Pariyatti Twenty Five

turning the wheel of dhamma 25

noreply@blogger.com (Pariyatti) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 18:30:00 +0000

meditate 25

noreply@blogger.com (Pariyatti) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:00:00 +0000

mettā 25

noreply@blogger.com (Pariyatti) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 18:00:00 +0000

bodhgaya 25

noreply@blogger.com (Pariyatti) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 20:00:00 +0000

25 words from the Dutiyachiggaḷayugasuttaṃ — The Second Simile of the Turtle

noreply@blogger.com (Pariyatti) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 17:56:00 +0000

This sutta, about a chiggaḷa, or hole, offers a simile comparing the rare occasion of a blind turtle entering a yoke thrown in a vast ocean, with the even rarer occasion, of the availability of Dhamma.

adhiccamidaṃ— without + a cause +this, unlikely

dakkhiṇo— right, southern

dippati— to shine (forth)

dukkhanirodhagāminī— the method of walking the path of ....

dukkhanirodho— eradication, cessation + suffering

dukkhasamudayo— arising, origination + suffering

ekacchiggaḷaṃ— one + hole

ekodakāassa— one + water + would be

gīvaṃ— the neck, throat

kāṇo— blind

kacchapo— turtle, tortoise

karaṇīyo— what ought to be done, duty, obligation

mahāpathavī— great + earth

maññatha— what do you think, believe, imagine

paṭipadā— means of reaching a destination

pacchimo— western

puratthimo— eastern

saṃhareyya— to draw, collect, take up, pull, push

tasmātiha— accordingly (thus surely indeed)

ummujjeyya— emerge, rise up

uttaro— northern

vāto— wind

vassasatassa— a year + hundred + of

yogo— practice

yugaṃ— yoke

http://learning.pariyatti.org/

For the Benefit of Many

noreply@blogger.com (Pariyatti) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 22:50:00 +0000

words from Bahujanahitasuttaṃ — the first lesson in Exploring the Path in the Pali Learning Center

ādikalyāṇaṃ— in the beginning + beneficial

anuppattasadattho— having reached + one's own + goal

anuttaro— not + higher (than that), incomparable

arahaṃ— a worthy one, an Arahant

atthāya— for the benefit

bahujanahitāya— many + people, beings + benefit + for

bahujanasukhāya— many + people, beings + happiness + for

bahussuto— much heard— well versed, of great learning

devamanussānaṃ— gods + humans +of

katakaraṇīyo— done + ought to be done

khīṇāsavo— destroyed, exhausted, 'without' impurities ( lit.: that which flows—intoxicating extract)

lokānukampāya— the world + pref. + trembling

lokavidū— the world + clever, wise

majjhekalyāṇaṃ— in the middle + beneficial

ohitabhāro— laid down + burden

pāṭipado— following the path in the correct manner

pakāseti— to make known, explain, illuminate

parikkhīṇabhavasaṃyojano— destroyed + becoming + fetters

sāvako— disciple, pupil

sīlavatūpapanno— morality + practice + being furnished with

sammadaññā— right + knowledge

sekho— one in training, imperfect

sugato— one who is well + gone

vimutto— liberated, freed

vusitavā— fulfilled, perfected

learning.pariyatti.org/

25 women who became enlightened at the time of the Buddha

noreply@blogger.com (Pariyatti) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:35:00 +0000

1. Khemā Therī, chief of the Buddha's women disciples, was born in a ruling family at Sāgala in the Madda country. Her skin was the color of gold. She became the chief consort of King Bimbisāra, and would not visit the Buddha when he was at Veluvana, lest he should speak disparagingly of her beauty with which she was infatuated. The king bade poets sing the glories of Veluvana and persuaded Khemā to go there. Coming face to face with the Buddha, who conjured up for her to see, a celestial nymph, Khemā saw her pass gradually from youth to extreme old age, and fall down in the swoon of death. Seeing that, Khemā was filled with dismay, and the Buddha taught her about the vanity, and at that moment she attained arahantship. With the consent of Bimbisāra she entered the Order, and was ranked by the Buddha foremost among his women disciples for her great insight (mahāpaññānam aggā).

