Search found 4317 matches

by Bhikkhu Pesala
Fri Mar 15, 2024 9:33 pm
Forum: Connections to Other Paths
Topic: Best Evidence for Afterlife - BICS ESSAY COMPETITION - $ 500,000 Prize
Replies: 136
Views: 13833

Re: Best Evidence for Afterlife - BICS ESSAY COMPETITION - $ 500,000 Prize

MrBallen tells a convincing story about an exceptional case-history.

by Bhikkhu Pesala
Tue Feb 27, 2024 10:40 am
Forum: General Theravāda Meditation
Topic: retreat opportunities 2023?
Replies: 7
Views: 635

Re: retreat opportunities 2023?

Sāsanarakkha is worth considering.

U Aggacitta was the interpreter for Sayādaw U Paṇḍita during his 3-month retreat at Barre, Mass.
by Bhikkhu Pesala
Sat Feb 24, 2024 4:41 pm
Forum: Theravāda for Beginners
Topic: How does an animal obtain a human rebirth?
Replies: 14
Views: 763

Re: How does an animal obtain a human rebirth?

LionsRoar wrote: Tue Feb 20, 2024 12:02 amMy real question is that if one is born in the "animal womb", how can you escape that without the ability to make good or bad kamma consciously?
It is very difficult for an animal to gain a human rebirth.

See The Simile of the One-eyed Turtle.
by Bhikkhu Pesala
Sat Feb 24, 2024 8:59 am
Forum: Pāli
Topic: Pāli keyboard
Replies: 5
Views: 269

Re: Pāli keyboard

You could use Velthuis encoding to work around that issue. It is fairly easy to read and does not have a steep learning curve.

aa ii uu = ā ī ū
.d .h .l .m .n .r .s .t = ḍ ḥ ḷ ṃ ṇ ṛ ṣ ṭ
"n = ṅ
~n = ñ

AA = Ā etc.
by Bhikkhu Pesala
Thu Feb 15, 2024 3:28 pm
Forum: General Theravāda Meditation
Topic: Remaining Focused on the Breath
Replies: 16
Views: 817

Re: Remaining Focused on the Breath

A Manual of Respiration by the late Venerable Ledi Sayādaw may be helpful. Note that it is not the best method for everyone, as it is rather difficult: In the matter of tranquillity meditation: of the forty meditation exercises that are prescribed, mindfulness of respiration is the easiest to estab...
by Bhikkhu Pesala
Sun Feb 11, 2024 9:55 pm
Forum: Classical Theravāda
Topic: Some Discourses Translated by Bhikkhu Pesala
Replies: 28
Views: 14431

Re: Some Discourses Translated by Bhikkhu Pesala

I just added the Akkosa Sutta to the list of discourses that I have translated.

I updated the PDF for Selected Discourses from the Samyuttanikaya.
by Bhikkhu Pesala
Sat Feb 10, 2024 10:42 am
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: Paritta chanting
Replies: 8
Views: 313

Re: Paritta chanting

Sing like the Monks I hope that something got lost in translation there. Gītassāra Sutta ] “Bhikkhus, there are five dangers of reciting the Dhamma with a musical intonation. What five? Oneself gets attached to the sound, others get attached to the sound, householders are annoyed, saying, “Just as ...
by Bhikkhu Pesala
Sat Feb 03, 2024 5:41 pm
Forum: Classical Theravāda
Topic: Case against Pali recitation of Patimokkha
Replies: 25
Views: 1347

Re: Case against Pali recitation of Patimokkha

Like the ordination ceremony, the recital of the Pātimokkha is a legal procedure. If the incorrect wording is used, it is not legally valid. One of the rules is that a bhikkhu cannot claim ignorance of the rules if he has been ordained more than two weeks. All new bhikkhus are expected to learn the ...
by Bhikkhu Pesala
Sat Feb 03, 2024 5:36 pm
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: What is smile producing consciousness?
Replies: 6
Views: 1262

Re: What is smile producing consciousness?

Non-arahants always smile due to mental defilements. Hasitupāda is a type of functional consciousness, which has no unwholesome roots. For example, when the Buddha visited Prince Bodhi’s palace for alms, and was invited to step on the white cloths laid on the floor, he smiled, but refused to step on...
by Bhikkhu Pesala
Wed Jan 31, 2024 8:47 pm
Forum: General Theravāda discussion
Topic: What is Dhammanudhamma Patipada means?
Replies: 8
Views: 329

Re: What is Dhammanudhamma Patipada means?

The Twin Sal Trees 199. Then the Blessed One addressed the Venerable Ānanda, saying, “The twin Sal trees are all one mass of bloom with flowers out of season; all over the body of the Tathāgata these drop and sprinkle and scatter themselves, out of reverence for the successor of the Buddhas of old....
by Bhikkhu Pesala
Wed Jan 31, 2024 12:42 am
Forum: Sīla
Topic: Intoxicated man at beach
Replies: 9
Views: 810

Re: Intoxicated man at beach

Life’s a beach. What you can do is report the case to the police who will refer it to child services. It is their responsibility to take care of vulnerable children; not yours. It is hard in cases of domestic abuse. The victim has to be willing to co-operate with the police. A Buddhist can contempla...
by Bhikkhu Pesala
Wed Jan 31, 2024 12:32 am
Forum: General Theravāda Meditation
Topic: Alternative to anapanasati?
Replies: 11
Views: 699

Re: Alternative to anapanasati?

There are many alternative objects for body contemplation given in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta. The Mahāsi method teaches the contemplation on four elements, but also includes clear comprehension of all daily activities, and walking meditation.

Body Contemplation.
by Bhikkhu Pesala
Mon Dec 25, 2023 2:59 pm
Forum: Lounge
Topic: Merry Christmas
Replies: 7
Views: 464

Re: Merry Christmas

Accept Cookies?
Accept Cookies.jpg
by Bhikkhu Pesala
Sun Dec 24, 2023 2:11 pm
Forum: Classical Theravāda
Topic: Question: does Buddhism espouse determinism/destiny?
Replies: 24
Views: 1702

Re: Question: does Buddhism espouse determinism/destiny?

Relationship of Cause to Effect The fourth aspect of Dependent Origination is the one-to-one correspondence between cause and effect (evaṃ dhammatā). Every cause leads only to the relevant effect; it has nothing to do with any irrelevant effects. In other words, every cause is the sufficient and ne...