greater sense of meaning. And so it is with Buddhism.

… some see in viññāṇa anidassana a kind of consciousness essentially equal to nibbāna. But there are many problems with this

Amida Buddha emerged in Mahayana Buddhism from among the multitude of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, or other Indian divine beings to become the primary expression of Unconditional Compassion and Universal Wisdom [for Pure Land Buddhists]

If anyone were to learn his dhamma for the purpose of censuring or reproaching others who held different views with feelings of hostility, or for the purpose of defending one’s own dogma against the criticism of others, the Buddha says that they make an abuse of the dhamma.

Feeling comfortable with one’s balance of harmful and helpful actions is qualitatively different from reducing harm in the first place.

The general public, including Western Buddhists themselves, often assumes that Buddhist monastics are cared for by an order, as are Christian monastics, and are surprised to learn that newly-ordained Western nuns and monks may be left to deal with issues of sustenance completely on their own.

Human born.
Faculties intact.
Full of youth.
To encounter the Dharma is marvelous!

A short outline of the ideal monastic career.

four cases of a dhyāna practitioner who is:

1. Increasing (熾盛) but thinks they are decreasing (衰退)
2. Decreasing but thinks they are increasing
3. Increasing and truly knows they are increasing
4. Decreasing and truly knows they are decreasing

I do not like the ‘single issue’ approach to Dhamma. However, a few years ago I had an encounter which made me realize that inquiries about homosexuality should be given my whole attention.

With your own mind under control, help others in any way you can,
And take whatever you experience onto the path to liberation.

Therefore, inspect your mind, make it ready now, And consider this: Were you to die now, what would become of you?

Longchen Rabjam emphasizes that a true meditation practitioner must renounce worldly distractions, diligently stabilize the mind, uphold ethical conduct and devote themselves day and night to the profound path of liberation.

… people from 30 yojana around flocked to witness this spectacle, and you can well believe it. This must have been the most astonishing and spectacular thing that they had ever seen

On how the early legend of Sankassa gives us confidence that the Pāli-Canon was well-preserved.

On every horizon there were soaring peaks.

The Nandamula Cave was said to be somewhere on Nanda Pabbata, now named Nandadevi, which at 7,434 m (24,390 ft.) is India’s second highest mountain.

Of all the discoveries Cunningham ever made he always considered that at Bharhut to be the most significant.

A large, ancient temple on the road to central India was discovered by lucky accident. How many more Buddhist temples existed in ancient central and south India that we’ll never see or even hear about?

All-knowing lords, buddhas of past, present and future
Bless this practitioner with thoughts of roaming abroad,

… curiously, while a great deal of attention is given to the Buddha’s last meal, almost none has been given to his first meal after he became awakened, and about which it is possible to say something concrete

Even today it has been estimated that nearly half the population of India defecate in the open, a major cause of […] water born disease.

… while Indians like Mahinda, Buddhaghosa, Dhammapala and Ramachandra Bharati, were able to have a profound influence on Sri Lankan Buddhism, Sri Lankans were able to have equally profound effects on Indian Buddhism

The Buddha was the first religious teacher who meant his message to be proclaimed to all humankind and who made a concrete effort to do this.

In the Dhamma we have a perfect teaching, and in the Buddha we have a perfect teacher, and the combination of these two meant that within a short time of being first proclaimed, the Dhamma became remarkably widespread.

Even if a house is of inferior quality, if decorated with flowers, it will appear to be a bower. It will become the source of a ‘clear mind’

💐

People are so difficult to be with —
The good ones won’t lead the way, and the bad ones never stop.

For my part, I have no instruction more profound
Than altruistic love and compassion

The second day is similar to the first, except that you do not consume even the tiniest amount of food or drink

A ceremony from the Tibetan Tradition, focusing on the recollection of Avalokiteśvara.

