Categories: General Buddhism, Sutras/Discourses, Meditation/Zen
General Buddhism
The Four Noble Truths
The Four Noble Truths are the central Teaching of the Buddha. This booklet was compiled and edited from talks given by Venerable Ajahn Sumedho on the teaching of the Buddha: that the unhappiness of humanity can be overcome through spiritual means. The teaching is conveyed through the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths, first expounded in 528 BC in the Deer Park at Sarnath near Varanasi, India and kept alive in the Buddhist world ever since.
The Noble Eightfold Path – The Way to the End of Suffering
The essence of the Buddha’s teaching can be summed up in two principles: the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. The first covers the side of doctrine, and the primary response it elicits is understanding; the second covers the side of discipline, in the broadest sense of that word, and the primary response it calls for is practice. In the structure of the teaching these two principles lock together into an indivisible unity called the dhamma-vinaya, the doctrine-and-discipline, or, in brief, the Dhamma.
What Buddhists Believe
This expanded 4th edition of “What Buddhists Believe” answers many questions which are asked about Buddhism by Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. There are so many misconceptions regarding superstitions and misinterpretations which are associated with this noble religion that it has become imperative to explain the Teachings in a manner which has contemporary relevance.
The Art of Living
The Art of Living with Ven. Master Chin Kung, a Master of the Pure Land School of Buddhism. The Art of Living has chapters on: The Education of Buddha Shakyamuni, our Original Teacher; The Four Kinds of Buddhism Today; How Homemakers Can Cultivate the Bodhisattva Way in Daily Life, and an excellent Question and Answer section. Included is a glossary and a contact list of Ven. Master Chin Kung’s teaching centers around the world.
Handbook for Mankind
As a guide for newcomers to the Buddha Dhamma (the Truth which the Buddha awakened to and subsequently taught), this book is an invaluable guide. In it are contained the essential teachings of Buddhism. The Handbook is especially useful for those who approach the Buddha’s teaching not as a subject for scholarly study but as a means to understand and ennoble their lives. It includes chapters on ‘Looking at Buddhism’ and the ‘True Nature of Things’.
Dharma Mind, Worldly Mind
The first part of the book tells us what we need to put in place for complete Dharma practice – the Eightfold Path, going for refuge, and the Bodhisattva spirit. In the second half the book shows us how to turn those requisites into a genuine living practice that embraces the whole of our life thus surely leading to the profound transformation that we all desire.
Facing the Future
A Buddhist Social Ethic for the New Century; A Buddhist Approach to Economic and Social development; The Changing Face of Buddhism; Sangha at the Crossroads. In this collection of essays, Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi uses the Buddha’s teaching as a lens through which to examine some of the confusions about social values that have engulfed us at the dawn of the new century.
The Buddha, His Life and Teachings
The author, Venerable Mahathera Piyadassi is one of the world’s most eminent Buddhist monks, a highly revered teacher of great renown, a indefatigable worker for the Buddha Dhamma. The ages roll by and the Buddha seems not so far away after all; his voice whispers in our ears and tells us not to run away from the struggle but, calm-eyed, to face it, and to see in life ever greater opportunities for growth and advancement.
Only We Can Help Ourselves
Kamma is an interesting subject because it concerns everyone and there are many different aspects of it. There are many natural laws that govern our lives but the most important is the law of kamma-vipaka. In a discourse (A.N. 6.63) the Buddha said, Intention, monks, is kamma I say. Having willed, one acts through body, speech and mind. This means that intentional action is kamma, and vipaka is the result or effects of it. The result may ripen immediately, later in this life or in a future life.
Scientific Acceptability of Rebirth
Dr. Dharmawardena points out that the reason why classical science cannot explain rebirth is due to inherent limitations in classical science. Modern science has transcended these limitations, and therefore rebirth is within the scope of modern science. Modern science accepts rebirth as a scientifically acceptable phenomenon through the same tests used to prove scientific acceptability of generally accepted modern science phenomena.
The Eightfold Path for the Householder
These teachings are aimed at the householder. Each part of the Eightfold Path is explained in a separate chapter. The tone of the teaching is contemporary and non-technical. The universality and relevance of the Buddha’s teaching are illustrated by numerous quotations from more recent luminaries. There are also some useful exercises which enable the reader to experience the truth of these teachings.
