Thanks, Chula. I had a quick look and I think it's something I will like so I downloaded the pdf. I haven't had time to get back to it yet, but it's high on my list. On the whole a very worthwhile contribution. Reads like a very well developed thesis? Thank you for posting it. Thank you for explain...

A good read indeed. A couple of thoughts: is there enough focus on brain plasticity re : group think, mob behaviour, manipulation of behaviour from the viewpoint of Edward Bernays and 'the manufacture of consent. Thanks for the feedback! I do think Edward Bernays and the history of "manufacturing c...

Inedible wrote: ↑Mon Feb 22, 2021 8:17 am First I bought the Kindle version. Then I downloaded the PDF file for my text-to-speech app. It is on my schedule for this afternoon coming up.

Hope you find it a good read!

PDF link: https://dhammavinaya.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Beyond-Mindfulness-In-Search-of-Wisdom-in-a-Secular-Age.pdf I found the table in page 37-40 was interesting. I am not sure whether I agree with the table but interesting to see others comment. Why a Buddhist country like Sri Lanka have a...

DooDoot wrote: ↑Mon Feb 22, 2021 6:40 am Is this video about you?

Not sure what you mean - I'm guessing you meant it as a joke

I recently published my first book - Beyond Mindfulness: In Search of Wisdom in a Secular Age. I wrote it for intellectually-minded seekers who are wary of the dogmas of traditional religion but are interested in mindfulness meditation. It explores our unexamined adherence to the materialistic world...

Relevant article in the NYTimes: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/12/world/asia/thailand-monks-obesity.html Monks are at the forefront of the problem. Nearly half are obese, according to a study conducted by Chulalongkorn University. More than 40 percent have high cholesterol, nearly 25 percent have ...

Recall; the Buddha was also flabby in his later years. Then Ven. Ananda went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to the Blessed One, massaged the Blessed One's limbs with his hand and said, "It's amazing, lord. It's astounding, how the Blessed One's complexion is no longer so clea...

Swapnilbarmase wrote: ↑Tue Jul 03, 2018 1:59 pm Ajahn Martin Piyadhammo, a direct disciple of Ajahn Mun, will be our preceptor and guide.

I guess you meant to say direct disciple of Ajahn Maha Boowa.

If you're working in a restaurant kitchen it will be hard to practice one meal a day without steady sense restraint which is hard to do in lay life. I suggest you keep to 2 meals a day before noon and focus more on finding time for meditation and Dhamma study. One meal a day is something that is bes...

"blasphemous to openly question the commentaries and Abhidhamma as not the word of the Buddha." But that is laughable on its face ecause the. Abhidhamma came, what, a thousand years after the buddha? Didn"t the buddha warn against adding to and tinkering with the teachings? Actually probably in les...

even the best places in Sri Lanka are overly influenced by the Abhidhamma and commentaries. Just thinking aloud, but why even ordain in a tradition, and be fed and clothed by them, if you reject large parts of this tradition. If you strip abhidhamma and commentaries away, what is left hardly consti...

Mainly because even the best places in Sri Lanka are overly influenced by the Abhidhamma and commentaries. ] This is surprising . What is the reason for it? Why do they give less emphasis to Sutta? Mainly because of Burmese influence (Pa Auk/Goenka/Mahasi). Also partly because it is still almost bl...

I've been vegetarian all my life and protein being an issue is a complete myth. Na Uyana follows the Pa Auk method which takes the Abhidhamma, commentaries and Visuddhimagga a bit too seriously imo. I will be visiting Na Uyana again in a week or so where I'll get to talk to the head monks there mor...

After the death of Venerable Nyanarama the quality of meditation training there has declined. It is virtually turning into an old-age home for monks, rather than a place for younger monks who are really keen on intensive practice. While I wouldn't recommend Nissarana Vanaya over Na Uyana, it defini...