Svā Kṣitigarbha, Essence of the Earth, you who nurture all beings

Practices like yoga and meditation were woven throughout Occupy [Wall Street], and were integral to its endurance and impact; they were not a sideshow.

… it may be America’s destiny not to make Buddhism perfect but to make it banal

There is some sinister hysteria in the air out here tonight, some hint of the monstrous perversion to which any human idea can come.

… there is no viable future for civilisation that does not include a radical change in the nature of our educational systems

By thinking of all sentient beings
As more precious than a wish-fulfilling jewel…

For a commentary on these verses, see Finding Genuine Practice.

I’m gripped by a somewhat peculiar trepidation as I tiptoe into the hallowed portals of the abhidhamma, my feet echoing too loudly in the cavernous austerity.

The Buddha was not a butterfly collector.

Reverend Sirs, I would like the reverend bhikkhus and bhikkhunis—as well as the laymen and laywomen—to listen to these passages frequently and to ponder on them.

Overall, Buddhist practice can be seen as a combination of two processes: the cultivation and growth of wholesome, positive mental states, and the weakening, and final eradication, of mental ‘defilements’.

Although you do not move…

… he believed in nothing but himself. Actually, this is neither Buddhism nor Chan

Bodhisattvas who genuinely take the bodhisattva vow of ethical discipline do nothing but act for the benefit of beings, either directly or indirectly, but unless one is skilful in benefiting these beings, no matter how much one does, it might not benefit beings, but could actually be a direct or indirect cause of harm.

An excellent summary of what to take into account in ethical decisions: useful for any serious practitioner.

However many lives I’ll have to suffer,
I’ll never give my heart you again.

Three poems composed by famed, Thai modernist Angkarn Kallayanapong translated into English by a famed, American modernist.

Doctor, if only you could see
how heaven pulls earth into its arms
and how infinitely the heart expands
to claim this world

Paying money to this teacher I came to an understanding of the values of “This World.”

The original picture that emerges from the Pali literature, however, reveals a very human person who, living in troubled, insecure times, faced numerous difficulties and challenges, both personally and to his monastic community. Here, we shall outline this earliest version of Buddha’s life, based on the scholarly research of Stephen Batchelor presented in his Confession of a Buddhist Atheist.

The Buddha’s movements northwards were of course limited by the then impenetrable jungles of the Himalayan foothills and it is unlikely that he ever went further south than the southern edge of the Ganges watershed. Still, this would mean that his wanderings covered an area roughly equivalent to 200,000 square kilometres, a huge area by any standards.

A short introduction to the territory covered by the Buddha’s wanderings.

Reginald Ray has ar­gued for a rad­i­cal re­assess­ment of Devadatta as a for­est saint who was un­fairly ma­ligned in later monas­tic Buddhism. His work has been in­flu­en­tial, but it re­lies on omis­sions and mis­taken read­ings

Manipulation only works if its target isn’t aware that they’re being manipulated

An earnest plea for global clarity.

Including a number of ridiculous restrictions on the Bhikkhuni Sangha, such as their inability to own toilets!

… the owners of the monastery are the worldwide and “timewide” community of monks and nuns

I, too, am a bhikkhuni. The bhikkhuni sangha did not perish, but long ago spread from here to China

… the time for discovering Buddha directly, you must remain alone

A short poem on overcoming our barriers and sticking to the practice.

On mountaintops, in secluded forests and on islands and the like,
Places which are agreeable to the mind and well suited to the season

… aspects of the myth must be stripped away

An invitation to imagine a more austere figure than the prince of myth.

One of the most obvious fallacies of modern Theravāda Buddhism is the depiction of the Buddha with a full head of hair.

It is inescapable that, whatever the reading, according to the early texts the Buddha did not have “normal” genitals. And the only reading actually supported by a canonical text is that the Buddha was intersex, and his genitals looked like a woman’s.

