Some Favorite Audio Books I occasionally encounter those new to Buddhism requesting books that are good starting places. Although I’m always tempted to guide folks to Access to Insight’s Web page on Beginnings, that’s not really a book. Among the most frequently recommended books, are Walpola Rahula‘s What the Buddha Taught (available from Dharma Audiobooks) and Henepola Gunaratana‘s Mindfulness in […]
Dealing with Inner Demons We all have them. In the West, where the prime directive (from adolescence on) is often “Make something of yourself,” this can become especially problematic. I’ve often said that a preoccupation of many teenagers is to cultivate a ‘credible act,’ which will serve to impress others (or, at least, fend off their criticisms). The tragedy, of […]
The ‘Bhikkhuni Issue’ Resurgence of the four-fold sangha (following a thousand years of discrimination) Aloka Vihara Bhikkhunīs walking in the forest… Some years ago I had the privilege of attending a daylong retreat given by a female renunciate who was struggling (along with others) with the fact that in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition there were no more fully ordained nuns. […]
Luang Por Sumedho’s May 2017 Open Retreat Evening Talks (Video) Ajahn Sumedho is the senior Western representative of the Thai Forest Tradition. He became a monk fifty years ago (in 1967), training in Thailand with Ajahn Chah for the first ten years. He helped establish and served as the first abbot of Ajahn Chah’s International Monastery, Wat Pa Nanachat (created […]
The Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta Introduction A Painting at Wat Chedi Liem of Gautama Buddha’s first sermon at the Deer Park [licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported] Today, July 8, 2017, is the full moon of the eighth lunar month—a day celebrated throughout the Theravāda Buddhist world as Asalha Puja, which is also known as Asanha Bucha in Thailand (อาสาฬหบูชา). It commemorates the Buddha’s […]
A Natural-born Monk’s Path to Dhamma Cultivating the Garden of Life Venerable Ajahn Sona at Stanford University “It turned out, I’m logical . . . linear, purely-logical activity should not be the master of the house.” How the Thai Forest Tradition Came to CanadaI am always interested in how individuals find out about Buddhism in general, and the Forest Tradition […]
VesākhaOn this, the day of a May’s full moon, Buddhists around the world celebrate the triple anniversary of the Tathāgata’s Birth, Enlightenment, and Parinibbana.The Five PreceptsToday it is fitting to recall the five precepts (which I’ve taken the liberty to expand a bit here) and undertake the training to:Abstain from killing or harming any living beingsAbstain from taking anything which is not freely givenAbstain […]
Spring 2017 Amaravati Newsletter AvailableIf you are in (or travelling to England) be sure to check out Amaravati Monastery‘s website, where we note that the Spring 2017 issue of Looking Ahead (their quarterly newsletter) is now available. I love the look of its masthead: The newsletter itself has a wealth of information, including (among other things) news of new visitor […]
Meditation Class Notes Introducing Buddhist meditation techniques to Westerners (in this quietly desperate land of I, Me, Mine) is particularly challenging, I think. I recently was privileged to attend a six-week meditation course at my local Insight Center (mtstream.org) presented by one of our dedicated lay-sangha members, Bruce Pardoe (bpardoe@heartfluency.com). It was definitely well received, and I know I benefited from it. […]
Bhikkhu Bodi’s most recent book (December, 2016) is entitled The Buddha’s Teachings on Social and Communal Harmony: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon It is but one of Wisdom Publications many excellent resources for those following a Buddhist Path. It is a timely addition to our bookshelves. You can preview it here.