The Buddha said: One should not strive everywhere, One should not be another’s man. One should not live depending on another, One should not make a business of Dhamma (Ud. 6.2 Ireland). The Buddha did not want people to “make a business” out of selling the Dharma. Yet in a capitalistic economy, everything is for sale. People buy and sell, and make a lot of money selling the Dharma. The commercialization of Buddhism in Western countries is well underway. And... Read more
The Buddha said: Moral character is preceded by intention, ruled by intention, produced by intention. If with a corrupt intention one speaks or acts, then unhappiness will follow them like the (Wagon) Wheel follows the foot of the (animal) that pulls it (Dhp 1-2 Forrest). In Buddhism, the three trainings are morality, meditation, and wisdom. The training begins with morality. It is the foundation for meditation and wisdom. But in order to understand Buddhist morality correctly, one must understand karma... Read more
To understand what is important and foundational to a teacher’s philosophy, it is important to understand the first lecture they give. This lays the foundation for understanding everything else they say. Well, we actually know what the Buddha’s first sermon or discourse was. Here is an introduction and translation of it by me. Introduction The scripture is called the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, it means the turning of the wheel of the Teaching. It is located in the Samyutta Nikaya (Collection of... Read more
The Buddha said: Now this is the noble truth (that the unawakened life) sucks. Rebirth sucks; old age sucks; sickness sucks; death sucks; association with the disliked sucks; separation from the liked sucks; not getting what you want sucks. In brief, (everything) sucks (because of) the grasping of the five (mind-body) processes (SN 56.11 Forrest). Your greatest joys will fad, your dearest loved ones will die, your favorite things will break, and everyone you know will go away in the... Read more
The Buddha said: Mendicants, I eat my food in one sitting per day. Doing so, I find that I’m healthy and well, nimble, strong, and living comfortably. You too should eat your food in one sitting per day. Doing so, you’ll find that you’re healthy and well, nimble, strong, and living comfortably (MN 65 Sujato). The Buddha practiced a type of intermittent fasting known in the medical literature as early time-restricted feeding. In the popular press, it is known as... Read more
The Buddha said: “Right speech, right action, and right livelihood – these states are included in the aggregate of virtue. Right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration – these states are included in the aggregate of concentration. Right view and right intention – these states are included in the aggregate of wisdom” (MN 44 Bodhi). There is a Buddhism for just about anyone. Some are interested in going to heaven. The Buddha taught how to do that. Some are interested... Read more
The Buddha said: “The true Dhamma does not disappear all at once in the way a ship sinks. There are, Kassapa, five detrimental things that lead to the decay and disappearance of the true Dhamma. What are the five? Here the bhikkhus, the bhikkhunīs, the male lay followers, and the female lay followers dwell without reverence and deference towards the Teacher; they dwell without reverence and deference towards the Dhamma; they dwell without reverence and deference towards the Saṅgha; they... Read more
The Buddha said: It may be, Ananda, that to some among you the thought will come: ‘Ended is the word of the Master; we have a Master no longer.’ But it should not, Ananda, be so considered. For that which I have proclaimed and made known as the Dhamma and the Discipline, that shall be your Master when I am gone (DN 16 Vajira and Story). The Dharma and the monastic rules are our teacher now that the Buddha is... Read more
The Buddha said: Bhikkhus, there are these three unwholesome roots. What three? The unwholesome root, greed; the unwholesome root, hatred; and the unwholesome root, delusion (AN 3.69 Bodhi). Greed, hatred, and delusion are the three unwholesome roots. Greed is talking about inordinate desire. Hatred includes all levels of aversion. And delusion includes confusion and bewilderment. These three cause all our suffering and frustration. They are the roots of the tree of dukkha, which means unsatisfactoriness. It includes pain, trouble, frustration,... Read more
The Buddha said: The bhikkhu who experiences great joy, and has faith in the religion of the Buddha, will attain the place of peace, the satisfaction of stilling the functions of the mind. When a bhikkhu applies himself when still young to the religion of the Buddha, he illuminates the world, like the moon breaking away from a cloud (Richards Dhp 381-382). Here John Richards translates both instances of Buddha-sasana as “the religion of the Buddha.” I think this is... Read more
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