Words of the Buddha

January 12

SN 1.73 Vittasutta: Treasure

Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Savatthi in Jeta’s Grove, Anathapiṇḍika’s Park. Then, when the night had advanced, a certain devatā of stunning beauty, illuminating the entire Jeta’s Grove, approached the Blessed One. Having approached, he paid homage to the Blessed One and stood to one side. Standing to one side, that devatā recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One:

“What here is a man’s best treasure?
What practised well brings happiness?
What is really the sweetest of tastes?
How lives the one whom they say lives best?”

The Blessed One:

“Faith is here a man’s best treasure;
Dhamma practised well brings happiness;
Truth is really the sweetest of tastes;
One living by wisdom they say lives best.”


===
Words of the Buddha channel:

https://t.me/wordsofbuddha
===

Big Amitabha Buddha Lingshan Da Fo, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China. One of the largest statue in the world.

January 11

SN 1.51 Jarāsutta: Old Age

At Sāvatthī.

Then, late at night, a glorious deity, lighting up the entire Jeta’s Grove, went up to the Buddha, bowed, and stood to one side. Standing to one side, that deity recited this verse in the Buddha’s presence:

“What’s still good in old age?
What’s good when grounded?
What is people’s treasure?
What’s hard for thieves to take?”

The Buddha:

“Ethics are still good in old age.
Faith is good when grounded.
Wisdom is people’s treasure.
Merit’s hard for thieves to take.”

===
Vajrayana Tantrayana Buddhism channel:

https://t.me/tantrayanabuddhism

Tibetan Buddhism - Vajrayana, Tantrayana and esoteric Buddhism channel:

https://t.me/tibetanbuddha
===

Buddham Saranam Gacchami
Dhammam Saranam Gacchami
Sangham Saranam Gacchami

I go to the Buddha for refuge.
I go to the Dhamma for refuge.
I go to the Sangha for refuge.

बुद्धं शरणं गच्छामि। धर्मं शरणं गच्छामि। संघं शरणं गच्छामि।

Free Buddhism Dharma ebook

Meditations
Forty Dhamma talks
By Bhikkhu Thanissaro

The daily schedule at Metta Forest Monastery includes a group interview in the late afternoon, and a chanting session followed by a group meditation period later in the evening. The Dhamma talks included in this volume were given during the evening meditation sessions, and in many cases covered issues raised at the interviews-either in the questions asked or lurking behind the questions. Often these issues touched on a variety of topics on a variety of different levels in the practice. This explains the range of topics covered in individual talks.

I have edited the talks with an eye to making them readable while at the same time trying to preserve some of the flavor of the spoken word. In a few instances I have added passages or rearranged the material to make the treatment of specific topics more coherent and complete, but for the most part I have kept theediting to a minimum. Don't expect polished essays.

The people listening to these talks were familiar with the meditaiton instructions included in "Method 2" in Keeping the Breath in Mind by Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo; and my own essay, "A Guided Meditation," included in Noble Strategy. If you are not familiar with these instructions, you might want to read through them before reading the talks in this book.

Free download here:

https://ftp.budaedu.org/ebooks/pdf/EN343.pdf

Free download Keeping the Breath in Mind By Ajahn Lee Dhammadharo:

https://t.me/buddha_ebooks/1013
===

January 10

SN 9.1 Viveka Sutta: Seclusion

[NOTE: Devatā is the Pali word for a type of god. Some devatās are bound to the earth and live in forests like the one in this sutta.]

I have heard that on one occasion a certain monk was staying among the Kosalans in a forest grove. Now at that time, as he had gone to spend the day in the grove, he was thinking unskillful thoughts, connected with the household life.

Then the devatā inhabiting the forest grove, feeling sympathy for the monk, desiring his benefit, desiring to bring him to his senses, approached him and addressed him with this verse:

“Desiring seclusion
you’ve entered the forest,
and yet your mind
goes running outside.
You, a person:
subdue your desire for people.
Then you’ll be happy, free
from passion.
Dispel discontent,
be mindful.
Let me remind you
of that which is good—
for the dust
of the regions below
is hard to transcend.
Don’t let the dust
of the sensual
pull
you
down.

As a bird
spattered with dirt
sheds the adhering dust with a shake,
so a monk
—energetic & mindful—
sheds the adhering dust.”

The monk, chastened by the devatā, came to his senses.
===
Buddha dharma teachings channel:

https://t.me/lorddivinebuddha
===

Yungang Buddhist grottoes, Datong, Shanxi, China, in the 5th century housing 250 caves and over 50,000 Buddhist statues

Big Buddha Hong Kong, Lantau island.

January 9

SN 1.24 Manonivāraṇasutta: Shielding the Mind

[NOTE: This sutta shows a common situation where a god has learned a bit of Dhamma, but their understanding is incomplete or incorrect in some way. Out of compassion, the Buddha corrects their understanding.]

At Sāvatthī.

Then, late at night, a glorious deity, lighting up the entire Jeta’s Grove, went up to the Buddha, bowed, and stood to one side. Standing to one side, that deity recited this verse in the Buddha’s presence:

“Whatever you’ve shielded the mind from
can’t cause you suffering.
So you should shield the mind from everything,
then you’re freed from all suffering.”

The Buddha:

“You needn’t shield the mind from everything.
When the mind is under control,
you need only shield the mind
from where the bad things come.”


===
Free Buddhism books, teachings, podcasts and videos from Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions:

https://t.me/buddha_ebooks
===

January 8

Vv 3.9 Visālakkhī Sutta: Mansion of the Beautiful-Eyed Goddess

God Sakka:

Devata, with large beautiful eyes you walk around surrounded by many other goddesses in the delightful Cittalata Forest. What is your name?

When the gods of the Tavatimsa Heaven enter this forest their bodies, horses, and chariots become more beautiful.

Even though you are not wearing any golden flower jewelry, you are still extremely beautiful. Tell us, what meritorious deed have you done to gain this beauty?

Devata:

Lord of Devas, I have received this heavenly birth, beautiful body, and divine psychic powers due to my meritorious deeds. I will tell you what I did.

In the human world, I lived in the beautiful city of Rajagaha. My name was Sunanda and I was a female lay disciple of the Supreme Buddha. I had faith, virtue and was very generous. I had great confidence in the noble monks with pure minds. I offered them robes, food, resting places, and lamps.

I was eager to observe the Eight Precepts four times a month on each of the four moon phases. I led a restrained life and delighted in sharing.

I abstained from killing, stealing, lying, and taking intoxicants. I did not cheat on my husband. I was delighted to keep these Five Precepts every day. I was a lay follower of Gautama Supreme Buddha who had the great wisdom to see the reality of the world. I was wise enough to realize the Four Noble Truths.

