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The Bhikkhus’ Rules
A Guide for Laypeople
compiled and explained by
Bhikkhu Ariyesako
© 1999–2010

TA Kukrit (15) – Original Jhana

The way meditation is taught by the Buddha vs. later traditions.

What is The Meaning of Christ

What is the Christ? (Christ is the English translation of the Greek word Χριστός (Christos), which literally means The Anointed One)

The (real) Christos (anointed one) is a place in consciousness where you become aware of who and what you are. When you become aware of the presence within, you awaken from a deep sleep. You become aware of the beauty around you. Things that once seemed a burden are no longer a burden. You become aware that nothing is yours and yours alone. You are aware that all things and all people belong to God. You know you are his child and you see that if you are a child of God, all others are children of God.

Buddhism and happiness

Perhaps more than any other religion, Buddhism is associated with happiness. According to Buddhist thinking, happiness and sorrow are our own responsibility – and completely within our control.

“Buddhists say everything comes from the mind,” says Venerable David Lungtok, a Buddhist monk currently living in Sydney. “If we train our mind properly, happiness will be the result.”

It seems like quite a claim – that mental training can make you happy, no matter what happens to you.

But it’s a claim that’s backed up, not only by two and a half thousand years of religious tradition, but a growing body of research.

So what is it about Buddhism, exactly, that helps you feel happy whatever the circumstances?

And if you’re not a Buddhist, can its teachings still help you move towards a happier life?

The Four Nutriments of Life
An Anthology of Buddhist Texts
translated from the Pali, with an Introductory Essay by
Nyanaponika Thera
© 2006–2010

Introduction

“All beings subsist on nutriment” — this, according to the Buddha, is the one single fact about life that, above all, deserves to be remembered, contemplated and understood.1 If understood widely and deeply enough, this saying of the Buddha reveals indeed a truth that leads to the root of all existence and also to its uprooting. Here, too, the Buddha proved to be one who “saw to the root of things” (muula-dassaavii).2 Hence, it was thought useful to collect his utterances on the subject of nutriment (aahaara), together with the instructive explanations by the teachers of old, the commentators of the Paali scriptures.

When Jesus met Buddha

Something remarkable happened when evangelists for two great religions crossed paths more than 1,000 years ago: they got along
By Philip Jenkins
December 14, 2008

WAS THE BUDDHA a demon?

While few mainline Christians would put the matter in such confrontational terms, any religion claiming exclusive access to truth has real difficulties reconciling other great faiths into its cosmic scheme. Most Christian churches hold that Jesus alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and many also feel an obligation to carry that message to the world’s unbelievers. But this creates a fundamental conflict with the followers of famous spiritual figures like Mohammed or Buddha, who preached radically different messages. Drawing on a strict interpretation of the Bible, some Christians see these rival faiths as not merely false, but as deliberate traps set by the forces of evil.

Lovingkindness meditation
The Metta Bhavana, or Development of Lovingkindness, practice is one of the most ancient forms of Buddhist practice, one that has been passed down in an unbroken line for over 2,500 years.

We’re often taught as children that we should love others. Religious teachings say, for example, that we should “love others as ourselves.” But how do we learn to love others? And what happens if we don’t particularly like, never mind love, ourselves? The development of lovingkindness meditation practice is the practical means by which we learn to cultivate love for ourselves and others.

The Five Wonderful Mindfulness Trainings
(formerly “The Five Wonderful Precepts”)

(The Five Wonderful Mindfulness Trainings below are Zen Master Thich Nhat’s Hanh’s translation of the 5 basic precepts as taught by the Buddha Shakyamuni. The Buddha offered these precepts to both his ordained and lay followers so that they could have clear guidelines to lead mindful and joyful lives on the path to awakening. Thich Nhat Hanh has updated the precepts so that they are beautifully appropriate and relevant in today’s society. In his book entitled “For a Future to be Possible”, Thich Nhat Hanh describes in detail how the Five Wonderful Mindfulness Trainings can be used by anyone in today’s world to create a more harmonious and peaceful life.)

GOD – The teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi Edited by David Godman

At first sight Sri Ramana Maharshi’s statements on God appear to be riddled with contradictions: on one occasion he might say that God never does anything, on another that nothing happens except by God’s will. Sometimes he would say that God is just an idea in the mind, while at other times he would say that God is the only existing reality.

The contradictory statements are largely a reflection of the differing levels of understanding he encountered in his questioners. Those who worshipped personal Gods would often be given anthropomorphic explanations. They would be told that God created the world, that he sustains it by his divine power, that he looks after the needs of all its inhabitants and that nothing happens that is contrary to God’s will. On the other hand, those who were not attracted to such a theory would be told that all such ideas about God and his power were mental creations, which only obscured the real experience of God, which is inherent in everyone.

At the highest level of his teachings the term ‘God’ and ‘Self’ are synonyms for the immanent reality which is discovered by Self-realisation. Thus realisation of the Self is realisation of God; it is not an experience of God, rather it is an understanding that one is God. Speaking from this ultimate level, Sri Ramana’s statements on God can be summarised in the following way:

The meaning of prayer in Buddhism
– Robert Kurniawan

Man is not a fallen creature who begs for his needs as he awaits mercy. According to Buddhism, man is a potential master of himself and the universe. Only because of his deep ignorance does man fail to realize his potentiality. Since the Buddha has shown this hidden power of man, he must cultivate each grain of spirit and try to develop it by realizing his ability.