2. Bhadda Kundalakesa, born in the family of a treasurer of Rājagaha, was foremost among nuns, of swift intuition.

3. Bhadrā Therī belonged to a clan of the Sākiyans, and left the world with Pajāpati Gotamī. While she was meditating, the Buddha sent her a ray of glory and she attained arahantship.

4. Abhayā was a therī who belonged to a family from Ujjeni. Her friend Abhayamātā joined the Order, and Abhayā followed her. As she was meditating in Sītavana, the Buddha sent forth a ray of glory to encourage and help her, and she thereupon became an arahant.

5. Abhirūpa-Nandā Therī was born in Kapilavatthu - the daughter of the chief of the Sākyan Khemaka and was named Nandā. Owing to her great beauty and charm she became known as Abhirūpā-Nandā. On the day appointed for her to select her husband, the Sākyan youth who she was going to chose, died, and her parents made her leave the world against her will.

Even after entering the Order she avoided the Buddha's presence, being infatuated with her own beauty and fearing the his rebuke. In order to induce her to come, the Buddha directed Mahā Pajāpatī to see that all the nuns came for instruction. When Nandā's turn came she sent another in her place. The Buddha refused to recognize the substitute, and she was compelled to go. As she listened to the Buddha, he conjured up a beautiful woman and showed her becoming aged and fading, causing anguish to arise in Nandā's heart. At the opportune moment, the Buddha drove home the truth of the impermanence of beauty. Meditating on this topic, she later became an arahant.

6. Addhakāsī Therī was the daughter of a rich and distinguished citizen of Benares but, because of her former unwholesome speech, became a prostitute in Rājagaha. Having heard the Buddha, she entered the Order of the bhikkhunis. Wishing to obtain the higher ordination from the Buddha, she set out for Sāvatthi, but was waylaid and stopped by libertines. So she sent a man to ask the Buddha's advice and he permitted her to be ordained by a messenger. Her case established a precedent. Later she attained arahantship.

7. Ekapindadāyikā Therī was the wife of King Bandhumā, of Bandhumatī 91 kappas ago. Wishing to do a good deed to ensure a happy rebirth, she asked the king for his sanction, and fed a nun and gave her various gifts. Later she was born thirty times in Tāvatimsa as queen of the gods. She eventually became an arahant.

8. Ubbirī Therī was born in the family of a rich burgess of Sāvatthi and married to the king of Kosala. After a few years a daughter was born to her, whom she named Jivā. The king was so pleased with the child that he had Ubbirī anointed as queen. But the girl died soon afterwards, and Ubbirī, distracted, went daily to the charnel-field. One day, as she sat lamenting on the bank of the Aciravatī, the Buddha appeared before her in a ray of glory. Having listened to her story, he pointed out that in that same burial-ground, eighty-four thousand of her daughters, all named Jīvā, had been burnt. Pondering his words, she developed insight and became an arahant.

9. Ekūposathikā Therī was a slave-girl, a water-carrier in the city of Bandhumatī in the past.

Seeing the King Bandhumā keeping the fast, she took the precepts herself and kept them well. Sixty-four times she became the queen of rulers in heaven, and was sixty-three times queen among men. In her last life she left the world at the age of seven, and attained arahantship within eight months.

10. Isidāsī Therī was the daughter of a good and wealthy merchant of Ujjenī. Having come of age, she was given in marriage to the son of a merchant in Sāketa. She lived with him for one month as a devoted wife and then due to some past kamma, became estranged with her husband who turned her out of the house. She married again with the same result, and a third time married a friar. He also left. Isidāsī then met the therī Jinadattā, who she offered a meal to at her house. Under Jinadattā, Isidāsī joined the Order and became an arahant.