To Understand Buddhism
The teachings of Master Chin Kung are based on true sincerity towards others; purity of mind; equality in everything we see; proper understanding of ourselves and our environment; compassion by helping others in a wise and unconditional way. See through to the truth of impermanence; let go of all wandering thoughts and attachments; accord with conditions to go along with the environment. Be mindful of Amitabha Buddha – wishing to reach the Pure Land and follow His Teachings.
Footprints of the Buddha
Pligrimage to Buddhist India. This booklet was written for you so you can understand the significance of the most sacred Buddhist places in India. It is in these places that the Buddha dwell and left his footprints 2600 years ago. Thousands of devoted and wise persons in the world have venerated these sacred and holy places by touching the earth with their foreheads, on which the Buddha has trodden.
Pure Land Buddhism
This book presents the teachings and major tenets of the Pure Land school of Buddhism as seen from the perspective of two major sister schools: Zen and Taien Taai (Lotus School). Further insights from the viewpoint of a contemporary Pure Land Master are included in the Appendix. The principal teachings of the Pure Land School are summarized for the benefit of readers.
Ten Way of Making Merit
The Buddha taught that merit-making is a formidable antidote to overcome the many vicissitudes faced in our day-to-day lives. Hence He declared: Do not fear merit-making. Merit-making is a term denoting happiness, what is desirable, pleasant, dear and charming. For I recall in my mind very well that after making merit for a long time, I experienced desirable, pleasant, dear and charming results for a long time. Let therefore a man train himself in merit-making that yields long-lasting happiness. Let him cultivate the practice of giving, virtuous conduct and a mind of metta. By cultivating these qualities the wise man arrives in untroubled and happy states.
Essentials of Buddhism
It is based on the Theravada Buddhism syllabus of the Postgraduate Diploma Examination in Buddhist Studies course of the Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka. Since the work is meant for students, every chapter appears as a unit by itself and is confined to a few pages. Ven. Ganarama is the Principal of the Buddhist and Pali College of Singapore.
Into the Stream: A Study Guide On The First Stage Of Awakening
The Pali Canon recognizes four levels of Awakening, the first of which is called stream entry. This gains its name from the fact that a person who has attained this level has entered the stream flowing inevitably to Nibbana. He/she is guaranteed to achieve full awakening within seven lifetimes at most, and in the interim will not be reborn in any of the lower realms.
This study guide on stream entry is divided into two parts. The first deals with the practices leading to stream entry; the second, with the experience of stream entry and its results.
Buddhism and the Self
One of the most perplexing concepts in Buddhist philosophy is the doctrine of anatta, or not-self. Many have interpreted anatta to be a metaphysical assertion that there is no self, but I argue that this is mistaken. Rather, in line with Thanissaro Bhikkhu, I understand anatta as a practical strategy that has heuristic value in guiding one
towards liberation. Furthermore, I propose that the acceptance of a subjective self can be consistent with and justified in Buddhism. This will be the focus of this essay.
Buddhism in a Nutshell
The Story of the Buddha; The Teachings (Dhamma) is it a philosophy? Is Buddhism a religion? Is Buddhism as Ethical system? Some salient features of Buddhism. Karma or the Law of Moral Causation. Rebirth. Dependent Arising (Paticca Samuppada). Anatta or Soul-lessness. Nibanna and The Path to Nibbana.
Refuge: An Introduction to the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha
The refuges in Buddhism – both on the internal and on the external levels – are the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha, also known as the Triple Gem. They are called gems both because they are valuable and because, in ancient times, gems were believed to have protective powers. The Triple Gem outdoes other gems in this respect because its protective powers can be put to the test and can lead further than those of any physical gem, all the way to absolute freedom from uncertainties of the realm of ageing, illness, and death.
The Shape of Suffering: A Study of Dependent Co-Arising
The Buddha devoted his life, after his Awakening, to showing a reliable way to the end of stress. In summarizing the whole of his teaching, he said: “Both formerly & now, it is only stress that I describe, and the cessation of stress. SN 22:86. These were the issues he taught for 45 years. In some cases, he would give a succinct explanation of stress and its cessation. In others, he would explain them in more detail. His most detailed explanation is called dependent co-arising ”Paticca Samuppada. This detailed summary of the causal factors leading up to stress shows why the experience of suffering and stress can be so bewildering, for the interaction among these factors can be very complex. The body of this book is devoted to explaining these factors and their interactions, to show how they can provide focus to a path of practice leading to the ending of stress.
