In this situation, the king had two alternatives: either to confiscate all religious lands where the evidence for the original endowment was weak, and thereby increase the royal treasury, or to maintain the status quo…

An overview of the history of the Theravāda Saṅgha and its relationship with the state from the medieval period through the 19th century.

What happens to the meaning of Buddhist rituals in military spaces? Do the military confines and the political context alter the meaning of “non-violent” rituals? Can they become “violent” rituals?

During the Sri Lankan civil war, some extremist Buddhist monks espoused an explicitly violent “just war” ideology. While the majority of Sinhala monks did not go that far, they still demonstrated their support indirectly, through e.g. the chanting of pirits before major battles.

Notice, in particular, the formal and ideological similarities to Thai Buddhism on display here.

Allow me, venerable sir, to answer Citta the householder’s question.

Discussion questions:

1. What does this sutta reveal about (Theravāda) monastic etiquette?
2. Why do you think the sutta ends the way it does?

What is of interest here is why Buddhist authors are keen on bringing out this particular aspect of the monk’s active participation in society and what their arguments are for doing so.

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

When we adopt a Buddhist perspective on the wounds that afflict our world today, we soon realize that these wounds are symptomatic: a warning signal that something is fundamentally awry with the way we lead our lives.

You can also listen to this book on Pariyatti’s website.

Thailand has long been known to be friendly to the queer community. However this is not always the case for gay monks

In the interests of conservatism it has had to compromise with modernity in such features as the veneer of bureaucratically efficient procedures and also the multiplication of interstitial roles. But the groups of devout men firmly penned into their quarters and lectured daily on the Jatakas pose no threat to traditional Buddhist order

Don’t try to be someone else

One day these novices come up to me after class and they say, “Mr. Tom, can we talk to you about something?” I say, “Of course” expecting some rich conversation about the religious life or something… and they start breaking out into two or three part harmony

A brief interview about the extensive network of monastic schools in Southeast Asia and the ethnic minorities who leverage them for mobility.

This paper introduces a new distinction between the ‘formal’ and the ‘practical’ canon[…] in medieval Sri Lanka. I show that few monks encountered the [Vinaya] in anything close to its full form.
[Rather,] Monastic leaders considered the Anumāna, Dasadhamma and (Karaniya)metta Suttas to be [the important sources] for monastic education.

In ancient times, Monastic students would memorize their texts while in modern times the trend is for students to more lightly engage with a larger corpus.

The most detailed description of the Buddha and his habits in the Canon.

It is as if an arrow has been pulled out of your heart.

The comprehensive biography of one of the most revered of the modern Thai masters.

You can find the official audiobook here.

While I disagree strongly with many of Bhante Dhammika’s proposed “solutions” (and even a few of his “problems”) I still think that the issues raised are important enough to be worth a read. I especially recommend this book to Westerners considering ordination, as disillusionment is a common problem for us converts: an issue best addressed directly, whilst faith is still strong.

… the vinaya is nearly as central to the Buddhist religion as the shari’a is to Islam. If we were to rank religions in order of legalism, Theravāda would come at the legalistic end of the scale, near to Islam and far from, for example, Taoism.

The fascinating history of Burmese law demonstrates and explains the relationship between textual conservativism and legal sovereignty in the Theravāda world and the profound effect this had on Buddhist discourse in the region.

Then, not receiving his parents’ permission to go forth, the clansman Raṭṭhapāla lay down there on the bare floor, saying: “Right here I shall either die or receive the going forth.”

This long sutta tells the story of Raṭṭhapāla’s going forth: a model of monastic behavior for Theravādins even today.

An alternate translation can be found here.

… an anthology of discourse excerpts from the Pāli Canon […] best used by readers who have already spent time in study and look to focus more on their practice. It can also be helpful for someone who likes to dive right into practice and prefers to keep reading to a minimum.