… this paper aims for a philosophically more nuanced discussion of the case for and against eating locally. I assess, in turn, locavore arguments based on environmental preservation, human health, community support, agrarian values and political concerns

Besides honesty and truthfulness, the other value that most of the participants mentioned, or described as part of the Buddhist lawyering practice, was compassion. That may surprise some, and it may be especially surprising because the participants who mentioned it practice across many different legal settings

For the likes of you, the qualities of the path
Will go on increasing

I think we cannot talk about the Rohingya genocide or this persecution of Muslims in Burma without talking about western and Asian investors

I swear, you will wake–
& mistake these walls
for skin.

A song on the cycle of life and death.

Furtwängler’s Bach is no smug or mindless adaptation of Bach to the style of Wagner. It is a reaffirmation of the presence of Bach in Wagner and the simultaneous, reciprocal presence of Wagner in Bach.

A forceful argument against the modern trend of “historically authentic” musical performances.

In this pure awareness without basis or origin,
How tiresome it seems to practise dos and don’ts!

A poem on what it’s like to be enlightened from a revered Tibetan master.

The song goes on forever then it stops. Its basic idea is that time can be defeated for an hour if everyone breathes together, but songs are not made out of ideas

For a deeper historical look at this phenomenon, see Levman, 2017.

You might wish to drink the nectar of calm abiding…

This is the instruction for confusion dawning as wisdom.

A short poem beautifully summarizing the stages of the path: view, ethics, meditation, and wisdom.

… whenever we practise the bodhisattva’s actions–the trainings in generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, meditation and wisdom–it will cause this bodhicitta that is the union of emptiness and compassion to increase further and further.

A transcript of a short talk on how the Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra is taught in the Tibetan tradition.

Be free from even so much as a single thought that is deceived

A short admonition to transcend the concerns for gain and loss, etc and to attain the true aim of “non-dual” practice

… extract the essence of leisure and fortune. To do this you must reflect upon impermanence.

A kind and playful letter to a student on how to meditate in the right direction.

I give you back 1948.

A poem about what time can do to a person.

Forget you. This is about waiting

A poem which shakes ‘work’ from its masculine frame and recenters it, not on you, on your brother.

If you were then to use the sharp weapon of intelligence to cut and break apart this iron you would find that nothing, not even the subtlemost particle, remains. This is the meaning of ‘form is emptiness.’ … Not seeking to gain [pleasure] and avoid [pain] because neither is genuinely real, you will feel equanimity

Buddhist texts are, by and large, nice. There’s no draconian punishments, no irrational fervor, no ‘smiting with swords’. A serene air of reason, balance, and sanity pervades.

This niceness is a huge problem.

Bhikkhu Sujato reminds us that the Pali Canon is still an ancient mythological text which needs to be read with a careful eye towards symbolism and historical context.

The root of all of these
Is not taking your own mind to be paramount

A good sutta is one that inspires you to stop reading it.

A few words of advice on how to read the Suttas.

Here in Dzogpachenpo, we settle, without contriving, in what we call the essence of mind

A simple encouragement to cultivate simplicity of awareness.

… these delightful mountain solitudes,
Are like the family estate to the supreme guide’s heirs,
And, as the best of protectors himself has said,
To rely on solitude is indeed the pinnacle of joys!

Here I have set down for those who wish to follow the bodhisattva path,
Thirty-seven practices to be adopted by all the buddhas’ heirs

A list of practices which all renunciants would do well to reflect upon again and again.

So, keep on practicing. There’s nothing to be afraid of. You’ll have to reap results, there’s no doubt about it.

An intimate letter of encouragement, helpful for meditators who haven’t yet entered the insight path.

These two cases may already suffice for the time being to alert us to the possibility that gender discrimination in the Pāli canon may well be the result of later developments. Regarding the overall attitude towards nuns in early Buddhism, I think it stands beyond doubt that an order of nuns was in existence, and from that I would conclude that the Buddha approved of its existence.