The Seven Factors of Enlightenment
The Tipitaka, the Buddhist canon, is replete with references to the factors of enlightenment expounded by the Enlightened One on different occasions under different circumstances. In the Book of the Kindred Sayings, V (SaÃyutta Nikáya, Mahá Vagga) we find a special section under the title Bojjhaóga SaÃyutta wherein the Buddha discourses on the Seven Factors of Enlightenment in diverse ways. In this section we read a series of three discourses or sermons recited by Buddhists since the time of the Buddha as a protection (paritta or pirit) against pain, disease, and adversity.
The Four Nutriments of Life – An Anthology of Buddhist Texts
All being 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. 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. Hence, it was thought useful to collect his utterances on the subject of nutriment, together with the instructive explanations by the teachers of old, the commentators of the PÃli scriptures.
Dhammapada Stories
Selected verses from the Dhammapada, all depicted with thirty-two beautiful illustrations. This collection is a great introduction to the Dhammapada and has been carefully compiled and edited for the younger reader by Gambhiro Bhikkhu.
Guide to Tipitaka
The Guide to the Tipitaka is an outline of the Pali Buddhist Canonical Scriptures of Theravada Buddhism from Burma. This is a unique work, as it is probably the only material that deals in outline with the whole of the Pali Buddhist Tipitaka. The Tipitaka includes all the teachings of the Buddha, grouped into three divisions: the Suttanta Pitaka, or general discourses; the Vinaya Pitaka, or moral code for monks and nuns; and the Abhidhamma Pitaka, or philosophical teachings. An excellent reference work which gives an overview of the Pali Buddhist texts.
Buddhist Dictionary
This is an authentic dictionary of Buddhist doctrinal terms, used in the Pali Canon and its Commentaries. It provides the reader not with a mere enumeration of Pali terms and their English equivalents, but offers precise and authentic definitions and explanations of canonical and post-canonical terms and doctrines, based on the Suttas, Abhidhamma and the Commentaries.
The Seeker’s Glossary of Buddhism: A Dictionary / Encyclopedia of Buddhism
This is a revised and expanded edition of ‘The Seeker’s Glossary of Buddhism.’ The text is a compendium of excerpts and quotations from some 350 works by monks, nuns, professors, scholars and other laypersons from nine different countries, in their own words or in translation.
How to use the Glossary: This book can be used in three ways: to find the definition of unfamiliar terms; to gain a broader understanding of specific Buddhist concepts; and also as an introduction to Buddhism. In the last instance, we suggest that readers begin with the entry on Parables, then move on to Practice, Obstacles to Cultivation and Ten Non-Seeking Practices. Other entries of a more contemporary interest can be read with benefit by all. These include: Birth Control, Organ Transplants, Vegetarianism, Universe, Immortality.
A Photo Essay of the Four Places of Buddhist Pilgrimage in India
The aim of this photo essay is to share my experience and knowledge with fellow Buddhists about the benefits of undertaking a pilgrimage to the Four Great Places with the correct mental attitude… The idea of a pilgrimage came from the Buddha himself. Before He passed into Mahaparinibbana, the Buddha advised pious disciples to visit four places that may be for their inspiration after He was gone. They are Lumbini, where He was born; Buddhagaya, where He attained Supreme Enlightenment; Deer Park in Sarnath, where He preached the First Sermon; and Kusinara, where He passed into Mahaparinibbana. The pious disciple should visit these places and look upon them with feelings of reverence, reflecting on the particular event of the Buddha’s life connected with each place. Since the Mahaparinibbana of the Buddha, these four shrines of Buddhism have become the focal points for pious disciples to rally around and seek inspiration.
The Buddha and His Disciples
Taking a different perspective from the usual biographies of the Buddha, the author retells the great man’s story using the society of the time as the backdrop and the Buddha’s interactions with his contemporaries as the main theme. We discover what the Buddha was like as a person, how he taught and how he changed the lives of all who were blessed enough to come into contact with him.
The Noble Eightfold Path
“One of the best explanations of the Eightfold path in print today!” The present book aims at contributing towards a proper understanding of the Noble Eightfold Path by investigating its eight factors and their components to determine exactly what they involve. Bhikkhu Bodhi is concise, using as the framework for his exposition the Buddha’s own words in explanation of the path factors, as found in the Sutta Pitaka of the Pali Canon.
The Buddha Dharma for College Students
The format to “Buddha Dhamma for Students” is to answer questions a non-Buddhist is likely to ask about the fundamentals of Buddhism. It is the results of two talks given by Ajahn Buddhadasa to students at Thammasat University, Bangkok. He goes back to the original principles pointed out by the Buddha, explaining these simply and directly. The form of the Dharma talk’s are designed to prepare students for those occasions when they will be asked questions by people from other religions.