11. Jinadattā was a therī who is described as expert in the Vinaya.

12. Kisāgotamī Therī was declared chief among women disciples with respect to the wearing of coarse robes (lūkhacīvara-dharānam). She came from a poor family in Sāvatthi. Gotamī was her name but she was called Kisā because of her thinness. She was married into a man from a rich family who treated her disdainfully until she bore a son. The boy, however, died when just old enough to run about and his mother, distraught with grief, fearful lest the dead child should be taken from her, went about with him on her hip, seeking medicine to revive his life. People laughed at her, until one wise man, realizing her condition, directed her to the Buddha. The Buddha asked her to bring him a sesame seed from a house where no one had ever died. In the course of her search for the impossible her frenzy left her, and having grasped the truth, she laid the child in the charnel field, and returning to the Buddha and requested admission to the Order. She became a Sotāpanna, and soon after, when her insight was developed, the Buddha appeared before her in a blaze of radiance and, listening to his words, she became an arahant.

13. Pañcadīpadāyikā Therī was a recluse wandering from one monastery to another one hundred thousand kappas ago. One dark night she sat at the foot of the bodhi tree and wished for the tree to shine in radiance. Her wish was granted, and for seven days she sat there, and on the ninth day she lit five lamps under the tree. After death she was born in Tāvatimsa, and her palace was known as Pañcadīpī. She had the power of seeing in all directions without turning her head. She was eighty times queen of the king of the devas. In her last life she attained arahantship at the age of seven.

14. Selā Therī was born in Alavi as daughter of the king and therefore called Alavikā. On one occasion Sela went with her father to hear the Buddha preach. She became a lay disciple and later joined the Order and became an arahant. After that she lived in Sāvatthi. One day, as she was enjoying her siesta in the Andhavana under a tree, Māra, in the guise of a stranger, approached her and tried to tempt her. But she refuted his statements regarding the attractions of lay life, and Māra had to retire discomfited.

15. Sigālakamātā Therī belonged to a setthi's family in Rājagaha and, after marriage, had a son called Sigālaka. She heard the Buddha preach and entered the Order. She was full of faith, and, when she went to hear the Buddha preach, would gaze at his beauty of personality. The Buddha, realizing her nature, preached so that her faith might reach its culmination, and, in due course, she became an arahant. Later she was declared chief of nuns who had attained release by faith.

16. Sīhā Therī was the niece of Sīha-Senāpati and was born in Vesāli. One day she heard the Buddha preach to Sāriputta, and entered the Order with her parents' consent. For seven years she tried, without success, to concentrate her mind. Then she tied a noose round her neck and fastened the end to a tree, and in this position she compelled her mind to gain insight. Then she loosened the noose.

17. Sumangalamātā Therī was born in a poor family of Sāvatthi and married to a rush-plaiter (nalakāra). Her first child was a son, Sumangala, who left the world and became an arahant. She became a nun, and one day, while reflecting on all she had suffered in the lay life, was much affected, and her insight quickening, became an arahant.

18. Udakadāyikā Therī was a water-carrier in a previous birth who maintained her children on her wages. Having nothing else to give, she regularly provided water in a bath for others. As a result, she was born in heaven and was fifty times queen of the deva-king and twenty times queen of kings on earth. She could produce rain at will, and her body knew neither heat nor dirt. Eventually she became an arahant.

19. Uppaladāyika Therī was the wife of the Khattiya Aruna of Arunavatī thirty-one kappas ago. One day, filled with anguish that she had not done any good deed that would bring her a happy condition of rebirth, she begged her husband for a holy recluse on whom she could wait. Her wish was granted, and she gave to the recluse a bowl of excellent food and perfume, the whole covered with a large robe. As a result, she was born in Tāvatimsa and became for a thousand times the consort of the king of the devas. Her body was always of the hue of the lotus and she had all womanly beauty. In her last birth she was born in a Sākyan family and joined the Bodhisatta's court at the head of a thousand women. Later, she left the world and became an arahant, seven days after joining the Order.

20. Vaddhamātā Therī was the mother of Vaddha Thera. After the birth of Vaddha she heard a monk preach, joined the Order, and became an arahant. She rebuked Vaddha when he visited her alone and without his cloak, and, later, when he asked for her advice, gave it to him and encouraged him. Then Vaddha developed insight and became an arahant.