A servant girl, working for my relatives, used to bring me flower garlands every day. I offered all those flower garlands with a happy mind to the relic stupa of the Supreme Buddha. I also went to relic puja ceremonies every Eight Precepts-Observance day. With great faith, I personally offered garlands, perfumes, and lotions to the stupa. God Sakka, I received this heavenly birth, beautiful body, and divine psychic powers by offering flower garlands.

I also collected merit by keeping the precepts, but that merit has not yet ripened. Lord Sakka, in my mind I have the desire to be a once-returner.
===
Ajahn Chah, Buddhist teacher of Thai forest meditation of Theravada Buddhism channel:


https://t.me/ajahnchah_buddhism
===

Rattanakosin Buddha, Wat Nong Hoi Buddhist temple, Lamphun, Thailand.

When Conditions Come Together
By Zen Master Dogen

Enlightenment and clarity of the mind occur only in response to the sustained effort of study and practice. Endeavoring in the way ripens the conditions of your practice. It is not that the sound of the bamboo is sharp or the color of the blossoms is vivid. Although the sound of the bamboo is wondrous, it is heard at the moment when it’s hit by a pebble. Although the color of the blossoms is beautiful, they do not open by themselves but unfold in the light of springtime. Studying the way is like this. You attain the way when conditions come together. Although you have your own capacity, you practice the way with the combined strength of the community. So you should practice and search with one mind with others.

Excerpted from The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master By Zen Master Dogen, Edited by Kazuaki Tanahashi and Peter Levitt, page 53.

Free Buddha Dharma ebook

Itivuttaka: This Was Said by the Buddha By Thanissaro Bhikkhu

The Itivuttaka, a collection of 112 short discourses, takes its name from the statement at the beginning of each of its discourses: this (iti) was said (vutta) by the Blessed One. The collection as a whole is attributed to a laywoman named Khujjuttara, who worked in the palace of King Udena of Kosambı as a servant to one of his queens, Samavati. Because the Queen could not leave the palace to hear the Buddha’s discourses, Khujjuttara went in her place, memorized what the Buddha said, and then returned to the palace to teach the Queen and her 500 ladies-in-waiting. For her efforts, the Buddha cited Khujjuttara as the foremost of his laywomen disciples in terms of her learning. She was also an effective teacher: when the inner apartments of the palace later burned down, killing the Queen and her entourage, the Buddha commented (in Udana 7:10) that all of the women had reached at least the first stage of awakening.

Free download here:
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/iti/iti-than.pdf

===

Heavenly gapura gate facing Mount Agung, Candi Bentar temple, Lempuyang temple compound, East Bali, Indonesia.

The resultant rebelliousness against anything perceived as “religious” on the side of those influenced by Western materialist values combines with the relative newness of Buddhism in the West and hence the comparatively short period of exposure to its ideas. Yet, perhaps by now the time has come for Western Buddhists to enter into a more mature relationship with the teachings and with other Buddhist traditions, letting go of superiority conceit and finding a middle path aloof from the two extremes of blind acceptance and equally blind rejection.

tI is simply a form of bondage for men to look down on women as not fit to take monastic leadership roles or be advanced bodhisattvas, for those who intend to become future Buddhas to look down on those not aspiring for Buddhahood as inferior, for Theravadins to look down on others as deviant from the original true teaching, or for Secular Buddhists to look down on traditional Buddhists as stagnant dogmatists caught up in rituals who lack a proper understanding of the teachings of the historical Buddha.

Following the Buddha’s example and putting his vision into practice requires stepping out of all of these forms of superiority conceit. Women must be accorded the full right to embark on the monastic life and to be recognized as advanced bodhisattvas. The derogatory attitude implicit in “Hinayana” rhetoric is not compatible with genuine compassion and to some extent even runs counter to progress to Buddhahood, which after all is about giving up conceit. The claim by followers of the Pali tradition to be the sole true heirs of the Buddha is also not conducive to growth in the qualities required for awakening. Western Buddhism is just another branch growing from the bodhi tree, neither intrinsically better nor intrinsically worse than Asian Buddhist traditions.

Instead of appropriating the historical Buddha to authenticate one’s personal or group beliefs, the true seal of authentication for any Buddhist practitioner can be found by putting into practice the central discovery of the historical Buddha: emptiness, or not self. It is by diminishing ego, letting go of arrogance, and abandoning conceit that one becomes a better Buddhist, no matter what tradition one may follow.

This excerpt was adapted from Superiority Conceit in Buddhist Traditions: A Historical Perspective with permission from Wisdom Publications (2021). For more on this topic, Bhikkhu Anālayo responds to critical reviews in the Journal of Buddhist Studies (December 2023) article, “Superiority Conceit in Buddhist Traditions: A Survey of Reviews.”
===
Bhikkhu Anālayo is a scholar-monk, meditation teacher, and the author of numerous books. He is the co-founder of the Āgama Research Group, resident scholar at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, and a retired professor at the Numata Center for Buddhist Studies, University of Hamburg.
===

Part 1 of 2:

https://t.me/wordsofbuddha/2986


Part 2 of 2:

https://t.me/dhammapadas/2047

===

Dhammapada, beloved and favorite teachings of the Buddha channel:

https://t.me/dhammapadas
===

A Caution Against Superiority Conceit

An argument to abandon preconceived prejudices against different Buddhist traditions.
By Bhikkhu Analayo

Part 2 of 2

Shifts in perspective from early Buddhism to Theravada affect the understanding of mindfulness as well as its cultivation when observing the breath. Changing understandings are similarly evident in the meditative development of the divine abodes goodwill, compassion, rejoicing in others’ fortune, and equanimity. Differences in viewpoints can also be discerned in relation to key doctrines of early Buddhist thought, namely dependent arising, impermanence, dukkha [suffering], and not self.

Distinct Theravada viewpoints on meditation-related topics, found in the Visuddhimagga, have in turn influenced contemporary meditation teachings. They stand in the background of current vipassana meditation traditions that have provided the starting point for the global spread of secular applications of mindfulness. In this way, differing perspectives keep emerging from ancient to modern times, showing that Theravada doctrines and practices have evolved and continue to evolve in response to various causes and conditions. Although in itself only natural, this undermines the superiority conceit of assuming that the Theravada tradition is the sole true representative of what the Buddha originally taught.

My last area of exploration is Secular Buddhism, which at times comes with the conceit of superiority over other Buddhist traditions. Just as in the last section I focused on Buddhaghosa and his work at exemplifying trends in Theravada exegesis, in this section I focus on Stephen Batchelor as the foundational proponent of Secular Buddhism. In both cases the main thrust of my exploration is to try to ascertain to what extent certain ideas reflect early Buddhist thought, given that both Buddhaghosa and Stephen Batchelor operate from the implicit or explicit position of accurately representing the teachings of the historical Buddha.