The Jataka Tales Vol 1
Fifty stories from the Jataka Tales – Prince Goodspeaker. Interpreted by Ven. Kurunegoda Piyatissa, Maha Thera and told by Todd Anderson. These stories are not scholarly word-for-word translations as have been done by others. Rather these tales have been rewritten in modern English understandable by western readers. By reading these stories, children and adults can develop their knowledge and learn how to face the difficulties of modern life. The Buddha himself used Jataka stories to explain concepts like karma and rebirth and to emphasize the importance of moral values.
The Jataka Tales Vol 2
This is the second volume of fifty stories from the Jataka Tales – Buddhist Tales for Young and Old, interpreted by Ven. Kurunegoda Piyatissa, Maha Thera and told by Todd Anderson.
Preparing for Death & Helping the Dying
This booklet is based on material used during a seminar that Sangye Khadro taught in Singapore and elsewhere, entitled “Preparing for Death and Helping the Dying.” This seminar answers a genuine need in today’s world, as expressed by one participant: “I am interested to know more about death and how to help dying people, but it’s very difficult to find anyone willing to talk about these things.” The material for the seminar is taken mainly from two sources: traditional Buddhist teachings, and contemporary writings in the field of caring for the dying. This booklet is meant as a brief introduction to the subject rather than a detailed explanation.
Sutras/Discourses
The Lotus Sutra
The Lotus Sutra is one of the most important and influential of all the sutras or sacred scriptures of Mahayana Buddhism, revered by almost all branches of the Mahayana teachings, and over many centuries the object of intense veneration among Buddhist believers.
Sutra on the Eight Realizations of Great Beings
Wholeheartedly, day and night, a disciple of the Buddha should recite and meditate on the Eight Realizations discovered by the Mahasattvas, the Great Beings – Commentary by Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh.
The Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra
The Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra Translated from Sanskrit into Chinese by Tripitaka Master Hsuan Tsang Commentary by Grand Master T’an Hsu Translated into English by Ven. Dharma Master Lok To. The Prajna Paramita Hrydaya Sutra is the core of the Maha Prajna Paramita in six hundred scrolls. This book is based on a nine-day teaching in which Grand Master T’an Hsu went through the sutra line by line, giving a clear and extensive commentary on each one, using many carefully chosen examples along the way to make his discourse more relevant in terms of everyday life. [French Sutra Translation Committee of the United States and Canada New York – San Francisco – Toronto 2000. First published 1995. Second Edition 2000. Sutra Translation Committee of the United States and Canada].
Sutra on Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva
Sutra on the Original Vows and the Attainment of Merits of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, translated from Chinese into English by Ms Pitt Chin Hui, President of the Singapore Regional Centre of the World Fellowship of Buddhist.
Sutra of the Medicine Buddha
In the Mahayana tradition of East Asia, particularly China, Japan, Vietnam and Tibet, Bhaishajya-guru, the Medicine Buddha, occupied a special place in the hearts of the devout. Specialising in curing diseases, both physical and mental – of which delusion is the root cause. His healing acts are but the prelude to Supreme Enlightenment for those seekers who have the good fortune to learn of his vows or merely to hear his name!
Commentary on the Infinite Life Sutra
The full name of this sutra is: The Buddha Speaks of the Infinite Life Sutra of Adornment, Purity, Equality and Enlightenment of the Mahayana School. Mahayana sutras, such as The Lotus Flower Sutra and The Flower Adornment Sutra, explain the way of becoming enlightened. Nevertheless, both of them are difficult to comprehend and even more so to practice. The Infinite Life Sutra provides a convenient method while it aims for the highest goal – to become a Buddha.
The Diamond Sutra
This sutra says, One should produce a heart without dwelling anywhere. The Sixth Patriarch, the Great Master Hui, heard that sentence and awakened to the Way. Any dwelling of the heart is no dwelling. Therefore, the Larger Chapters say, If one dwells in dharmas, he does not dwell in prajna paramita. If one does not dwell in dharmas, he dwells in prajna paramita. That is why every one of the Great Prajna assemblies begins with an explanation of not dwelling.
The Vows of Bodhisattva Samanatabhadra Sutra
On Entering into the Inconceivable State of Emancipation by the Practice and Vows of the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra of the Mahavaipulya Buddha Avatamsaka Sutra.
