Not my first discourse, I hasten to add, but the Buddha’s first discourse. That seems like an appropriate place to start. If you are reading this thread then I assume that you wish to know more about the teaching of the Buddha. I will […]
Category: Buddhism
What is Genuine Vipassanā Meditation?
There are many discourses on meditation, but the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta is perhaps the most important one. Sati means “mindfulness” or “awareness,” and upaṭṭhāna means setting up or “establishing.” So the discourse is about the setting up of mindfulness. There are four foundations of mindfulness: […]
A Discussion on Patience
In his discourse on the Vammika Sutta, the Venerable Mahāsi Sayādaw relates the following incident that took place in Thanbyuzayat, a town within Moulmein District, and was published in one of the Daily Newspapers. Four or five elders from that town were chatting on […]
Exorcising Evil Spirits
If you’re having a lot of difficulties in your family life, it will help to perform an Exorcism Ceremony to drive out all of the Evil Spirits. If you want, you can invite a Buddhist monk or several monks to perform this ceremony for […]
Idiot Compassion
Spoiling with too much Kindness Parents and grandparents who are too kind to children spoil their character. Doing whatever one wants, and being given everything that one asks for, is not the way for children to learn and grow up. They should be taught […]
The Sixth Buddhist Council
The picture in my blog header shows the man-made cave used for the Sixth Buddhist Council. Soon after regaining Independence, the Government of Myanmar began plans to hold a Sixth Buddhist Council (Chaṭṭha Saṅgāyana) in Myanmar, with four other Theravāda Buddhist countries (Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, and […]
The Reclining Buddha
The image of a Reclining Buddha that I use in my Forum Profile has great significance in Buddhism. The image is not of the Buddha sleeping, but of him lying on his death-bed just before his final passing away (parinibbāna). For most people, the last hours […]
I cannot Stand Intolerance
If there is one thing that I cannot stand, it’s intolerance. Many countries are populated by people from a wide range of ethnic origins, speaking different languages, and holding divergent views on religion and ethics. Diversity is not a new phenomenon, and intolerance is […]
The Salla Sutta
The Salla Sutta is found in the Suttanipāta. The Buddha taught the Salla Sutta for the benefit of a certain householder whose son had died. Unable to abandon his grief, the householder had not eaten for seven days. It is not as well known as […]