Contrary to Secular Buddhist thought, the construction of the concept of “Buddhism” appears to have taken place on Asian soil at an early time, rather than being a nineteenth-century idea invented in the West. Already the early discourses reflect the sense of some degree of institutional Buddhist identity, sufficient for it to be considered an -ism. The monastic Sangha as the third refuge of a Buddhist is an early element, as is the notion that the Buddha, as the first refuge, had eradicated all defilements when realizing nirvana on the night of his awakening. The attainment of levels of awakening does not imply a transcendence of a concern with adhering to rules of moral conduct.

Although the doctrine of rebirth, a matter cast aside in Secular Buddhism, need not be accepted on blind faith, its implications need to be understood in order to be able to make sense of the early Buddhist teachings. This holds even for the key teaching of the four noble truths. The sequence of presentation of the four truths appears to reflect an ancient Indian model of medical diagnosis and hence is not in need of reordering. Moreover, current academic research on the formulation of the Buddha’s first teaching does not imply that the notion of truth as such is a later element.

Stephen Batchelor’s secular “Buddhism without beliefs” turns out to be rather his secular beliefs without Buddhism. Instead of being an innocent questioning of outdated religious dogmas, his writings inadvertently continue Christian missionary strategies originally developed to undermine Buddhism.

The appeal of this approach among those unaware of the misunderstandings involved appears to be in part related to a resonance with an iconoclastic attitude. Such an attitude is a natural result of the experience of cognitive dissonance from the encounter between two different cultures, in the present case the Western worldview encountering certain Asian Buddhist teachings.

Free Buddha Dharma ebook

The Autobiography of Phra Ajaan Lee, translated by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu.

Phra Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo was one of the foremost teachers in the Thai forest ascetic tradition of meditation founded at the turn of the twentieth century by Phra Ajaan Sao Kantasilo and Phra Ajaan Mun Bhūridatto. His life was short but eventful. Known for his skill as a teacher and his mastery of supranatural powers, he was the first to bring the ascetic tradition out of the forests of the Mekhong basin and into the mainstream of Thai society in central Thailand.

Free download available:

https://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/Writings/Ebooks/a_lee_autobiography_v200728.pdf
===

November 20

SN 1.23 Jaṭāsutta: Tangle

Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Savatthi in Jeta’s Grove, Anathapiṇḍika’s Park. Then, when the night had advanced, a certain devatā of stunning beauty, illuminating the entire Jeta’s Grove, approached the Blessed One. Having approached, he paid homage to the Blessed One and stood to one side. Standing to one side, that devatā recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One:

“A tangle inside, a tangle outside,
This generation is entangled in a tangle.
I ask you this, O Gotama,
Who can disentangle this tangle?”

The Blessed One:

“A man established on virtue, wise,
Developing the mind and wisdom,
A bhikkhu ardent and discreet:
He can disentangle this tangle.

“Those for whom lust and hatred
Along with ignorance have been expunged,
The arahants with taints destroyed:
For them the tangle is disentangled.

“Where name-and-form ceases,
Stops without remainder,
And also impingement and perception of form:
It is here this tangle is cut.”

===
Buddha dharma teachings channel:

https://invite.viber.com/?g2=AQAKw1y3rv%2F6sk61PI2W4izuIiaEZj8YZujhY1tSzL%2B07s7rFnVFDAd0bAYFaMLw

Without in any way intending to turn a blind eye to this remarkable achievement of past generations, it nevertheless needs to be recognized that to insist on perpetuating outdated hierarchies based on male superiority conceit is not in keeping with the demands of current times and is detrimental to the welfare of the Buddhist traditions it seeks to protect.

AMahayana Buddhist superiority conceit finds expression in the belief that membership in the Great Vehicle, the Mahayana, automatically confers superiority over anyone else who does not aspire to Buddhahood.

The need for an authentication of Mahayana texts as teachings of the historical Buddha appears to be responsible for the emergence of Hinayana [the Lesser Vehicle] rhetoric. The distinction between those who follow the bodhisattva path and those who do not aspire to future Buddhahood is a vocational one and needs to be differentiated from monastic ordination taken in any of what are conventionally called the eighteen schools of Buddhism. The usage of the term “Hinayana” has its origin in polemics and lacks a grounding in the historical reality of Indian Buddhism. It cannot be used to refer to the Theravada traditions, as some Theravadins have been and still are practitioners of the bodhisattva path. Nor can it be applied to early Buddhism, as during that period the bodhisattva path had not yet come into existence. This leaves no basis for the application of a term that concerns the decision whether or not to pursue such a path.

The true seal of authentication for any Buddhist practitioner can be found by putting into practice the central discovery of the historical Buddha: emptiness, or not self.

The employment of the term “Hinayana” has a counterpart in claims to the superiority of bodhisattvas, actively encouraged in various texts through comparisons and illustrations expressive of contempt for those who are not in pursuit of Buddhahood. The same tendency to belittling can also find employment in the context of rivalry among different Mahayana traditions. Besides the need to set aside the term “Hinayana” in clear recognition of its polemical origins, historical unreality, and discriminatory nature, there is also a need to leave behind the underlying attempt to authenticate scripture through untenable attributions to the historical Buddha.

In sum, the significant contributions made by Mahayana thought to Buddhism would shine forth more brightly if they could be divested of the blemish of superiority conceit.

The next manifestation of superiority conceit takes the form of assuming that membership in the Theravada tradition automatically implies being the true heir to the Buddha’s original teachings. As evidence that this notion lacks a foundation, there are several aspects of the Path of Purification, the Visuddhimagga, a key manual of the path compiled by Buddhaghosa in the fifth century, that involve some departure from early Buddhist thought. My point is not to imply a wholesale rejection but only that this work offers a distinctly Theravada perspective, which at times differs from the early Buddhist position.