The Surangama Sutra
The Suragama Sutra (Leng Yen Ching). Chinese Rendering by Master Paramiti of Central North India at Chih Chih Monastery, Canton, China, A.D. 705. Commentary (abridged) by Ch’an Master Han Shan (1546-1623). Translated by Upasaka Lu K’uan Yu (Charles Luk). The Suragama Sutra is the text used in the Cha’n school or meditation tradition in Chinese Buddhism.
Dependent Arising
An introduction to dependent arising, focusing on the three key concepts of specific conditionality, dependent arising and the the dependently arisen.
The 31 Planes of Existence
The suttas describe the 31 distinct planes or realms of existence into which beings can be reborn during their long wanderings through samsara. These range from the extraordinarily dark, grim, and painful hell realms all the way up to the most sublime, refined and exquisitely blissful heavenly realms. Existence in every realm is impermanent; in the cosmology taught by the Buddha there is no eternal heaven or hell. Beings are born into a particular realm according to both their past kamma.
Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta
The First Discourse of the Buddha, namely the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, commonly known as the Great Discourse on the Wheel of Dhamma. This is a series of discourses on the Dhammacakka Sutta by the late Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw, a Questioner at the Sixth Buddhist Council in Myanmar, (Burma) 1954. Translated by U Ko Lay.
The Dhammapada
The Dhammapada has long been recognized as one of the masterpieces of early Buddhist literature. Only more recently have scholars realized that it is also one of the early masterpieces of the Indian tradition of Kavya, or belles lettres. This translation is an attempt to render the verses into English in a way that does justice to both of the traditions to which the text belongs. Although it is tempting to view these traditions as distinct, dealing with form (Kavya) and content (Buddhism), the ideals of Kavya aimed at combining form and content into a seamless whole.
Karaniya Metta Sutta
This is a popular discourse, in the form of a poem, and one of the best known and most cited and recited in Theravada Buddhist countries. It is found in the Pali Canon’s Khuddakapatha and Sutta Nipata with the title Metta Sutta (The Discourse on Friendliness). However, in order to
distinguish it from other `Metta-suttas’ in the Pali Canon, this particular Metta Sutta is traditionally known as Karaniya Metta Sutta because its first verse commences with the Pali word Karaniya (one should act thus).
Maha Satipatthana Sutta
Practise in accordance with this Mahasatipatthana Sutta so that you can see why it is acknowledged as the most important Sutta that the Buddha taught. Try to practise all the different sections from time to time as they are all useful, but in the beginning start with something simple such as being mindful while walking, or the mindfulness of in and out breathing. Then as you practise these you will be able to practise the other sections contained within this Sutta and you will find that all the four satipatthanas can be practised concurrently. A Sutta should be read again and again as you will tend to forget its message. The message here in this Sutta is that you should be mindful of whatever is occurring in the body and mind, whether it be good or bad, and thus you will become aware that all conditioned phenomena are impermanent, unsatisfactory and not self.
Ratana Sutta
The Buddha’s Discourse on The Three Superb Jewels and their intrinsic power, with an introduction, translation and explanations based on PÃli Sources by Bhikkhu Nanadassana. Foreword by Most Ven. N. Ariyadhamma Mahthera.
The Discourse on the Snake Simile
The discourse of the Buddha on the Snake Simile (Alagaddpama Sutta) that is presented here, together with explanatory notes taken mostly from the commentarial literature, is the 22nd text in the Collection of Discourses of Medium Length (Majjhima NikÃya).
The Wings to Awakening / An Anthology from the Pali Canon
Many anthologies of the Buddha’s teachings have appeared in English, but this is the first to be organized around the set of teachings that the Buddha himself said formed the heart of his message: the Wings to Awakening (bodhi-pakkhiya-dhamma). The material is arranged in three parts, preceded by a long Introduction. The Introduction tries to define the concept of Awakening so as to give a clear sense of where the Wings to Awakening are headed. It does this by discussing the Buddha’s accounts of his own Awakening, with special focus on the way in which the principle of skillful kamma (in Sanskrit, karma) formed both the “how” and the “what” of that Awakening: The Buddha was able to reach Awakening only by developing skillful kamma — this is the “how”; his understanding of the process of developing skillful kamma is what sparked the insights that constituted Awakening — this is the “what.”
Mind-Seal of the Buddhas — Commentary on the Amitabha Sutra.
