Jendhamuni - Buddhism and inspiring quotes

Medicine for the soul

Comment April 15, 2023

Life is the greatest gift that could ever be conceived … A daffodil pushing up through the dark earth to the spring, knowing somehow deep in its roots that spring and light and sunshine will come, has more courage and more knowledge of the value of life than any human being I’ve met. — Madeleine L’Engle

Jendhamuni at Wat Kiryvongsa Bopharam, Peace Meditation Center on April 15, 2023

Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul. — Luther Burbank

Jendhamuni at home on April 15, 2023

Jendhamuni celebrating Khmer New Year at Wat Kiryvongsa Bopharam, Peace Meditation Center on April 15, 2023

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A garden is a grand teacher

Comment April 11, 2023

A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust. — Gertrude Jekyll

Life begins the day you start a garden. — Chinese proverb

Gardening adds years to your life and life to your years. — Unknown
The Story of the Weaver-Girl

Comment April 11, 2023

Verse 174: Blind are the people of this world: only a few in this world see clearly (with Insight). Just as only a few birds escape from the net, so also, only a few get to the world of the devas, (and Nibbana).

The Story of the Weaver-Girl

While residing at the monastery near Aggavala shrine in the country of Alavi, the Buddha uttered Verse (174) of this book, with reference to a young maiden, who was a weaver.

At the conclusion of an alms-giving ceremony in Alavi, the Buddha gave a discourse on the impermanence of the aggregates (khandhas). The main points the Buddha stressed on that day may be expressed as follows:

“My life is impermanent; for me, death only is permanent. I must certainly die; my life ends in death. Life is not permanent; death is permanent.”

The Buddha also exhorted the audience to be always mindful and to strive to perceive the true nature of the aggregate. He also said,”As one who is armed with a stick or a spear is prepared to meet an enemy (e.g. a poisonous snake), so also, one who is ever mindful of death will face death mindfully. He would then leave this world for a good destination (sugati).” Many people did not take the above exhortation seriously, but a young girl of sixteen who was a weaver clearly understood the message. After giving the discourse, the Buddha returned to the Jetavana monastery. Continue reading →
A habit that keeps the body and mind clean and delightful

Comment April 10, 2023

Cleanliness is a habit that keeps the body, mind, and environment neat, clean, and delightful and free from dirt and toxic things.
― Amit Ray

The clean person is not the one that runs away from dirt but one who takes the time and effort to tidy up a dirty environment.

The purpose of art, is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.

Ego is like dust in the mind, without cleaning that dust you can’t see.

Source: The Organizer
The Story of Thera Angulimala

3 February 7, 2023
Verse 173: He who overwhelms with good the evil that he has done lights up this world (with the light of Magga Insight), as does the moon freed from clouds.

kusalena: with good deed; the good in this context means Arahatta Magga, the fourth and final Path knowledge. (The Commentary)

The Story of Thera Angulimala

While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (173) of this book, with reference to Thera Angulimala.

Angulimala was the son of the Head Priest in the court of King Pasenadi of Kosala. His original name was Ahimsaka. When he was of age, he was sent to Taxila, a renowned university town. Ahimsaka was intelligent and was also obedient to his teacher. So he was liked by the teacher and his wife; as a result, other pupils were jealous of him. So they went to the teacher and falsely reported that Ahimsaka was having an affair with the teacher’s wife. At first, the teacher did not believe them, but after being told a number of times he believed them; and so he vowed to have revenge on the boy. To kill the boy would reflect badly on him; so he thought of a plan which was worse than murder. He told Ahimsaka to kill one thousand men or women and in return he promised to give the boy priceless knowledge. The boy wanted to have this knowledge, but was very reluctant to take life. However, he agreed to do as he was told.

Thus, he kept on killing people, and not to lose count, he threaded a finger each of everyone he killed and wore them like a garland round his neck. In this way, he was known as Angulimala, and became the terror of the countryside. The king himself heard about the exploits of Angulimala, and he made preparations to capture him. When Mantani, the mother of Angulimala, heard about the king’s intention, out of love for her son, she went into the forest in a desperate bid to save her son. By this time, the chain round the neck of Angulimala had nine hundred and ninety-nine fingers in it, just one finger short of one thousand. Continue reading →
Equanimity embraces the loved and the unloved

Comment February 7, 2023

Equanimity embraces the loved and the unloved, the agreeable and the disagreeable, the pleasure and pain. It eliminates clinging and aversion. ― Jack Kornfield

To cultivate equanimity we practice catching ourselves when we feel attraction or aversion, before it hardens into grasping or negativity. ― Pema Chödron
Love, in the sense of metta, used by Buddha

5 November 15, 2022

Attachment is conditional, offers love only to certain people in certain ways; it is exclusive. Love, in the sense of metta, used by Buddha, is a universal, nondiscriminating feeling of caring and connectedness. ~Jack Kornfield
The Story of Thera Sammajjana

Comment November 1, 2022

Verse 172: He, who has been formerly unmindful, but is mindful later on, lights up the world with the light of Magga Insight as does the moon freed from clouds.