One of which is the widespread belief among later generations of Buddhists that the Buddha was omniscient. The notion of the comprehensiveness of knowledge that underlies the idea of omniscience appears to have been a central undercurrent in the arising of Abhidharma, which the Theravadins—just as other Buddhist traditions—consider to have been taught by the historical Buddha himself. This attribution involves forms of textual authentication similar to those evident in Mahayana Buddhist traditions discussed previously.
===
Part 1 of 2:

https://t.me/wordsofbuddha/2986


Part 2 of 2:

https://t.me/dhammapadas/2047

===
Words of the Buddha channel:

https://t.me/wordsofbuddha
===

A Caution Against Superiority Conceit

An argument to abandon preconceived prejudices against different Buddhist traditions.
By Bhikkhu Analayo

Part 1 of 2

Probably all Buddhist traditions would agree in principle that superiority conceit is a detrimental mental condition and better overcome. Yet, the historical reality of various forms of Buddhism reflects recurrent manifestations of superiority conceit. These can take the form of gender discrimination or of dismissive attitudes toward other Buddhist traditions. When confronted with the forms of conceit, time and again I found that an understanding of the religious and historical conditions responsible for a particular situation was both sobering and liberating. Insight into the why and how of certain aspects of the Buddhist traditions can help to see these in the proper perspective and find ways to adjust. For this reason, I hope that the material presented here will be helpful to the reader, enabling a more informed perspective and consequently a letting go of ignorance and conceit.

Various forms of daily discrimination toward women who have renounced lay life exist in Theravada countries. The main problem remains their ambiguous position between the lay and the monastic world. This in-between status can find reflection, for example, in the type of dress worn. The nuns of Myanmar often wear pinkish colored robes, a color never worn by bhikkhus, and the nuns of Thailand wear only white, similar to lay people on observance days. Nuns in both countries usually do not officiate at public ceremonies or preach in public. Whereas nuns in Sri Lanka take ten precepts, in Thailand they usually only take eight, another similarity to the practice of lay people on an observance day. The Thai government denies the nuns the right to vote, in line with the custom that monastics do not vote, but at the same time does not concede them the benefit of free travel on public transport, a privilege accorded to bhikkhus.

The bhikkhuni ordination lineage was transmitted from India to Sri Lanka and from there to China, although the latter transmission appears to have happened in a way that does not fully satisfy strict Theravada legal requirements. Due to the subsequent decline of the order of bhikkhunis in India and Sri Lanka, since the time of the eleventh century, there appear to have been no more bhikkhunis ordained according to Theravada law who could have collaborated with a Theravada order of bhikkhus in granting ordination to a female candidate.

Depictions of the Buddha in the early texts do not present him as a paragon of masculinity, unlike later texts. According to a listing of impossibilities, a woman cannot be a Buddha. Although probably originating from leadership conceptions in the ancient Indian setting, where a female stood little chance of being recognized as an accomplished teacher, the idea of such an impossibility could easily have fostered a tendency to belittle women’s abilities. This had an impact in particular on conceptions of the path to Buddhahood, in that the accomplishment of an advanced bodhisattva came eventually to be seen as manifesting in the leaving behind of the female body in order to continue for the rest of his career as a male.

The various strands of negativity toward women that emerge in this way are not in conformity with the early teachings. After the Buddha’s passing away, it was perhaps natural for ensuing generations of Buddhist monastics to move more in line with general biases prevalent in the patriarchal setting of ancient India, in their attempt to ensure the survival of the fledgling tradition in the face of competition with other religious groups and under the threat of internal disintegration.

Thanks to the efforts of the Buddhist monastic institutions over many centuries the teachings and discipline have been transmitted until today.

November 19

DN 10 From… Subhasutta: With Subha

[The selection explains with beautiful similes both psychic powers as well as the three knowledges attained by the Buddha on the night of his enlightenment. It is a conversation between Ven. Ānanada and the householder Subha.]

But what, Master Ānanda, was that spectrum of noble wisdom that the Buddha praised?”

“When their mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—they project it and extend it toward knowledge and vision. They understand: ‘This body of mine is physical. It’s made up of the four primary elements, produced by mother and father, built up from rice and porridge, liable to impermanence, to wearing away and erosion, to breaking up and destruction. And this consciousness of mine is attached to it, tied to it.’

Suppose there was a beryl gem that was naturally beautiful, eight-faceted, well-worked, transparent, clear, and unclouded, endowed with all good qualities. And it was strung with a thread of blue, yellow, red, white, or golden brown. And someone with clear eyes were to take it in their hand and examine it: ‘This beryl gem is naturally beautiful, eight-faceted, well-worked, transparent, clear, and unclouded, endowed with all good qualities. And it’s strung with a thread of blue, yellow, red, white, or golden brown.’

In the same way, when their mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—they project it and extend it toward knowledge and vision. This pertains to their wisdom.

When their mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—they project it and extend it toward the creation of a mind-made body. From this body they create another body, physical, mind-made, complete in all its various parts, not deficient in any faculty.

Suppose a person was to draw a reed out from its sheath. They’d think: ‘This is the reed, this is the sheath. The reed and the sheath are different things. The reed has been drawn out from the sheath.’ Or suppose a person was to draw a sword out from its scabbard. They’d think: ‘This is the sword, this is the scabbard. The sword and the scabbard are different things. The sword has been drawn out from the scabbard.’ Or suppose a person was to draw a snake out from its slough. They’d think: ‘This is the snake, this is the slough. The snake and the slough are different things. The snake has been drawn out from the slough.’

In the same way, when their mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—they project it and extend it toward the creation of a mind-made body. This pertains to their wisdom.

When their mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—they project it and extend it toward psychic power. They wield the many kinds of psychic power: multiplying themselves and becoming one again; appearing and disappearing; going unimpeded through a wall, a rampart, or a mountain as if through space; diving in and out of the earth as if it were water; walking on water as if it were earth; flying cross-legged through the sky like a bird; touching and stroking with the hand the sun and moon, so mighty and powerful; controlling the body as far as the Brahmā realm.

Suppose a deft potter or their apprentice had some well-prepared clay. They could produce any kind of pot that they like. Or suppose a deft ivory-carver or their apprentice had some well-prepared ivory. They could produce any kind of ivory item that they like. Or suppose a deft goldsmith or their apprentice had some well-prepared gold. They could produce any kind of gold item that they like.

In the same way, when their mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—they project it and extend it toward recollection of past lives. This pertains to their wisdom.

When their mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—they project it and extend it toward knowledge of the death and rebirth of sentient beings. With clairvoyance that is purified and superhuman, they see sentient beings passing away and being reborn—inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, in a good place or a bad place. They understand how sentient beings are reborn according to their deeds. ‘These dear beings did bad things by way of body, speech, and mind. They spoke ill of the noble ones; they had wrong view; and they chose to act out of that wrong view. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell. These dear beings, however, did good things by way of body, speech, and mind. They never spoke ill of the noble ones; they had right view; and they chose to act out of that right view. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm.’ And so, with clairvoyance that is purified and superhuman, they see sentient beings passing away and being reborn—inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, in a good place or a bad place. They understand how sentient beings are reborn according to their deeds.

