1. It’s All Right Here

    Comment November 15, 2016

    The Buddha is the Dhamma; the Dhamma is the Buddha. He didn’t take away the knowledge he awakened to. He left it right here. To put it in simple terms, it’s like the teachers in schools. They haven’t been teachers from birth. They had to study the course of study for teachers before they could be teachers, teaching in school and getting paid. After a while, they’ll die away — away from being teachers. But you can say that in a way the teachers don’t die. The qualities that make people into teachers remain right here. It’s the same with the Buddha. The noble truths that made him the Buddha still remain right here. They haven’t run off anywhere at all. ~Ajahn Chah

    “In Simple Terms: 108 Dhamma Similes”, by Ajahn Chah
    translated from the Thai by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
    Access to Insight (Legacy Edition), 2 November 2013
    Link source

     

     

  2. To bring true happiness to one’s family

    Comment October 12, 2016

    To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one’s family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one’s own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him. ~Buddha

    Buddha and monks

  3. How well did you love?

    Comment May 12, 2016

    In the end
    these things matter most:
    How well did you love?
    How fully did you live?
    How deeply did you let go?
    ~Gautama Buddha

    Buddha and monks

  4. The Story of Thera Meghiya

    Comment January 10, 2016

     

    Buddha with monks

    Verse 33: The mind is excitable and unsteady; it is difficult to control and to restrain. The wise one trains his mind to be upright as a fletcher straightens an arrow.

    Verse 34: As a fish quivers when taken out of its watery home and thrown on to dry ground, so does the mind quiver when it is taken out of the sensual world to escape from the realm of Mara (i.e., kilesa vatta, round of moral defilements).

    1. durakkham: difficult to keep the mind fixed on a single object when meditating.

    2. dunnivarayam: difficult to restrain the mind from drifting towards sensual pleasures.

    3. ujum karoti: straightens:
    (a) the fletcher straightens the arrow,
    (b) the wise man trains his sensuous, unruly mind by means of Tranquillity and Insight Development Practice (Samatha and Vipassana). (The Commentary)

    The Story of Thera Meghiya

    While residing on the Calika Mountain, the Buddha uttered Verses (33) and (34) of this book, with reference to Thera Meghiya.

    At that time, Thera Meghiya was attending upon the Buddha. On one occasion, on his return from alms-round, the thera noticed a pleasant and beautiful mango grove, which he thought was an ideal spot for meditation. He asked the Buddha’s permission to let him go there, but as the Buddha was alone at that time, he was told to wait for awhile until the arrival of some other bhikkhus. The thera was in a hurry to go and so he repeated his request again and again, until finally the Buddha told him to do as he wished.

    Thus, Thera Meghiya set out for the mango grove, sat at the foot of a tree and practised meditation. He stayed there the whole day, but his mind kept wandering and he made no progress. He returned in the evening and reported to the Buddha how all the time he was assailed by thoughts associated with the senses, ill will and cruelty (kama vitakka, byapada vitakka and vihimsa vitakka).

    So, the Buddha told him that as the mind is easily excitable and fickle, one should control one’s mind.

    Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:

    Verse 33: The mind is excitable and unsteady; it is difficult to control and to restrain. The wise one trains his mind to be upright as a fletcher straightens an arrow.

    Verse 34: As a fish quivers when taken out of its watery home and thrown on to dry ground, so does the mind quiver when it is taken out of the sensual world to escape from the realm of Mara (i.e., kilesa vatta, round of moral defilements).

    At the end of the discourse, Thera Meghiya attained Sotapatti Fruition.

    Dhammapada Verses 33 and 34
    Meghiyatthera Vatthu

    Phandanam capalam cittam
    durakkham1 dunnivarayam2
    ujum karoti3 medhavi
    usukarova tejanam.

    Varijova thale khitto
    okamokata ubbhato
    pariphandatidam cittam
    maradheyyam pahatave.

    Source: Tipitaka

     

  5. The Story of Kosambi Bhikkhus

    Comment September 27, 2015

    buddha and monks - AriyamaggaVerse 6: People, other than the wise, do not realize, “We in this world must all die,” (and, not realizing it, continue their quarrels). The wise realize it and thereby their quarrels cease.

    1. Pare ca na vijananti: ‘Pare’ means ‘others’; in this context, people other than the wise. These people do not realize that they must die, and behave as if they were never going to die and keep on quarrelling. Therefore, they are sometimes referred to as the ignorant or the foolish, or those who are not worthy of love and respect.

    2. mayamettha yamamase: lit., “We here must die,” meaning we, of this world, must die; or all men are mortal.

    3. ye ca tattha vijananti: in the case of those who understand, meaning the wise. The wise understand (or realize) that all men are mortal.

    While residing at the Jetavana monastery in Savatthi, the Buddha uttered Verse (6) of this book, with reference to the bhikkhus of Kosambi.

    The bhikkhus of Kosambi had formed into two groups. One group followed the master of Vinaya and the other followed the teacher of the Dhamma and they were often quarrelling among themselves. Even the Buddha could not stop them from quarrelling; so he left them and spent the vassa, residence period of the rains, all alone in Rakkhita Grove near Palileyyaka forest. There, the elephant Palileyya waited upon the Buddha.

    The lay disciples of Kosambi, on learning the reason for the departure of the Buddha, refused to make offerings to the remaining bhikkhus. This made them realize their mistake and reconciliation took place among themselves. Still, the lay disciples would not treat them as respectfully as before, until they owned up their fault to the Buddha. But the Buddha was away and it was in the middle of the vassa; so the bhikkhus of Kosambi spent the vassa in misery and hardship.

    At the end of the vassa, the Venerable Ananda and five hundred bhikkhus approached the Buddha and gave the message from Annathapindika and other lay disciples imploring him to return. In due course the Buddha returned to the Jetavana monastery in Savatthi. The bhikkhus followed him there, fell down at his feet, and owned up their fault. The Buddha rebuked them for disobeying him. He told them to remember that they must all die some day and therefore, they must stop their quarrels and must not act as if they would never die.

    Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:

    Verse 6: People, other than the wise, do not realize, “We in this world must all die,” (and, not realizing it, continue their quarrels). The wise realize it and thereby their quarrels cease.

    At the end of the discourse, all the assembled bhikkhus were established in Sotapatti Fruition.

    Dhammapada Verse 6
    Kosambaka Vatthu

    Pare ca na vijananti1
    mayamettha yamamase2
    ye ca tattha vijananti3
    tato sammanti medhaga.

    Source: Tipitaka

     

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