1. Remembering my meditation master Ven. Dejapanno

    4 July 7, 2021

    Bhikkhu Dejapanno Phorn Pheap (Meditation teacher)
    February 1, 1943 – June 21, 2021

    On Sunday, May 30, 2021 my family and I went to pick up my meditation master Ven. Dejapanno Phorn Pheap, Ven. Buddha Saddha Vey Ve and Ven. Indajoto Trang Dong at Wat Kiryvongsa Bopharam, Peace Meditation Center for the ceremony at the graveyard of my late uncle Yoeun Nget. It was raining very hard that day. We arrived at the temple around 8:30 am, but were told by Ven. Buddha Saddha  that  Ven. Dejapanno could not go to my late uncle’s graveyard because he was literally unconscious in his room. After that, Bhikkhu Buddha Saddha called me to go inside my master’s room for a short while just to witness the scene.

    Ven. Buddha Saddha and Ven. Indajoto were the first two monks who found Ven. Dejapanno unconscious in his room. They found him lying on the floor during wellness check (because Ven. Dejapanno did not show up for breakfast). Mr. Piseth Kien, president of the temple, arrived at the scene shortly before my family and I got there.

    Bhikkhu Buddha Saddha, Bhikkhu Indajoto, Mr. Piseth Kien, and Mr. Sakal Kim went inside Ven. Dejapanno’s room and called an ambulance to examine him. When the EMTs carried my master to the ambulance, I followed them just to see if my master was conscious. After seeing his eyes, I felt relief knowing he’s awake because his eyes were blinking. And I was told that his life was not endangered.

    Samanera Ananda ordained 15 days to honor Ven. Dejapanno Phorn Pheap.

    Continue reading →

  2. The Lessons of Gratitude

    Comment July 7, 2021

    Jendhamuni at the funeral service of Ven. Dejapanno Phorn Pheap (meditation teacher) at Wat Kiryvongsa Bopharam, Peace Meditation Center on June 24, 2021.

    These two people are hard to find in the world. Which two? The one who is first to do a kindness, and the one who is grateful and thankful for a kindness done.”

    — AN 2.118

    In saying that kind and grateful people are rare, the Buddha isn’t simply stating a harsh truth about the human race. He’s advising you to treasure these people when you find them, and — more importantly — showing how you can become a rare person yourself.

    Kindness and gratitude are virtues you can cultivate, but they have to be cultivated together. Each needs the other to be genuine — a point that becomes obvious when you think about the three things most likely to make gratitude heartfelt:

    1. You’ve actually benefitted from another person’s actions.
    2. You trust the motives behind those actions.
    3. You sense that the other person had to go out of his or her way to provide that benefit.

    Points one and two are lessons that gratitude teaches kindness: If you want to be genuinely kind, you have to be of actual benefit — nobody wants to be the recipient of “help” that isn’t really helpful — and you have to provide that benefit in a way that shows respect and empathy for the other person’s needs. No one likes to receive a gift given with calculating motives, or in an offhand or disdainful way. Continue reading →

  3. Nirayavagga: Hell

    Comment July 7, 2021

    1. The liar goes to the state of woe; also he who, having done (wrong), says, “I did not do it.” Men of base actions both, on departing they share the same destiny in the other world.

    2. There are many evil characters and uncontrolled men wearing the saffron robe. These wicked men will be born in states of woe because of their evil deeds.

    3. It would be better to swallow a red-hot iron ball, blazing like fire, than as an immoral and uncontrolled monk to eat the alms of the people.

    4. Four misfortunes befall the reckless man who consorts with another’s wife: acquisition of demerit, disturbed sleep, ill-repute, and (rebirth in) states of woe.

    5. Such a man acquires demerit and an unhappy birth in the future. Brief is the pleasure of the frightened man and woman, and the king imposes heavy punishment. Hence, let no man consort with another’s wife.

    6. Just as kusa grass wrongly handled cuts the hand, even so, a recluse’s life wrongly lived drags one to states of woe.

    7. Any loose act, any corrupt observance, any life of questionable celibacy — none of these bear much fruit. Continue reading →

  4. The Story of Thera Padhanikatissa

    Comment July 6, 2021

    Verse 159: One should act as one teaches others; only with oneself thoroughly tamed should one tame others. To tame oneself is, indeed, difficult.

    The Story of Thera Padhanikatissa

    While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (159) of this book, with reference to Thera Padhanikatissa.

    Thera Padhanikatissa, after taking a subject of meditation from the Buddha, left for the forest with five hundred other bhikkhus. There, he told the bhikkhus to be ever mindful and diligent in their meditation practice. After thus exhorting others he himself would lie down and go to sleep. The young bhikkhus did as they were told. They practised meditation during the first watch of the night and when they were about to go to bed, Padhanikatissa would get up and tell them to go back to their practice. When they returned after meditation practice during the second and third watches also he would say the same thing to them.