Suppose there was a stilt longhouse at the central square. A person with clear eyes standing there might see people entering and leaving a house, walking along the streets and paths, and sitting at the central square. They’d think: ‘These are people entering and leaving a house, walking along the streets and paths, and sitting at the central square.’

In the same way, when their mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—they project and extend it toward knowledge of the death and rebirth of sentient beings. This pertains to their wisdom.

When their mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—they project it and extend it toward knowledge of the ending of defilements. They truly understand: ‘This is suffering’ … ‘This is the origin of suffering’ … ‘This is the cessation of suffering’ … ‘This is the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering’. They truly understand: ‘These are defilements’ … ‘This is the origin of defilements’ … ‘This is the cessation of defilements’ … ‘This is the practice that leads to the cessation of defilements’. Knowing and seeing like this, their mind is freed from the defilements of sensuality, desire to be reborn, and ignorance. When they’re freed, they know they’re freed.

They understand: ‘Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is no return to any state of existence.’

Suppose that in a mountain glen there was a lake that was transparent, clear, and unclouded. A person with clear eyes standing on the bank would see the clams and mussels, and pebbles and gravel, and schools of fish swimming about or staying still. They’d think: ‘This lake is transparent, clear, and unclouded. And here are the clams and mussels, and pebbles and gravel, and schools of fish swimming about or staying still.’

In the same way, when their mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—they project it and extend it toward knowledge of the ending of defilements. This pertains to their wisdom.

This is that spectrum of noble wisdom that the Buddha praised. And there is nothing more to be done.…”
===
Dhammapada, beloved and favorite teachings of the Buddha channel:

https://t.me/dhammapadas

In the same way, when their mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—they project it and extend it toward psychic power. This pertains to their wisdom.

When their mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—they project it and extend it toward clairaudience. With clairaudience that is purified and superhuman, they hear both kinds of sounds, human and divine, whether near or far. Suppose there was a person traveling along the road. They’d hear the sound of drums, clay drums, horns, kettledrums, and tom-toms. They’d think: ‘That’s the sound of drums,’ and ‘that’s the sound of clay drums,’ and ‘that’s the sound of horns, kettledrums, and tom-toms.’

In the same way, when their mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—they project it and extend it toward clairaudience. This pertains to their wisdom.

When their mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—they project it and extend it toward comprehending the minds of others. They understand mind with greed as ‘mind with greed’, and mind without greed as ‘mind without greed’. They understand mind with hate … mind without hate … mind with delusion … mind without delusion … constricted mind … scattered mind … expansive mind … unexpansive mind … mind that is not supreme … mind that is supreme … immersed mind … unimmersed mind … freed mind … They understand unfreed mind as ‘unfreed mind’.

Suppose there was a woman or man who was young, youthful, and fond of adornments, and they check their own reflection in a clean bright mirror or a clear bowl of water. If they had a spot they’d know ‘I have a spot,’ and if they had no spots they’d know ‘I have no spots.’

In the same way, when their mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—they project it and extend it toward comprehending the minds of others. This pertains to their wisdom.

When their mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—they project it and extend it toward recollection of past lives. They recollect many kinds of past lives, that is, one, two, three, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand rebirths; many eons of the world contracting, many eons of the world expanding, many eons of the world contracting and expanding. They remember: ‘There, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn somewhere else. There, too, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn here.’ And so they recollect their many kinds of past lives, with features and details.

Suppose a person was to leave their home village and go to another village. From that village they’d go to yet another village. And from that village they’d return to their home village. They’d think: ‘I went from my home village to another village. There I stood like this, sat like that, spoke like this, or kept silent like that. From that village I went to yet another village. There too I stood like this, sat like that, spoke like this, or kept silent like that. And from that village I returned to my home village.’

So pay heed, all you celestial beings, have love for humankind, who day and night bring offerings; please protect them diligently.

Tasmā hi bhūtā nisāmetha sabbe
Mettam karotha mānusiyā pajāya
Divā ca ratto ca haranti ye balim
Tasmā hi ne rakkhatha appamattā

Ratana Sutta verse 2



Balinese offerings for the divine, southern Bali seas, Indonesia.

Buddha spoke to Venerable Ananda. “It may be, Ananda, that some of you will say, ‘without the Buddha, the Sublime Teacher, there is no teacher for us’. No, Ananda, you should not think in this way. Whatever doctrine and discipline taught and made known by Me will be your teacher when I am gone.”

Then the Buddha addressed all the monks once more, and these were the very last words he spoke:

“Behold, O monks, this is my last advice to you. All component things in the world are impermanent. They are not lasting. Work hard to gain your own salvation.”

Then the Buddha lapsed into the jhana stages, or meditative absorptions. Going from level to level, one after the other, ever deeper and deeper. Then he came out of the meditative absorption for the last time and passed into nirvana, leaving nothing whatever behind that can cause rebirth again in this or any other world.

Quoted from the Life of the Buddha, Chapter Buddha's Last Words by Venerable Siridhamma Thero.

November 18

SN 1.13 Natthiputtasamasutta: None Equal to That for a Son

Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Savatthi in Jeta’s Grove, Anathapiṇḍika’s Park. Then, when the night had advanced, a certain devatā of stunning beauty, illuminating the entire Jeta’s Grove, approached the Blessed One. Having approached, he paid homage to the Blessed One and stood to one side. Standing to one side, that devatā recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One:

“There is no affection like that for a son,
No wealth equal to cattle,
There is no light like the sun,
Among the waters the ocean is supreme.”

The Blessed One:

“There is no affection like that for oneself,
No wealth equal to grain,
There is no light like wisdom,
Among the waters the rain is supreme.”


===
Words of the Buddha channel:

https://t.me/wordsofbuddha

Offerings to the gods, Ulun Danu Tamblingan temple, Lake Tamblingan, North Bali.

Free Buddha Dharma ebook

Fundamentals of Buddhism: Four Lectures
By Nyanatiloka Mahathera

I. The Essence of Buddhism (Radio Lecture, Colombo, 1933)
II. Kamma & Rebirth (Lecture, Ceylon University, 1947)
III. Pa†icca-Samuppåda: Dependent Origination (Second Lecture under the Dona Alphina Ratnayaka Trust, University College, Colombo, 1938)
IV. Mental Culture (Based on a lecture delivered in Tokyo, 1920)

Free download here:

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/nyanatiloka/wheel394.pdf

===

November 17

Iti 41 Paññāparihīnasutta: Deprived of Wisdom

This was said by the Lord, said by the Arahant, so I heard:

“Bhikkhus, those beings are thoroughly deprived who are deprived of noble wisdom. They live in discomfort even here and now, with vexation, trouble, and distress, and when the body perishes at death a bad bourn is to be expected.