The Story of Thera Sammajjana

While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (172) of this book, with reference to Thera Sammajjana.

Thera Sammajjana spent most of his time sweeping the precincts of the monastery. At that time, Thera Revata was also staying at the monastery; unlike Sammajjana, Thera Revata spent most of his time in meditation or deep mental absorption. Seeing Thera Revata’s behaviour, Thera Sammajjana thought the other thera was just idling away his time. Thus, one day Sammajjana went to Thera Revata and said to him, “You are being very lazy, living on the food offered out of faith and generosity; don’t you think you should sometimes sweep the floors or the compound or some other place?” To him, Thera Revata replied, “Friend, a bhikkhu should not spend all his times sweeping. He should sweep early in the morning, then go out on the alms-round. After the meal, contemplating his body he should try to perceive the true nature of the aggregates, or else, recite the texts until nightfall. Then he can do the sweeping again if he so wishes.” Thera Sammajjana strictly followed the advice given by Thera Revata and soon attained arahatship.

Other bhikkhus noticed some rubbish piling up in the compound and they asked Sammajjana why he was not sweeping as much as he used to, and he replied, “When I was not mindful, I was all the time sweeping; but now I am no longer unmindful.” When the bhikkhus heard his reply they were sceptical; so they went to the Buddha and said, “Venerable Sir! Thera Sammajjana falsely claims himself to be an arahat; he is telling lies.” To them the Buddha said, “Sammajjana has indeed attained arahatship; he is telling the truth.” Continue reading →
When your mind is tranquil

2 October 21, 2022

Jendhamuni at Kiryvongsa Bopharam on July 6, 2022.

When your mind is tranquil, all your ill-thoughts cease. ~Unknown

Do you feel that praise is easy to let go of and criticism is hard to let go of? They are really equal. But when we are praised we don’t feel disturbed; we are pleased, but it’s not a sharp feeling. Criticism is painful, so we feel it’s hard to let go of. Being pleased is also hard to let go of, but we are partial to it so we don’t have the same desire to get rid of it quickly. The delight we take in being praised and the sting we feel when criticized are equal. They are the same. But when our minds meet these things we have unequal reactions to them. We don’t mind being close to some of them. ~Ajahn Chah
Detachment and Compassion in Early Buddhism

Comment October 19, 2022

By Elizabeth J. Harris

To people looking at Buddhism through the medium of English, the practice of compassion and detachment can appear incompatible, especially for those who consider themselves to be socially and politically engaged. In contemporary usage, compassion brings to mind outward-moving concern for others, while detachment suggests aloofness and withdrawal from the world. Yet Buddhism recommends both as admirable and necessary qualities to be cultivated. This raises questions such as the following:

If compassion means to relieve suffering in a positive way, and detachment to remain aloof from the world, how can the two be practiced together?

Does detachment in Buddhism imply lack of concern for humanity?

Is the concept of compassion in Buddhism too passive, connected only with the inward-looking eye of meditation, or can it create real change in society?

It is certainly possible to draw sentences from Buddhist writers which seem to support a rejection of outward concern for others. For example, Edward Conze has written, “The Yogin can only come into contact with the unconditioned when he brushes aside anything which is conditioned.”[1] Similarly, G.S.P. Misra writes, “In the final analysis, all actions are to be put to cessation… The Buddha speaks of happiness involved in non-action which he further says is an integral part of the Right Way (sammaa pa.tipadaa).[2] Taken in isolation and out of context, these remarks can give the impression that the path to Nibbaana implies developing a lack of concern towards everything in sa.msaara. But is this inference sound? I would argue that it is not. Continue reading →

Shantidevas’ Bodhisattva vows

Should anyone wish to ridicule me and make me an object of jest and scorn why should I possibly care if I have dedicated myself to others?

Let them do as they wish with me so long as it does not harm them. May no one who encounters me ever have an insignificant contact.

Regardless whether those whom I meet respond towards me with anger or faith, may the mere fact of our meeting contribute to the fulfilment of their wishes.

May the slander, harm and all forms of abuse that anyone should direct towards me act as a cause of their enlightenment.