Kammaṭṭhāna meditation should be practised so as to reach Nibbāna, thereby escaping from all kinds of misery

A thorough and concise overview of the entire path of meditative purification. A very helpful map, essentially summarizing the Visuddhimagga.

Even as I work on eliminating the amplification of suffering, I can also turn to looking to ways I might start to amplify more life-serving experiences. Do I sense, anywhere in my body, a bit of well-being? Or even a bit of pleasure, or joy, appreciation, or love? Am I willing to let my attention rest there?

A short introduction to mindfulness as cognitive therapy.

If you’ve ever heard a Theravāda monk talk about the “forty kammaṭṭhānas” this is the list they are referring to.

While they won’t end racism, mindfulness and other contemplative practices do support ways of being in the world that reflect less of the biases that each of us holds

A brief introduction to using meditation to confront subconscious racial bias.

It’s interesting to walk through the graveyards of towns, and see that for the first few years after a person dies there may be a head stone, maybe someone remembers, but after twenty, thirty, or forty years, they could bulldoze the graves because the land is so valuable and plant somebody else in there. So even your head stone just crumbles to dust. All record of you living here is gone, because no one remembers who you were or what you did. Isn’t that beautiful? So why not do that right now? Bulldoze this idea of who you are

Meditation can be seen as the ultimate in “[restructuring the] lower-level components” of the mind. We abandon all the higher-level cognition built upon words and concepts and return, as much as possible, to the preverbal experience in order to “re-engage and reshape” our way of being in the world.

The key is to focus on two distinctions: systems as distinct from individuals, and having privilege as independent of choosing how to engage with it.

Mansplaining is not a universal flaw of the gender, just the intersection between overconfidence and cluelessness where some portion of that gender gets stuck.

A classic essay (updated slightly in 2012) on casual misogyny which prompted the addition of “mansplaining” to the lexicon.

For Bhante Sujato’s reply to their debate, see his essay On deeds of war.

This case study of Dhammananda Bhikkhuni and her students at Watra Songdhammakalyani gives both a concise summary of the situation for female ordination in Thailand and a compelling case for ordination in general.

What we’re referring to when we speak of “Korwat” is the monastic etiquette and protocol.

A short introduction to the monastic rules as followed in Thailand.

… whatever the various reactions to a Buddhist monk people might have, fear is highly unlikely to count amongst them. People see a Buddhist monk and they know that he is not dangerous

The ghosts who lust for our dedication [of merits] are like beggars. Only a tiny fraction of the merits we have accumulated can be shared with them

If we are satisfied, then we will not want more. Wanting more is delusion. We think that it will be better if we can just have this person. But instead of getting better, many problems follow.

A short talk on the ten kinds of unwholesome action from MN41.

An eye is a dangerous thing. Left unguarded and misunderstood it unleashes a world “out there” that we become infatuated with, to our detriment. When we understand fully that the eye, the world and the interface between them are fabricated, the world ends, the infatuation ends, saṃsāra ends.

… the Bhikkhu Sangha alone can ordain women as bhikkhunis, based on the Buddha’s statement: “I allow you, bhikkhus, to ordain Bhikkhunis.” This allowance was never rescinded by the Buddha.

… while the Theravādins have preserved the clearest and best-understood early texts referring to the in-between state, their philosophical posture prevented them from investigating and describing this in any detail. For that we shall have to listen to the other schools, starting with the Puggalavādins and Sarvāstivādins, as passed down through the Chinese and Tibetan traditions.

A passionate and compelling argument for both “the bardo” (as it’s popularly known) and for contemporary, comparative scholarship.

During my first weeks with my teacher, Ajaan Fuang, I began to realize that he had psychic powers.

The key principle in Buddhism is that understanding sets you free. It’s not about attaining or creating anything, it’s about simply understanding things as they are

There is no single “swiss-army knife” technique that works equally well at all times; instead, we must carefully examine our present conditions and determine what practice is most relevant.