“Those beings are not deprived who are not deprived of noble wisdom. They live in comfort here and now, without vexation, trouble, or distress, and when the body perishes at death a good bourn is to be expected.”

This is the meaning of what the Lord said. So in regard to this it was said:

See the world with its devas,
Destitute of wisdom,
Established in name-and-form,
Conceiving this to be the truth.

Wisdom which leads to penetration
Is the best thing in the world;
By this one completely understands
The ending of both birth and being.

Devas and human beings hold dear
Those awakened ones ever mindful,
Possessing joyous wisdom,
Bearing their final bodies.

This too is the meaning of what was said by the Lord, so I heard.

===
Tibetan Buddhism - Vajrayana, Tantrayana and esoteric Buddhism channel:

https://t.me/tibetanbuddha


Vajrayana Tantrayana Buddhism channel:

https://t.me/tantrayanabuddhism

Buddhanussati, one of the four protective meditation, is recollections of the qualities of the Buddha, namely, araham (the perfect one who has eliminated all the defilements, or someone who has reached the state of great purity and perfection), Sammasambuddho (fully enlightened), Vijjacarana-sampanno (impeccable in conduct and understanding), Sugato (well farer), Lokavidu (the knower of the worlds), Anuttaro purisadamma-sarathi (who is unrivalled in taming those who are untamed), Sattha deva-manussanam (teacher of gods and humans), buddho (awake) and bhagava (the Blessed One).

November 16

AN 6.107 Rāgasutta: Greed

“Mendicants, there are these three things. What three? Greed, hate, and delusion. These are the three things. To give up these three things you should develop three things. What three? You should develop the perception of ugliness to give up greed, love to give up hate, and wisdom to give up delusion. These are the three things you should develop to give up those three things.”

===
Buddha dharma teachings channel:

https://t.me/lorddivinebuddha

November 15

SN 46.45 Paññavantasutta: Wise

“Sir they speak of a person who is ‘wise, no idiot’. How is a person who is wise, no idiot defined?”

“Mendicant, they’re called wise, no idiot because they’ve developed and cultivated the seven awakening factors. What seven? The awakening factors of mindfulness, investigation of principles, energy, rapture, tranquility, immersion, and equanimity. They’re called wise, no idiot because they’ve developed and cultivated these seven awakening factors.”

===
Free Buddhism books, teachings, podcasts and videos from Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions:

https://t.me/buddha_ebooks

Free Buddha Dharma ebook

Abhidhamma in Daily Life
By Ashin Janakavibhamsa

A treatise entitled "Abhidamma in Daily Life" is written for the welfare of people, with a view to assist them in acquiring good conduct.

The author's aim can be summarized as follows:

(1) For the reader to develop rightful attitude regarding the objects and senses perceived, to be always broad-minded, to live the way of (brahmacariya) noble living, and to conduct a harmonious life.

(2) For the reader to be always in good mood,develop an unwavering attitude towards life and to be able to live in grace whether they be wealthy and happy, being successful and prosperous, or whether they are poor and unhappy meeting with failure and calamity.

(3) For the reader to be able to fulfill the (parami) perfections such as dana (charity), (sila) morality etc. in this existence so that they may be reborn in happy abodes in the existences to come till the attainment of the supreme bliss of nibbana.

Free download available:

https://ftp.budaedu.org/ebooks/pdf/EN295.pdf
===

November 14

SN 48.9 Paṭhamavibhaṅgasutta: Analysis (1st)

“Mendicants, there are these five faculties. What five? The faculties of faith, energy, mindfulness, immersion, and wisdom.

And what is the faculty of faith? It’s when a noble disciple has faith in the Realized One’s awakening: ‘That Blessed One is perfected, a fully awakened Buddha, accomplished in knowledge and conduct, holy, knower of the world, supreme guide for those who wish to train, teacher of gods and humans, awakened, blessed.’ This is called the faculty of faith.

And what is the faculty of energy? It’s when a noble disciple lives with energy roused up for giving up unskillful qualities and embracing skillful qualities. They’re strong, staunchly vigorous, not slacking off when it comes to developing skillful qualities. This is called the faculty of energy.

And what is the faculty of mindfulness? It’s when a noble disciple is mindful. They have utmost mindfulness and alertness, and can remember and recall what was said and done long ago. This is called the faculty of mindfulness.

And what is the faculty of immersion? It’s when a noble disciple, relying on letting go, gains immersion, gains unification of mind. This is called the faculty of immersion.

And what is the faculty of wisdom? It’s when a noble disciple is wise. They have the wisdom of arising and passing away which is noble, penetrative, and leads to the complete ending of suffering. This is called the faculty of wisdom.

These are the five faculties.”

===
Ajahn Chah, Buddhist teacher of Thai forest meditation of Theravada Buddhism channel:


https://t.me/ajahnchah_buddhism

Think about it: Who is there in the world for whom you feel ill will? Start out with people who are easy to feel goodwill for, and then go to those who are harder and harder until you get to the ones where you find it really hard. Then ask yourself: What would you gain, what would anybody gain, by seeing that person suffer? You think it through, and you realize that nothing would be gained.

Then focus on what you’re doing as you think these thoughts. You’re engaging in directed thought and evaluation. That’s verbal fabrication. And you hold in mind those images—the images of the bandits sawing you into pieces, the mother protecting her child—which are mental fabrications. Fabrications are things you have to do, to put together. So in working on goodwill, you begin to get more sensitive to how the mind has to create these mental states, and how it can create these states by learning to think in new ways, learning how to keep new perceptions in mind.

Basically, what it comes down to is understanding goodwill in the light of karma. On the one hand, there’s the karma of generating goodwill itself. Then there’s the karma that you’re thinking about as you think thoughts of goodwill. What does it mean, in the light of karma, to wish for people to be happy? It means you wish that they would create good karma, that they would be skillful. As the verse said just now, you wish, “May beings not deceive or despise one another or wish for another to suffer.” That’s goodwill in the light of karma, which makes it an extension of right view. As the Buddha said, if you have ill will for anyone, that’s a part of wrong view. Not just a wrong attitude—it’s wrong view.

So when you understand goodwill, you realize that it’s for the real world, and you’re dealing in realities when you try to make your goodwill universal.

It’s not magical thinking. It’s a genuine power in the real world.