Atman is the immortal aspect of the mortal existence, the
self, which ishidden in every object of creation including man. It is the microcosm, representing the macrocosm in each of us, imparting to us divine qualities and possibilities and providing us with the reason to exist and experience the pains and pleasures of earthly life.

Atman is Brahman Itself, the very Self which descends down into the elements of nature through self-projection and participates Itself in the game of self-induced illusion and
pure Delight. But bound by the senses and limited by the sensory knowledge and sensory perceptions, we, the jivas, do not perceive the truth.

Dhamma Podcasts: A Simple Path – 2 Videos

Today we bring you a 19 minute video with excerpts of an interview with S.N. Goenka while he was visiting the Vipassana Meditation Center in Belgium on August 10, 2002.

Copyright, 2002 Vipassana Research Institute

There is more information about vipassana meditation at http://www.dhamma.org, and books and audio resources available for purchase at http://www.pariyatti.com.

May all beings be happy!
Dhamma Podcasts: http://www.pariyatti.org/podcasts

View both two videos

Its like baby sitting

A baby is born.
The baby starts to grow up and learn new things.
He or she starts to mimic everything he or she sees or hears.
The mother stays home to baby sit.
The mother has some hard times baby sitting but she is getting used to it.
The baby is grabbing things, moving here and moving there, not focused on anything.
The mother gives it a pacifier, cradles the baby, sings to the baby and eventually the baby slows down and starts to relax and fall asleep.

The Meaning of Life

By Chan Master Sheng Yen
Translation by Hao-De Zou

The Meaning of Life is to Fulfill One’s Duties and be Responsible

Many people ask me, “What is the intrinsic quality of life? What is the meaning of life? Where is the value in life? What is the purpose of life?”

The meaning of life is to fulfill one’s duties and be responsible. In the journey of life – from birth, to old age, to death – every person plays different roles. For example, children grow up to be parents and students become teachers. You may be a supervisor, an employee as well as a friend. All of these are duties – ethical relationships shared between people.

When duties are not fulfilled, it is said that the roles are “neither fish nor fowl”. This is a term used to describe strange phenomena. When looking at ourselves from an ethical perspective, we often discover that we are “neither fish nor fowl”.

Jesus was mentioned in the Vedic literatures
more than 3000+ years before he appeared.

In the book called Bhavishya Purana there’s a very nice and concise overview of the mission and mood of Jesus the Son of God.
We have clear written evidence from the ancient scriptures of India, written down more than five thousand years ago by the great sage Srila Krishna Dvarpayana Veda Vyasa that the coming of Christ (The Son of God) was a genuine incident where the Lord sent His pure devotee to perform a particular function among a particular group of people in a particular tract of land.

Let me include it here for your pleasure:

In Bhavishya Purana He is referred to specifically as Isha Putra – “the Son of God.”

On Making a Mistake
Ajahn Brahmavamso

Ajahn Brahmavamso is the Abbot of Bodhinyana Monastery in Wetern Australia. These Dhamma reflections are extracted from a talk he gave at the Dhammaloka Centre in Perth in 1990.

Enlightenment means there is no anger left in your heart. There are no personal desires or delusion left in your heart.

In this life that we have we often forget that it’s no great thing to make a mistake. In Buddhism it’s all right to make a mistake. It is all right to be imperfect. Isn’t that wonderful? This means that we have

The Bodhisattva Vow

The Bodhisattva is a being who has taken the Bodhisattva Vow to help save all sentient beings, before going into full Nirvana or enlightenment. There are in Mahayana Buddhist metaphysics a whole cosmology full of heavenly Bodhisattvas. The term is also used for human beings who have taken the Bodhisattva Vow to heart to such an extent that they will keep it, even in their next lives.

The Bodhisattva Vow is essential to Mahayana Buddhism, and thus also to Tibetan Buddhism and Zen Buddhism. Various forms are current. The essence is:

Yoga Sutras (01/85) Swami Rama

(01/85) (Lecture 1 of 8, Part 1 of 8 )

Eight lectures by Swami Rama on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali emphasize practical advice on the methods of Yoga and Meditation. The 13 hours of talks have been divided into 85 parts of 10 minutes or less.

Lecture 1 of 8, Part 1 of 8 includes:
yoga used in many connotations, Sanskrit root means to unite or to join, individual soul united to cosmic soul is yoga, samadhi is yoga, prana and apana joined is yoga, karma yoga, jnana yoga, raja yoga, laya yoga, in bible is thy yoke, yoga is not a religion, millions seek truth and self-realization or God as

A comprehensive manual of abhidhamma by Bhikkhu Bodhi online

Read the book online here: Click here

Buddhist monks worldwide use this little book as an introduction into “Buddhist Psychology”.
It is not an easy read, and designed to be studied with a teacher. Buddhist Psychology is practical psychology for those who seek happiness and liberation, not therapeutic or research psychology. It is an exact science which is based on experience and can be verified by experience.
Abhidhamma (“Buddhist Psychology”) is mostly taught by tall, ruthless monks who know the Abhidhammatthasangaha by heart. Don’t underestimate how much they know and how deep their understanding is. The beauty of this science is that it will let you see all the minute parts of the machine of [your] mind – and that none of them belongs to you.