Theravāda
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The southern Buddhist lineage.
Two monks, one younger and one elderly, walk past the ruins of a medieval temple in Southeast Asia. Theravāda literally means "the way of the elders" (Ziegler175, CC BY-SA 3.0)
Table of Contents
- Articles (20)
- Audio/Video (12)
- Booklets (14)
- Canonical Works (11)
- Essays (10)
- Excerpts (1)
- Monographs (12)
- Papers (2)
- Reference Shelf (6)
- Subtopics (2)
Articles (20)
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the Theravāda version of events in the Nandakovāda-sutta conveys an attitude towards nuns that is considerably less favorable than the attitude underlying the parallel versions
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The letter sent to the royal court at Kandy on behalf of the king of Siam, and published [here], includes some information of considerable interest for the study of the history of Pali texts. For a shipment, which comprised no less than 97 books no longer extant on the island and therefore asked for in a second document accompanying this letter, is said to have been dispatched together with the letter.
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Since the footprints of the Buddha are understood to represent the physical presence of the historical Buddha, they are especially venerated in such Theravada Buddhist countries as Sri Lanka and Thailand, although they also exist in other Buddhist countries.
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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, Theravada would come at the legalistic end of the scale, near to Islam and far from, for example, Taoism.
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The traditional, Pāli commentaries on the Canon composed in Sri Lanka have had an enormous impact on Theravada doctrine and practice. This article introduces the history of their authorship.
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A description of the Chiang Mai Buddha-image consecration ceremony alongside some musings on what it all might “mean.”
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We must reject the facile equation
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In Theravāda monasteries, nuns, even those who have been ordained for decades, typically sit on a mat on the floor, while monks, even those who have just been ordained, sit on a raised platform above them. The seating arrangement of nuns below or behind the monks is symbolic of [their] subordinate position
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a historically and contextually sensitive understanding of elite lay Buddhist women in Sri Lanka, bringing a “critical yet empathetic look” at their participation in ethno-nationalist Sinhala Buddhist hegemony
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the trajectory of the term theravāda from its earliest occurrence in the Pāli canon to its present day usage as a designation of the form of Buddhism found in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.
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this self-effacing, almost anonymous commentator’s proneness to being loved or hated, exalted or reviled, is certainly one of the least expected outcomes of Buddhist history.
Audio/Video (12)
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central to the process of reform was the production of new forms of Pali literature, which helped create a new conceptual and social coherence within the [Buddhist] community
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To understand Buddhism, one must understand the tension between the knowledge of impermanence and the love of the Dharma. This sense of loss has defined Buddhism from the Buddha’s Parinirvana through to the present day.
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Booklets (14)
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The devotional used for daily chanting at Āloka and Karuṇā Vihāras in California, derived from the Thai style and adapted for use by the American Bhikkhunis.
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Kaṭhina is arguably the most important holiday of the year for Theravādin Buddhists. This booklet lays out the history and significance of this tradition in an admirably non-sectarian way.
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A collection of Buddhist devotional chants common in Sri Lanka.
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without showing any disrespect simply because it is worded in Sinhala, if you listen to this marvellous Dhamma with worshipful devotion and gladness, you will surely gain heavenly bliss
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The meditation instruction booklet used for introducing Vipassanā meditation to English speakers at Wat Bhaddanta Asabharam, Chonburi.
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Canonical Works (11)
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An abridged translation of the much-beloved, ancient Pāli classic of Theravāda doctrine.
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The essential meditation manual of the Theravada Tradition and the book that, legend has it, convinced the Sri Lankan elders to allow Acariya Buddhaghosa to write the (now quasi-canonical) Pāli Commentaries.
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one who wishes happiness in the human world and the heavenly world should offer fruit
Essays (10)
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A brief overview of the rituals and holidays observed by modern (especially Thai) Theravada Buddhists.
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Theravada, like any religious tradition, has evolved and changed over the years.
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There is a common religious tendency to mythologize and eternalize the historical particularities of your given religion: claiming, for example, that the Sanskrit language of the Vedas is the language of the universe itself. Sadly, Theravada Buddhism too isn’t immune from such narcissistic excess.
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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
Excerpts (1)
Monographs (12)
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⭐ Recommended368 pages
