A Fistful of Sand

I have set forth the Dhamma without making any distinction of esoteric and exoteric doctrine; there is nothing, Ananda, with regard to the teachings that the Tathagata holds to the last with the closed fist of a teacher who keeps some things back. Maha-parinibbana Sutta: Last Days of the Buddha Digha Nikaya 16 I have a student that has been studying with lay teacher who specializes in tonglen , a Tibetan style of practice. The teacher, a younger Caucasian man seems to know his stuff, but we have some disagreements. They may be cultural. My back ground is in Classical Buddhism as taught in Asia. His is Western as taught in America. One of the areas where we find some disagreement is what the Buddha might have meant regarding breath meditation. Another is how a lay person ought to practice.  A method of meditation that the younger man teaches is called “long breath, short breath.” I’ve only seen this method taught in context of yoga practice, primarily hatha yoga...

A friend of mine asked me at one point does evil arise in the chain of dependent origination. That’s a good question but totally depends on what you mean by evil. English translators often translate akusala as “evil.” They are wrong, but they do it anyway. Akusala means “unskillful.” The Buddha did not use the word “evil” because such a concept does not exist, as such, in the Pali Canon. Mahayana introduced the idea when Buddhism got to China. There it was a Taoist idea inserted into Buddhism.  Most Westerners would agree that Adolph Hitler was an evil man. Nazis might disagree with that idea. Two-thirds of the world probably have never heard of Adolph Hitler. Many would agree that Jesus was a good man but the Pharisees would disagree and about two-thirds of the world has never heard of him.  “Good” and “evil” are subjective terms. They have no meaning until we give the words meaning. What I might see as an evil Rush Limbaugh might find a blessing. The po...

Hongaku 40 Meditation Exercises, as listed in the Path of Purification If one has no meditation teacher from whom one may request a meditation subject, then one has to rely upon one's knowledge of one's character in order to prescribe for oneself a suitable meditation. There are forty meditation exercises (kammatthana) noted by the great teacher Buddhaghosa as being suited to certain types of character. For the purposes of meditation, he considers six characters: faithful, intelligent, and speculative (in which the skillful roots of non-greed, non-hatred and non-delusion are variously dominant); and greedy, hating, and deluded (in which greed, hatred and delusion, the unskillful roots, are dominant). The trouble here is twofold: firstly, very few "pure" types can be found, most people being mixtures of two or more of them — and moreover ever-changing mixtures; and secondly, it is rather difficult to judge which class one's character belongs to since one...

From the Anguttara Nikaya… The Anguttara Nikaya is one of the five major collections of the discourses section of the Pali Canon, which is the Buddhist scriptures. Anguttara Nikaya is translated as "Numerical Discourses" and includes most of the lists of the Buddha. The Complete Book of Buddha's Lists -- Explained draws primarily from this section of the Buddha's teachings. It is effectively a good summary of the Buddha's teachings due to the many lists which are presented and explained in the Anguttara Nikaya. If you read only one section of the Buddhist scriptures, the best one to read or start with is the Anguttara Nikaya. In addition, some of the best and most profound Buddhist teachings can be found in the Anguttara Nikaya. Here are just a few important passages: Anguttara Nikaya 4.21 The Buddha's Refuge: After enlightenment the Buddha said, " Let me then honor and respect and dwell in dependence on this very Dhamma to ...

Dhamma - in Pali, the language of the oldest, original teachings of Buddha it is a noun and an adjective. Noun 1. The Buddha's teachings. 2. Truth 3. Wisdom 4. A natural condition 5. Mental quality. Adjective 1. Dhammic - acting according the Buddha's teachings, the Dhamma. Some Buddhists take refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha (Triple Gem) to show respect and appreciation for the teachings. Even the Buddha had refuge to go to. For him, it is the Dhamma. After enlightenment the Buddha said, " Let me then honor and respect and dwell in dependence on this very Dhamma to which I have fully awakened ." Anguttara Nikaya 4.21 Since the Dhamma is a term for the all-inclusiveness of the teachings, the Buddha emphasized the importance of Dhamma: " Remain with the Dhamma as an island, the Dhamma as your refuge, without anything else as a refuge. " Samyutta Nikaya 47.13 and also at Digha Nikaya 26.

The Importance of Lay Precepts   Taking the vows, reciting the words, doing the bows-these are all small rituals. As a rule, the earlier form the Buddhist tradition the fewer the rite and rituals. In Tibetan Buddhism there is a belief that when one takes a vow, a physical shield is placed around the person. It physically protects the individual from spirits and demons. In Mahayana vows are usually taken for life and remembered on the Full Moon. In Theravada, the vows are most often taken from month to month, after all, everything changes. Lifetime vows seem awkward and unreasonable in these sects. The vows are designed to heighten the awareness of to behave in a moral way. The ceremonies that surround are meant to remind of us the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha. The incense represents the sweetness of the world when we behave appropriately. The candle is for wisdom. Virtue, that is, morality, is incredibly important to the practice of Buddhism. It is be...

Hongaku Jodo On Line Meditation is one of the least used forms of self-healing known to man. It is also one of the most effective. When it is used correctly under the guidance of a “master” it is extraordinarily effective. When used improperly it can be a method of self-destruction and lead to emotional toxicity.  Like the word “love,” Westerners have emasculated the word “meditation.” We have no concept of what the word technically means in relationship of enlightenment or mental well-being, which are arguably closely related events. The word itself has no real meaning to most people. Neuroscientists do have a definition, or better description, for meditation. For them word meditation describes a variety of directed mental activities. Some define it as a type of concentration, others as a self-study of mental processes, and yet others as a method for transcending ordinary worry and concerns. Overall, meditation can have mental and physiological effects such as relieving pa...