Of all the forms of Buddhism currently practiced in Asia, Pure Land has been the most widespread for the past thousand years. At the core of this school is a text of great beauty and poetry, the Amitabha Sutra, intoned every evening in countless temples and homes throughout the Mahayana world. This important text shares with the Avatamsaka and Brahma Net sutras the distinction of being among the few key scriptures preached spontaneously by the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, without the customary request from the assembly. Although several translations of the sutra itself are available no major commentary appears to have been published in English. The Van Hien Study Group is therefore privileged to be associated with J.C.Cleary’s present rendering of The Essentials of the Amitabha Sutra — a seminal Chinese commentary by the T’ien-t’ai Master Ou-i (1599- 1655), later recognized as the ninth Patriarch of the Pure Land school.
Meditation/Zen
Two Style of Insight Meditation
Today the practice of insight meditation has gained global popularity, yet in achieving this success it has undergone a subtle metamorphosis. Rather than being taught as an integral part of the Buddhist path, it is now often presented as a secular discipline whose fruits pertain more to life within the world than to supramundane release. Many meditators testify to the tangible benefits they have gained from the practice of insight meditation, benefits that range from enhanced job performance and better relationships to deeper calm, more compassion, and greater awareness. However, while such benefits may certainly be worthwhile in their own right, taken by themselves they are not the final goal that the Buddha himself holds up as the end point of his training. That goal, in the terminology of the texts, is the attainment of Nibbana, the destruction of all defilements here and now and deliverance from the beginningless round of rebirths.
Mindfulness of Breathing and the Four Elements Meditation
This book contains the instructions for mindfulness-of-breathing meditation, the four-elements meditation, and the subsequent detailed discernment of materiality. The last section of this book covers some of the relevant theory. Several pages have been added by the Sayadaw covering the balancing of the five controlling faculties and seven factors of enlightenment. There is also the addition of his explanation of the difference between the experience of Nibbana and the experience of life.
Knowing and Seeing
Talks and Questions and Answers at a meditation retreat in Taiwan by Venerable Pa-Auk Sayadaw. This book details two approaches to insight meditation, namely, tranquility and insight and bare-insight meditation. These two methods are essentially identical, starting from four-elements meditation and continuing into insight meditation. In this book the reader has an explanation of the classic instructions for both methods. The talks in this book were given by the Sayadaw (teacher), from Pa-Auk, Mawlamyine, Myanmar, while he conducted a two-month meditation retreat at Yi-Tung Temple, Sing Choo City, Taiwan.
Meditate 365
Brother Pho Quan has made a detailed meditation offering, covering the entire spectrum of Buddhist practice from beginners to full wisdom. Following Insight Meditation as detailed in the Theravada Pali Canon, a guided meditation per day is shared over an entire year.
The book is in a PDF file format with 12 chapters covering the 12 months of the year. With each month a particular Buddhist theme is highlighted (i.e. impermanence, non-self, the Four Noble Truths, Conditions Arising, etc.). At the left side bar of the eBook page as well as the table of contents are links taking the reader to each monthly themed section of meditations.
Taming the Monkey Mind
Taming the Monkey Mind is a guide to Pure Land practice. It deals specifically with the main practice of the Pure Land School – Buddha Recitation – and covers both the noumenal and phenomenal aspects of that practice. The treatise is accompanied by the detailed commentary of an Elder Master of the Zen and Pure Land lineages. Readers not familiar with Pure Land theory may wish to begin with Dr. J.C. Cleary’s introduction.
The Practice Which Leads to Nibbana
Translated by Greg Kleiman. This is the method of practising meditation that is taught at Pa Auk Tawya Monastery, (Myanmar) Burma. It is based on the explanation of meditation found in the Visuddhimagga commentary. Because of that the method involves several stages of practice which are complex, and involved. These stages include a detailed analysis of both mentality and matter, according to all the categories enumerated in the Abhidhamma, and the further use of this understanding to discern the process of Dependent Origination as it occurs in the Past, Present, and Future. Therefore people who are unfamiliar with the Visuddhimagga and the Abhidhamma will have difficulty in understanding and developing a clear picture of the practice of meditation at Pa Auk Tawya. For foreigners who cannot speak Burmese this problem is made even more difficult. This introduction has been written to help alleviate these difficulties by presenting a simplified example of a successful meditator’s path of progress as he develops his meditation at Pa Auk Tawya.
The Ten Recollections – A Study Guide
The ten recollections are a set of meditation themes that highlight the positive role that memory and thought play in training the mind. They employ memory to sensitize the mind to the need for training, to induce feelings of confidence and well-being conducive for concentration, to keep the topics of concentration in mind, to produce tranquility and insight, and to incline the mind toward the deathless when tranquility and insight have grown sufficiently strong.