… the deed in the early text [MN135] is simply stated to be the killing, or refraining from killing, of living beings, and so on. The specific types of actions, and their approval are not mentioned. In the [later] Sanskrit text we get a list of normally around ten causes that lead to the result, many of which are illustrated

In the centuries after the Buddha, many of the subtleties of karma were simplified for didactic expedience. This led to a formulaic, “if you do this, this will happen to you” understanding of karma (which the Buddha himself rejected as fatalistic). This model came to be repeated ad-infinitum in texts (such as the Karma-Vibanga) and in Buddhist art (such as at Borobudur) for millennia, perpetuating a simplistic, “popular” understanding of Karma which persists today.

We wouldn’t say “this is proof of reincarnation,” but I would say it’s strong evidence of something like it.

Let’s consider how a person, me, arises in your experience. First certain colors and shapes arise, largely maroon. A sense of foreboding ensues. The features arise: “monk,” “shaveling,” then the discernment “worthy of offerings.” The features arise: “wire-rimmed glasses,” “wry grin” and finally “Bhikkhu Cintita,” then the discernment “maybe not so worthy of offerings.” At some point in this process you are convinced that I exist

Our body is not life, but just a house. Life is energy. The coming together of mental, kammic and cosmic forces — that is life.

… numerological observations were made in the number entries in the Rhys Davidsʼ and Stedeʼs Pāli-English Dictionary, but I am aware of little since then. However, we can make a few general observations.

… when counterfeit dhamma appears, the true Dhamma disappears, in the same way that when counterfeit money appears, true money disappears.

As Buddhism spread around Asia, many new teachings were introduced, and some of them miss the mark. Today, as all remaining traditions have their share of shady teachers, deity cults, and doctrinal confusion, Ajahn Geoff reminds us that we have to be discerning where we place our faith.

We have to practice step by step to attain succeeding levels of happiness, starting with the happiness that arises from giving, to the happiness from keeping the precepts, not hurting others, to the happiness from samadhi or mental discipline.

A simple and straightforward but powerful summary of the path to wisdom encouraging us all to strive for real, lasting happiness.

Co-incidence of two phenomena, even when repeated, does not mean that one phenomenon is the cause of the other. To claim that activity in the brain causes awareness, or mind, is plainly unscientific.

Ajahm Brahm explains how science can be dogmatic and religion scientific.

If a sensation of itchiness intervenes and the yogi desires to scratch because it is hard to bear, both the sensation and the desire to get rid of it should be noted, without immediately getting rid of the sensation by scratching.

An excellent general introduction to meditation, these instructions are applicable to whatever meditation technique you use.

…when these people meditate they’re awfully grim.

Ajahn Geoff reminds Westerners to ground their meditation practice in generosity.

We’ve got these defilements, they are within us and they keep coming up all the time. They act like demons. They cause one trouble the whole time. So one does the meditation practice and it’s quite hard work for quite a long time, but steadily the results come. Bit by bit they come.

Ajahn Pañña has a light-hearted but sincere discussion on the fundamentals of Buddhism one evening in Thailand.

When you are repelled by everything, there is nothing to grasp onto and craving becomes impossible.

Ajahn Brahmali explains how ethics and meditation lead to enlightenment.

The idea of the Buddha nature, or the earlier idea that “this mind is brightly shining, but it is defiled by visiting defilements,” point to a potential for good deep in everyone…

A defense of Buddhism in light of some Western critiques and an encouragement to try out one particular Eastern practice.

I would say that the Nikāyas and Āgamas give us a “historical-realistic perspective” on the Buddha, while the Mahāyāna sūtras give us a “cosmic-metaphysical perspective.”

Bhikkhu Bodhi explores the Bodhisattva ideal from the perspective of the both the Theravāda and Mahayana, with a brief summary of its history. An excellent introduction to this vital topic.