===
Thanissaro Bhikkhu is an American Theravada Buddhist monk trained in the Thai Forest Tradition. He currently serves as abbot of the Metta Forest Monastery in San Diego County, California and is a frequent contributor to Tricycle. His latest book is Good Heart, Good Mind: The Practice of the Ten Perfections. Thanissaro Bhikkhu’s talks, writings, and translations are all freely available at his website
www.dhammatalks.org
===
Part 1 of 2:

https://t.me/wordsofbuddha/2953


Part 2 of 2:

https://t.me/dhammapadas/2017


===

Dhammapada, beloved and favorite teachings of the Buddha channel:

https://t.me/dhammapadas
===

Goodwill for the Real World

A Theravada monk explores the application of boundless metta for a broken world.
By Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Part 2 of 2


The example the Buddha gives is of thieves who have pinned you down and overpowered you, and they’re cutting you into pieces with a two-handled saw. I’ve always liked that detail: the two handles. It means that at least two of the thieves are sawing away at you. The Buddha said that even in a case like that, you still need to have goodwill for them. In fact, you start with goodwill for them and then expand it out into the whole universe, so that you’re not focused on them and what they’re doing to you. You realize that your most important wealth is the state of your mind, and that you protect that above all else, even if it means you’d be faced with death. You protect that because that’s more important than your body.

One of the stories that comes from the forest tradition is of a monk who is sitting in his hut one night and an elephant comes and crashes through the wall right in front of him. Here they are, face-to-face, and the monk realizes that his only protection is goodwill for the elephant. So he spreads goodwill and speaks to the elephant in kind, gentle terms. Elephants are very sensitive to what you say to them, as well as to the tone of your voice. In that case, the elephant withdrew.

Last year, I was staying in a monastery in Thailand, and one morning an elephant started crashing through the monastery wall. Someone happened to be nearby. He spoke to the elephant in very kind terms. He said, “Big Brother, Big Brother, don’t do that. It’s bad karma.” The elephant stopped and walked away.

There’s also the story of Ajaan Lee out in the forest. The villagers had warned him that there was an elephant in rut who was running around, stabbing people with his tusks, and that he’d be wise to get out of the forest. But he wanted to test his determination not to be afraid of that kind of thing. And sure enough, one afternoon, he was sitting in meditation under a tree, and the elephant came into a clearing right in front of him. His first thought was, “If he comes at me, I’m dead.” So he reaches up for a branch. He’s going to climb up the tree, but something inside him says, “If you’re afraid of death, you’re going to keep on dying.” He sat back down in meditation, faced the elephant, and spread goodwill to the elephant. The elephant stopped, shook his ears up and down a bit, and then walked away.

For the forest ajaans, metta, or goodwill, is not a soft, tender, weak emotion. It’s strong. It’s a protection. It protects your genuine valuables. When they talk about having goodwill for all beings, it’s not an airy fairy world that they’re imagining or a “complacent Buddhist bubble.” You need real goodwill for the real world, because the dangers of the world are real, and this is one of your ways of protecting yourself from responding to those dangers in an unskillful way.

You realize that your most important wealth is the state of your mind, and that you protect that above all else, even if it means you’d be faced with death.

When you think about it in those terms, it’s a lot easier to spread thoughts of goodwill to all. If it’s not there, you work on it. We’re sometimes told that goodwill is part of the innate nature of the mind. Now, it is possible for the human mind to have thoughts of goodwill, but remember, human goodwill is very different from Brahma goodwill, and Brahma goodwill is what we’re trying to develop. Human goodwill is partial. You have goodwill for the people who are good to you and not for the people who are not, but that’s no protection at all. It’s like building a fence around the front of your house but leaving the back of the house open. You want goodwill that’s all around.

November 13

Dhp 282 from… Maggavagga: The Path

Wisdom springs from meditation; without meditation wisdom wanes. Having known these two paths of progress and decline, let a man so conduct himself that his wisdom may increase.

===
Dhammapada, beloved and favorite teachings of the Buddha channel:

https://invite.viber.com/?g2=AQBLD6phsgvP%2F061YjEM3K%2BNeH1Yb372b9mtfQX2EmuBpgoLUoc99BDMfzHghrme

If you’re mature, your attitude should be, “May this person see the error of his or her ways and be willing to make a change.” If there’s some way you can help them make that change, you’re happy to help. But you also realize that a lot of people won’t be willing to change. In those cases, you’re not going to do anything to harm them, but at the same time, you have to develop an attitude of equanimity.

Equanimity isn’t cold-heartedness. It’s just realizing that there are some people you cannot influence, no matter how intense your goodwill, so you have to focus your efforts on people who will respond to your goodwill.

There are stories in the canon of the Buddha extending intense goodwill toward individuals and changing their behavior, but that largely has to do with the power of his mind and with the individual good karma of those people. The power of your goodwill may not be that strong, but at the very least, it protects you. If, as you go through the day, you’re not acting on ill will, that makes it a lot easier for the mind to settle down in the evening: You feel better about yourself. So even though you may be angry at people for one reason or another, you don’t let it spill over into ill will. You’re careful not to let the anger influence your thoughts, your words, or your deeds.

You protect your goodwill, because it protects you. There’s that famous line in the Karaniya Metta Sutta: “Just as a mother would protect her only child with her life, you should protect your goodwill.” Some people read that passage as meaning that we should love everybody in the same way that a mother loves her only child, but that would be impossible. It gets into the world of unreality. The Buddha is teaching goodwill for the real world. There are cases where people are really going to misbehave, and it’s going to be a real challenge for you to have goodwill for them, but you have to protect your goodwill because, as I said, it protects you. That’s what the verse is actually saying: Just as she would protect her child with her life, you protect your goodwill with your life.
===
Part 1 of 2:

https://t.me/wordsofbuddha/2953


Part 2 of 2:

https://t.me/dhammapadas/2017


===


Words of the Buddha channel:

https://t.me/wordsofbuddha
===

Goodwill for the Real World

A Theravada monk explores the application of boundless metta for a broken world.
By Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Part 1 of 2

Years ago, after the 9/11 attacks, there was a Buddhist teacher who said that the attacks had burst his “complacent Buddhist bubble.” That’s a contradiction in terms: “complacent” and “Buddhist.” After all, the Buddha said that all skillful qualities come from heedfulness, and heedfulness means having a very strong sense of danger. There are dangers in the world. There are dangers in your own mind. The reason we try to develop skillful qualities in the mind is that we see that we have to prepare for these dangers.

Now, it’s true that some of the Buddhist teachings sound like they’re not designed for the real world. One of them is “goodwill for all beings.” A lot of beings are really misbehaving, so it seems difficult or impossible to have goodwill for everybody, but actually, universal goodwill is not only possible, it’s necessary for our own survival: the survival of our goodness. If you act on ill will toward other people, you’re going to be creating a bad state of mind within yourself and bad conditions in the world through your karma. The first thought in generating goodwill has to be that you’re doing this for yourself so that you can protect yourself from your greed, your aversion, your delusion, and especially from your ill will.