    As he was always acting in this way, the young bhikkhus never had peace of mind, and so they could not concentrate on meditation practice or even on recitation of the texts. One day, they decided to investigate if their teacher was truly zealous and vigilant as he posed himself to be. When they found out that their teacher Padhanikatissa only exhorted others but was himself sleeping most of the time, they remarked, “We are ruined, our teacher knows only how to scold us, but he himself is just wasting time, doing nothing.” By this time, as the bhikkhus were not getting enough rest, they were tired and worn out. As a result, none of the bhikkhu made any progress in their meditation practice.

    At the end of the vassa, they returned to the Jetavana monastery and reported the matter to the Buddha. To them the Buddha said, “Bhikkhus! One who wants to teach others should first teach himself and conduct himself properly.” Continue reading →

  5. Pakinnakavagga: Miscellaneous

    Comment July 6, 2021

    1. If by renouncing a lesser happiness one may realize a greater happiness, let the wise man renounce the lesser, having regard for the greater.

    2. Entangled by the bonds of hate, he who seeks his own happiness by inflicting pain on others, is never delivered from hatred.

    3. The cankers only increase for those who are arrogant and heedless, who leave undone what should be done and do what should not be done.

    4. The cankers cease for those mindful and clearly comprehending ones who always earnestly practice mindfulness of the body, who do not resort to what should not be done, and steadfastly pursue what should be done.

    5. Having slain mother (craving), father (self-conceit), two warrior-kings (eternalism and nihilism), and destroyed a country (sense organs and sense objects) together with its treasurer (attachment and lust), ungrieving goes the holy man.

    6. Having slain mother, father, two brahman kings (two extreme views), and a tiger as the fifth (the five mental hindrances), ungrieving goes the holy man.

    7. Those disciples of Gotama ever awaken happily who day and night constantly practice the Recollection of the Qualities of the Buddha. Continue reading →

  6. The Story of Thera Upananda Sakyaputta

    Comment July 6, 2021

    Verse 158: One should first establish oneself in what is proper; then only one should teach others. A wise man should not incur reproach.

    The Story of Thera Upananda Sakyaputta

    While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse (158) of this book, with reference to Upananda, a thera of the Sakyan Clan.

    Upananda was a very eloquent preacher. He used to preach to others not to be greedy and to have only a few wants and would talk eloquently on the merits of contentment and frugality (appicchata) and austere practices (dhutangas). However, he did not practise what he taught and took for himself all the robes and other requisites that were given up by others.

    On one occasion, Upananda went to a village monastery just before the vassa. Some young bhikkhus, being impressed by his eloquence, asked him to spend the vassa in their monastery. He asked them how many robes each bhikkhu usually received as donation for the vassa in their monastery and they told him that they usually received one robe each. So he did not stop there, but he left his slippers in that monastery. At the next monastery, he learned that the bhikkhus usually received two robes each for the vassa; there he left his staff. At the next monastery, the bhikkhus received three robes each as donation for the vassa; there he left his water bottle. Finally, at the monastery where each bhikkhu received four robes, he decided to spend the vassa.

    At the end of the vassa, he claimed his share of robes from the other monasteries where he had left his personal effects. Then he collected all his things in a cart and came back to his old monastery. On his way, he met two young bhikkhus who were having a dispute over the share of two robes and a valuable velvet blanket which they had between them. Since they could not come to an amicable settlement, they asked Upananda to arbitrate. Upananda gave one robe each to them and took the valuable velvet blanket for having acted as an arbitrator. Continue reading →

  7. Maggavagga: The Path

    1 July 4, 2021

    1. Of all the paths the Eightfold Path is the best; of all the truths the Four Noble Truths are the best; of all things passionlessness is the best: of men the Seeing One (the Buddha) is the best.

    2. This is the only path; there is none other for the purification of insight. Tread this path, and you will bewilder Mara.

    3. Walking upon this path you will make an end of suffering. Having discovered how to pull out the thorn of lust, I make known the path.

    4. You yourselves must strive; the Buddhas only point the way. Those meditative ones who tread the path are released from the bonds of Mara.

    5. “All conditioned things are impermanent” — when one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering. This is the path to purification.

    6. “All conditioned things are unsatisfactory” — when one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering. This is the path to purification. Continue reading →

Hermit of Tbeng Mountain

Sachjang Phnom Tbeng សច្ចំ​​ ភ្នំត្បែង is a very long and interesting story written by Mr. Chhea Sokoan, read by Jendhamuni Sos. You can click on the links below to listen. Part 1 | Part 2

List of Khmer songs