The Way Things Really Are is translation of Book IV of the Sutta-Nipata by Lesley Fowler Lebkowicz, Tamara Ditrich and Primoz Pecenko.The Sutta-Nipata is one of the earliest texts of the Pali canon, coming from the same period as the Dhammapada, before the monastic tradition was strong. It was created by people as they practiced and refers to “the wise […]
]]>No Inner Core – An Introduction to the Doctrine of Anatta by Sayadaw U Silananda. The Anatta doctrine is one of the most important teachings of Buddhism. It is the most distinctive feature of Buddhism, for, as many scholars have recognized, it makes Buddhism different from all other religions. The understanding of Anatta, the theory of no-soul or non-self, […]
]]>Realizing Change – Vipassana Meditation in Action by Ian Hetherington was published in 2003 by the non-profit organization Pariyatti. Vipassana is an ancient meditation technique of India. The Buddha discovered it, attained full enlightenment using it and made it the essence of this teaching, which spread throughout the Indian subcontinent and then on to neighboring […]
]]>The Buddhist Monastic Code I and II is an impressive work both in virtue and extent. On nearly 2.000 pages the rules of monks in the Theravada traditions are outlined. This book is written both for the ones seeking monastic life and the bhikkus who have devoted their life to it. It will also benefit other people who have […]
]]>The Discourse concerning Malunkyaputta is from the Connected Discourse Collection (Samyutta Nikaya) of the Pali Canon and it is one the few that deals directly with meditation practice. It describes how the Buddha leads the monk Malunkyaputta through a series of questions and answers meant to bring him to a more complete understanding of reality. The […]
]]>Advice to Rahula is the second book in our line-up of translations from the Pali Canon which deals with meditation. Advice to Rahula, Mahārāhulovādasuttaṁ, MN 62, is an important discourse on mindfulness. It was given directly from the Buddha to his son Rahula on the development of meditation on the elements as a precursor to mindfulness while […]
]]>The Discourse about the Great Emancipation is a a newer translation of Mahāparinibbānasutta from the Pali Canon, the Sutta 16th, being the standard Theravada text on the last part of the life of the Buddha and his death. The discourse consists of both historical details and descriptions of advice for meditation techniques, directly given by the […]
]]>The Life of the Buddha according to the Pali Canon consists of direct translations from the Pali Canon (Tipitaka) collected by the Theravada monk Bhikku Nanamoli. Many of these translations have been published in Buddhist periodicals during 1954-56 in Sri Lanka. Pali is an language with only one function, to preserve the Buddha´s teachings. It […]
]]>Kamma and the end of Kamma evolved evolved out of the works of Ajahn Sucitto at Cittaviveka Monastery exploring the relevance of the Buddha’s teachings on kamma to the practice of meditation. In brief, when you know how Kamma works, and you have the skills and tools to deconstruct the programs of consciousness, you can stop doing samsara. In greater detail, the Buddha’s […]
]]> Last Sunday, we (at the Pittsburgh Buddhist Center) had a great opportunity to meet and learn from Dr. Bhikkhuni Kusuma, a senior Buddhist nun from Sri Lanka. Everybody who came to this event enjoyed her engaging sermon and meditation. Moreover, everybody was impressed to see her energy at the age of 84 to disseminate […]