Japanese Buddhism is very lax and consumption of alcohol is not seen as a terrible transgression at all. I heard that Japanese monks could even get married and have children :thinking: . I think for them being a monk is only a profession, a job. And I personally don't consider them Buddhist monks a...

I got started with Theravada because the retreats were free, (I was a student at the time) and in English. Just as simple as that. Quite likely if there had been free retreats at the local Tibetan monastery I would have gotten into that tradition. It would have been nice, since they have more aweso...

In DN Sutta 1, the Brahmajala Sutta: feeling conditions craving; craving conditions clinging; clinging conditions becoming; becoming conditions birth; birth conditions aging and death, sorrow, lamentation, sadness and distress I have three questions: 1. What does becoming exactly mean? 2. Why does c...

Just a little curious, since there are more Mahayana practitioners than Theravada followers in the world.

Thanks Dhammanando. I "blame" Pali Primer for the omissions of "saha", since the book doesn't really say anything as to when saha should be and should not be used. "Saha" should be added when the word in front of means "with something", but not when it means "by something".

For example, why would it be used in the sentence, Samaṇo narena saddhiṃ gāmaṃ gacchati and not Kassako kakacena rukkhaṃ chindati ? I understand the first instance, where the monk is doing something with the man. But is not the farmer also performing an action with the saw? Yes, but with two differ...

Hi all

Does h make the "he" sound in ehi, when ehi is added to the end of a plural word expressing "by", "with" etc. ? Like assa --> assehi, sakata --> sakatehi.

Thanks.

Merchants bring horses to the palace from the island.

Should the Pali translation be: Vaa.nijaa diipamhaa assehi paasaada.m aaharanti
or should it be: Vaa.nijaa diipamhaa asse paasaada.m aaharanti

In other words, should "ehi" or "e" be added to the end of "assa"?

Thanks.

Hi all I have been learning Pali with Dr. De Silva's Pali Primer. I have a question: when there are multiple clauses, for example, "from a village" + "with somebody", is there a certain order to place them? For example, from the exercises in the book: Merchants come from the island to the monastery ...