Things As They Are
In order to be principled and methodical in your training, keep your awareness constantly with the body. Keep mindfulness focused there and use wisdom to investigate within the sphere of the body. The more you investigate the body until you understand it clearly, the more sharply you will understand the affairs of feelings, memory, thought-formations, and consciousness, because all these things are whetstones for sharpening wisdom step by step. It’s the same as when we bail water out of a fish pond: the more water we bail out, the more clearly we’ll see the fish. Or as when clearing a forest: the more vegetation we cut away, the more space we’ll see. When you use wisdom to contemplate in this way, the currents of the heart will become plain…
Fundamental of Ch’an Meditation Practice
The Fundamentals of (Ch’an) Meditation Practice by Ting Chen. Originally, one’s own mind and nature are pure, and there is nothing to accept and nothing to refuse; there is neither existence nor nonexistence; there is only clear understanding without attachment and with no dwelling. One who wants to know the no-attachment, no-dwelling mind can find it through meditation, because it is only then that the mind does not think of right and wrong, of good and evil or of self and others.
The Four Sublime States
Four sublime states of mind have been taught by the Buddha: Loving-kindness (metta), Compassion (karuna), Sympathetic Joy (mudita), Equanimity (upekkha) These four attitudes are said to be excellent or sublime because they are the right or ideal way of conduct towards living beings They provide, in fact, the answer to all situations arising from social contact. They are the great removers of tension, the great peacemakers in social conflict, and the great healers of wounds suffered in the struggle of existence. They level social barriers, build harmonious communities, awaken slumbering magnanimity long forgotten, revive joy and hope long abandoned, and promote human brotherhood against the forces of egotism.
Loving-Kindness Meditation
Loving-kindness Meditation or Metta Bhavana and other Sublime States by Ven. Sujiva is a clear and comprehensive step-by-step explanation of the systematic practice. It is based on the Visuddhimagga or The Path of Purification by Buddhagosha. The texts describe metta as characterised by promoting the aspect of welfare. Amity, goodwill, friendliness and loving-kindness are some words used to describe this mental state. There is no better way to know it than to study it as it occurs in one’s own and others’ minds. It is a totally unselfish and pure state of mind that brings profit to oneself and others now and hereafter.
Metta Bhavana (Loving-Kindness) Meditation
This is short explanation on how to practise Metta Bhavana or Loving-kindness Meditation given as a three-day weekend retreat at Dhammodaya Meditation Centre in Nakhon Pathom in Thailand, by an Australian monk, Ven. Dhammarakkhita (Jeff Oliver).
Essentials of Insight Meditation Practice
The ultimate aim of insight meditation is to free one from the unsatisfactoriness of cyclic existence. Readers may also find numerous quotations of the Buddha’s teaching on mindfulness, detachment and liberation throughout the entire book. Those verses act as a source of inspiration and purpose to put vipassana into practice – a practice that brings about insight into the three universal characteristics of unsatisfactoriness, impermanence and non-self which leads one into detachment and ultimate liberation.
A Guide to Awareness
The Foundations of Mindfulness (Satipatthana Sutta). This is a series of twenty-two talks given at Wat Bovornives, Bangkok by H.H.Somdet Phra Sanasamvara, Supreme Patriarch of Thailand. The Four Foundations of Mindfulness is the Buddha’s explanation of the practice of mindfulness meditation within the framework of four foundations of awareness: body, feelings, mind-states and the mental content. If you read this book, you will discover the truth of the ‘knots’ and problems that exist within you. In short, this can be described as the ‘knot of suffering’. You may also then see the method to unravel and safeguard against this suffering.
Practical Vipassana Exercises
The late Mahasi Sayadaw was responsible for the modern revival of Vipassana or Insight meditation in Myanmar (Burma). This text is his basic instruction on the practice: the preparatory stages with a series of basic exercises. Part two, deals with the deals with the progressive practice and the practical vipassana exercises. The appendix explains the techniques involved in the Mahasi Sayadaw tradition.
The Power of Mindfulness
In the case of mindfulness, it required a genius like the Buddha to discover the hidden talent in the modest garb, and to develop the vast inherent power of that potent seed. It is, indeed, the mark of a genius to perceive and to harness the power of the seemingly small. Here, truly, it happens that, what is little becomes much. A revaluation of values takes place. The standards of greatness and smallness change. Through the master mind of the Buddha, mindfulness is finally revealed as the point where the vast revolving mass of world suffering is levered out of its twofold anchorage in ignorance and craving.
