1. What practical means have I developed

    Comment May 23, 2016

    Meditators need to be contented with material supports and discontented with the spiritual virtues and accomplishments they have already attained. In daily life this is something that can be applied anywhere. For instance, you have to go to a meeting or you have a particular task to perform, and you ask yourself what are the kinds of unwholesome dhammas that tend to arise: ‘When I meet that person I always get so irritated, he’s so selfish or so conceited.’ This is your meditation. Your practice that day is, ‘How can I spend an hour with that person without getting irritated with him, feeling averse to him or contemptuous of him?’ But in the case where you do lose your temper or get upset with somebody, you ask, ‘What strategies do I have, what practical means have I developed or should be developing to deal with that? And in a particular situation that I’m going to find myself in today – with my family, friends, colleagues at work – what are the wholesome dhammas, the particular kinds of virtues that I can be working on: right speech, patience, kindness, compassion? Where should I be applying those qualities? How should I be applying them? And those qualities that I have developed, how can I take care of them, nurture them and lead them even further onwards?’ ~Ajahn Jayasaro

    Buddha5

  2. A refuge supreme

    Comment November 16, 2015

    Buddha and monks walking - Ariyamagga

    They go to many a refuge,
    to mountains and forests,
    to park and tree shrines:
    people threatened with danger.
    That’s not the secure refuge,
    not the supreme refuge,
    that’s not the refuge,
    having gone to which,
    you gain release
    from all suffering & stress.

    But when, having gone
    to the Buddha, Dhamma,
    & Sangha for refuge,
    you see with right discernment
    the four noble truths —
    stress,
    the cause of stress,
    the transcending of stress,
    & the noble eightfold path,
    the way to the stilling of stress:
    that’s the secure refuge,
    that, the supreme refuge,
    that is the refuge,
    having gone to which,
    you gain release
    from all suffering & stress.

    ~Dhammapada

    Link source

     

  3. What the Buddha said about metta

    Comment October 16, 2015

    bluelotus

     

    Bhikkhus, whatever kinds of worldly merit there are, all are not worth one 16th part of the release of mind by universal friendliness; in shining, glowing, beaming & radiance the release of mind by universal friendliness far excels & surpasses them all. Itivuttaka 27

    As a mother even with own life protects her only child, so should one cultivate immeasurable loving-kindness towards all living beings. The Metta Sutta

    He who both day and night takes delight in harmlessness sharing love with all that live, finds enmity with none.
    Samyutta Nikaya. I, 208

    What are the eleven advantages of Metta ?

    One sleeps Happy!
    One wakes Happy!
    One dreams no evil dreams!
    One is liked and loved by all human beings!
    One is liked and loved by all non-human beings too!
    One is Guarded & Protected by the divine Devas!
    One cannot be Harmed by Fire, Poison, or Weapons!
    One swiftly Attains the Concentration of Absorption!
    One’s appearance becomes Serene, Calm, & Composed!
    One dies without Confusion, Bewilderment, or Panic!
    One reappears after death on the Brahma level if one has penetrated to no higher level in this very life!
    Anguttara Nikaya XI.16

    They may address you in an affectionate way or a harsh way. They may address you in a beneficial way or an unbeneficial way. They may address you with a mind of good-will or with inner hate. In any event, you should train yourselves: ‘Our minds will be unaffected and we will say no evil words. We will remain sympathetic to that person’s welfare, with a mind of good will, and with no inner hate. We will keep pervading him with an awareness imbued with good will and, beginning with him, we will keep pervading the all-encompassing world with an awareness imbued with good will equal to the great earth — abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility, free from ill will.’ That’s how you should train yourselves.
    Majjhima Nikaya 21

    When one gives birth to hatred for an individual, one should direct one’s thoughts to the fact of his being the product of his actions: ‘This venerable one is the doer of his actions, heir of his actions, born of his actions, related by his actions, and is dependent on his actions. Whatever actions he does, for good or for evil, to that will he fall heir.’ Thus the hatred for that individual should be subdued.
    Anguttara Nikaya V.161

    I have good will for footless beings,
    good will for two-footed beings,
    good will for four-footed beings,
    good will for many-footed beings.

    May footless beings do me no harm.
    May two-footed beings do me no harm.
    May four-footed beings do me no harm.
    May many-footed beings do me no harm.

    May all creatures,
    all breathing things,
    all beings — each & every one –
    meet with good fortune.
    May none of them come to any evil.
    Anguttara Nikaya IV.67 Continue reading →

Live & Die for Buddhism

candle

Me & Grandma

My Reflection

This site is a tribute to Buddhism. Buddhism has given me a tremendous inspiration to be who and where I am today. Although I came to America at a very young age, however, I never once forget who I am and where I came from. One thing I know for sure is I was born as a Buddhist, live as a Buddhist and will leave this earth as a Buddhist. I do not believe in superstition. I only believe in karma.

A Handful of Leaves

A Handful of Leaves

Tipitaka: The pali canon (Readings in Theravada Buddhism). A vast body of literature in English translation the texts add up to several thousand printed pages. Most -- but not all -- of the Canon has already been published in English over the years. Although only a small fraction of these texts are available here at Access to Insight, this collection can nonetheless be a very good place to start.

Major Differences

Major Differences in Buddhism

Major Differences in Buddhism: There is no almighty God in Buddhism. There is no one to hand out rewards or punishments on a supposedly Judgement Day ...read more

Problems we face today

jendhamuni pink scarfnature

Of the many problems we face today, some are natural calamities and must be accepted and faced with equanimity. Others, however, are of our own making, created by misunderstanding, and can be corrected...

Popular Posts