The Buddha admits that there are a lot of people for whom it’s difficult to have goodwill. A chant from the Paritta Sutta describes a monk who was sitting out in the forest meditating when a snake fell out of a tree on top of him, bit him, and he died. The monks went to report this to the Buddha, and he responded that the monk had not spread goodwill to the four families of snakes. Then he proceeded to teach the monks that particular chant for spreading goodwill for beings with no feet, beings with two feet, beings with four, and beings with many feet. He goes through a list of all the creepy crawly things that there are out in the forest—and those are just the small ones. There are other places where he talks about having goodwill for little beings, big beings, short beings and long. Some of the big beings in the forest, of course, are pretty scary too: elephants, bears, rhinoceroses. There were also bands of thieves that might kill monks just for the fun of it. So the Buddha lived in a dangerous world.

Universal goodwill is not only possible, it’s necessary for our own survival: the survival of our goodness.

One of the things you notice about that chant of goodwill for snakes and creepy crawly things is that it says, “I have goodwill for you all, but may you all now depart.” Goodwill doesn’t mean that you’re going to be there for them or you’re going to be loving to them. There are lots of cases where goodwill basically means, “You’re looking for happiness in your way and I’m looking for happiness in my way, and as long as I can live in a world where I’m behaving in a skillful way, may we go our separate ways.” The snakes will be happier to be away from you anyhow, and you’ll be happy to be away from the snakes.

So goodwill doesn’t mean love. I read a while back someone saying that even the word loving-kindness is too weak a translation for metta, that the Buddha would want to have you have love, love, love for everybody because, of course, everybody loves love. Well, the Buddha didn’t teach anything just because people liked to hear it. The attitude he taught is goodwill: “May these people be happy.” But you have to think about it: What does it mean for a person or an animal to be happy? They have to behave skillfully—people especially. Your wish, basically, is, “May all beings behave skillfully.” That’s a wish you can have for anybody without hypocrisy, including people who have been really misbehaving, people you intensely dislike.

November 12

AN 9.25 Paññāsutta: Consolidated by Wisdom

“Mendicants, when a mendicant’s mind has been well consolidated with wisdom it’s appropriate for them to say: ‘I understand: “Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is no return to any state of existence.”’

“And how is a mendicant’s mind well consolidated with wisdom?

The mind is well consolidated with wisdom when they know: ‘My mind is without greed.’ …
‘My mind is without hate.’ …
‘My mind is without delusion.’ …
‘My mind is not liable to become greedy.’ …
‘My mind is not liable to become hateful.’ …
‘My mind is not liable to become deluded.’ …
‘My mind is not liable to return to rebirth in the sensual realm.’ …
‘My mind is not liable to return to rebirth in the realm of luminous form.’ …
‘My mind is not liable to return to rebirth in the formless realm.’

“When a mendicant’s mind has been well consolidated with wisdom it’s appropriate for them to say: ‘I understand: “Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is no return to any state of existence.”’”

===
Words of the Buddha channel:

https://invite.viber.com/?g2=AQAFqzqlj7FmI061PX17rxWMAtZ%2BRuso%2FH2KmHKZSgnv7v9DD8X0bDkKnZDr9JDq

The Sanctuary of Truth, Pattaya, Thailand, hybrid of a temple and a castle made entirely of wood that is themed on the Ayutthaya Kingdom and of Buddhist and Hindu beliefs.

November 11

DN 30 From… Lakkhana Sutta: The Marks of a Great Man

[The Lakkhana Sutta details the the actions the Buddha did to obtained the 32 Marks and their corresponding wholesome qualities.]

“…Monks, in some past lives the Buddha was reborn as a human being. He approached virtuous and knowledgeable people and asked: ‘Sirs, what is wholesome? What is unwholesome? What is blameworthy? What is blameless? What should be cultivated? What should not be cultivated? Doing what leads to my lasting harm and suffering? Doing what leads to my lasting welfare and happiness?’ Due to performing those deeds he was reborn in heaven. When he passed away from there and was reborn here as a human, he obtained this mark: he has smooth skin, so smooth that dust and dirt don’t stick to his body.

Possessing this mark, if this great man continues to live in the palace, he becomes a universal king. And what does he obtain as a king? He has great wisdom. Of those who enjoy worldly pleasures, no one is equal to him or surpasses him in wisdom. That’s what he obtains as a king.

And what does he obtain as the Buddha? He has great wisdom, widespread wisdom, joyful wisdom, fast wisdom, sharp wisdom, and penetrating wisdom. No being is equal to him or surpasses him in wisdom. That’s what he obtains as Buddha.”

That is what the Buddha said. On this it is said:

“In olden days, in past lives,
He was eager to understand things, he asked questions.
He was keen to learn things, he waited on virtuous people,
listening to their explanation with pure intent.

Due to that good kamma of searching for wisdom,
When he was reborn in the human world, his skin was smooth.
At his birth the mark-readers who are experts in mark-reading predicted:
‘He’ll understand even very subtle things of life.

If he doesn’t choose the monk-life,
he’ll rule the earth righteously.
Among those who instruct and who investigate things,
none is equal or better than him.

But if he chooses the monk-life,
and wisely loves that simple life,
Gaining wisdom that’s supreme and unparalleled,
The Supreme One attains enlightenment.…’”

===
Buddha dharma teachings channel:

https://invite.viber.com/?g2=AQAKw1y3rv%2F6sk61PI2W4izuIiaEZj8YZujhY1tSzL%2B07s7rFnVFDAd0bAYFaMLw

Free Buddha Dharma ebook

Now is the Knowing
By Ajahn Sumedho

The Buddha said that the greatest gift is the gift of Dhamma. This small book represents the wish of some of those fortunate enough to have received Dhamma teachings from Venerable Ajahn Sumedho to share them with others. A certain amount of editing of the talks was felt necessary so as to translate the free form of direct speech into a more ordered printed record. This was always done judiciously and with great respect.

The second section, ‘Anapanasati’, is in fact composed of passages from three or four different talks on the subject of mindfulness of breathing. It seemed very useful to have so much pertinent advice gathered in a single place.

It is by sincerely using the Ajahn’s teachings as ‘tools to reflect on the way things are’ that we can begin to repay our great debt of gratitude to him. May we all constantly do so.

Free download available:
https://static.sariputta.com/pdf/tipitaka/215/now_know_pdf.pdf
===

November 10

Dhp 81–82 From… Paṇḍitavagga: The Astute

As the wind cannot stir
a solid mass of rock,
so too blame and praise
do not affect the wise.

Like a deep lake,
clear and unclouded,
so clear are the astute
when they hear the teachings.


===
Dhammapada, beloved and favorite teachings of the Buddha channel:

https://t.me/dhammapadas