MahaSatipatthana Sutta: Establishment of Mindfulness on the 5 Hinderances
In this book, Bro James explained how to establish mindfulness on these 5 Hindrances and why it is important to do so. Written as if spoken in simple Malaysian English, he continued to draw upon his personal experience to explain and supplement the exposition of the Discourse. Connecting the dots between Text and life, he illustrates it with modern day scenarios enabling us to see how the practice is applied – in both formal practice and daily life today.
Sitting in Stillness
Introducing meditation practice, the concepts of serenity and insight, and the cultivation of stillness.
Anapanasati Mindfulness of Breathing
For the first time in the English language a comprehensive manual of Buddhist meditation known as anapanasati (the development of mindfulness of breathing) is available. Although this manual is primarily intended for the benefit of monks, it will greatly assist laymen, too, who wish to undertake a course of meditation but who do not have the guidance of a teacher. Originally published in Thai, this manual is one of the major works of the Ven. Buddhadsa Bhikkhu and delivered in 1959 in the form of a series of lectures to monks of Suanmokkha Monastery, Chaiya, Thailand. Ven. Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, a major voice in the Buddhist world, is an accepted master of Buddhist meditation. In constructive positive language, the manual guides the meditator through the 16 steps of anapanasati.
Keeping the Breath in Mind & Lessons in Samadhi
This is a ‘how to’ book. It teaches the liberation of the mind, not as a mind-boggling theory, but as a very basic skill that starts with keeping the breath in mind. The teachings here are drawn from the works of Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo (1906-61), one of Thailand’s most renowned teachers of Buddhist meditation practices. Ajaan Lee was a forest monk – one who prefers to live in the seclusion of the forest and makes his meditation the central theme of his practice – so his teachings grow out of personal, practical experience, although he also makes a point of relating them to standard Buddhist doctrine.
The Anapanasati Sutta: A Practical Guide to Mindfulness of Breathing and Tranquil Wisdom Meditation
A Practical Guide to Mindfulness of Breathing and Tranquil Wisdom Meditation. This is a meditation instruction book, written by an American monk who currently runs the Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center in Missouri. While the subject material is nothing new, the Venerable. offers a different (and somewhat controversial) point of view on the practicing of the Tranquil Wisdom meditation that is well worth the read.
Keeping the Breath in Mind & Lessons in Samadhi
This is a ‘how to’ book. It teaches the liberation of the mind, not as a mind-boggling theory, but as a very basic skill that starts with keeping the breath in mind. The teachings here are drawn from the works of Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo (1906-61), one of Thailand’s most renowned teachers of Buddhist meditation practices. Ajaan Lee was a forest monk – one who prefers to live in the seclusion of the forest and makes his meditation the central theme of his practice – so his teachings grow out of personal, practical experience, although he also makes a point of relating them to standard Buddhist doctrine.
Analysis of the Jhãnas in Theravãda Buddhist Meditation
This work, by Ven. Henepola Gunaratana, provides an analytical study of the Jhãnas, as they are an important set of meditative attainments in the contemplative discipline of Theravãda Buddhism. Despite their frequent appearance in the texts, the exact role of the Jhãnas in the Buddhist path has not been settled with unanimity by Theravãda scholars, who are still divided over the question as to whether they are necessary for attaining Nibbana. The primary purpose of this dissertation is to determine the precise role of the Jhãnas in the Theravãda Buddhist presentation of the way to liberation.
For source material the work relies upon the three principal classes of authoritative Theravãda texts: the Pali Tipitaka, its commentaries, and its sub-commentaries. To traditional canonical investigations modern methods of philosophical and psychological analysis are applied in order to clarify the meanings implicit in the original sources. The examination covers two major areas: first the dynamics of Jhãna attainment, and second, the function of the Jhãnas in realizing the ultimate goal of Buddhism, Nibbana or final liberation from suffering.
Seeding the Heart – Loving-Kindness Meditation for Children
Loving-kindness Meditation with Children. The practice of loving-kindness, or metta, can be done in one of two ways: either in intensive prolonged meditation to develop deep states of concentration, or in daily life at any time one meets with people and animals or thinks about them. To learn about the radiating of metta to all beings with children, we have to tap into the store of knowledge accumulated by lay people and parents. It must be knowledge which has grown out of years of living and loving with children and young adults. Gregory Kramer, father of three boys, shows us here with what subtle but precise adjustments in the standard practice of loving-kindness he was able to anchor in the lives of his children.