21. Vimalā Therī was the daughter of a courtesan of Vesāli. Having one day seen Moggallāna begging in Vesāli for alms, she went to his dwelling and tried to entice him. He rebuked and admonished her, and she became a lay follower and later entered the Order. There after great effort, she became an arahant.

22. Somā Therī was the daughter of the chaplain of King Bimbisāra. When she grew up, she saw the Buddha on his first visit to Rājagaha and became a lay disciple. Later she joined the Order, developed insight, and became an arahant. One day, as she was spending her siesta at the foot of a tree in Andhavana, Māra, wishing to interrupt her privacy, approached her, invisible in the air, and teased her, remarking on the "two finger" consciousness of women. (The Commentary explains that women, when boiling rice, cannot tell if it is cooked without testing it between two fingers, hence the expression). Somā rebuked him, saying that the fact of being a woman was no obstacle to the comprehension of the Dhamma.

23. Sonā Therī was declared foremost among nuns for capacity of effort (āraddhaviriyānam). She belonged to the family of a clansman of Sāvatthi, and because, after marriage, she had ten sons and daughters, came to be called Bahuputtikā. When her husband renounced the world, she distributed her wealth among her children, keeping nothing for herself. Her children soon ceased to show her any respect, and she entered the Order in her old age. She waited on the nuns and studied most of the night. Soon her strenuous energy became known to the Buddha, and he, sending forth a ray of glory, spoke to her. Then she attained arahantship.

24. Nandā Therī was declared by the Buddha to be foremost among nuns in meditative power (jhāyīnam). She was the daughter of Suddhodana and Mahā Pajāpatī and was therefore Sister of Nanda Thera.

25. Patācārā Therī was the daughter of a banker of Sāvatthi, and, when grown up, formed an intimacy with a servant. When her parents wished to marry her to a youth of her own rank, she ran away with her lover and lived in a hamlet. As the time for her confinement drew near, she wished to return to her parents, but the husband, on various pretexts, put off the visit. One day when he was out she left a message with the neighbors and started for Sāvatthi. Her husband followed her, but on the way she gave birth to a son, and they returned home. The same happened when her second child was born, but soon after its birth a great storm broke, and her husband went to cut some sticks and grass in the jungle with which to make a shelter. He was bitten by a snake and died. She spent the night in misery, lying on the ground hugging her children. In the morning she discovered her husband's body, and started off to her parents. On the way she had to cross a river, and, because it flooded, could not carry both children across at the same time. She therefore left the younger on some leaves on the bank and started wading across with the other. Midstream she looked back and saw a hawk swoop down and carry away the babe. In her excitement, she dropped the child she was carrying and it was swept away by the flood. Distracted, she went on towards Sāvatthi, but on the way learned that the house in which her parents and brother lived had fallen on them in the night and that they had been burnt on one pyre.

Mad with grief, she wandered about in circles, and because, as she circled round, her skirt cloth fell from her, she was called Patācārā ("cloak walker"). People drove her from their doors, till one day she arrived in Jetavana, where the Buddha was preaching. The people round him tried to stop her from approaching, but the Buddha called her to him and talked to her. By the potency of his gentleness, she regained presence of mind and crouched on the earth. A man threw her his outer robe, and she, wearing it, drew close to the Buddha, and worshipping at his feet, told him her story and begged for his help.

The Buddha spoke words of consolation to her, making her realize the inevitability of death; he then taught her the Truth. When he finished speaking, she became a sotāpanna and asked for ordination. Her request was granted, and one day, while washing her feet, she noticed how the water trickled, sometimes only a short distance, and sometimes further, and she pondered, "even so do mortals die, either in childhood, in middle age, or in old age." The Buddha sent her a ray of glory and appeared before her, speaking and confirming her thoughts. When he had finished speaking, Patācārā won arahantship. She later became a great teacher, and many women, stricken with grief, sought her guidance and her consolation.

25 books

noreply@blogger.com (Pariyatti) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:44:00 +0000

25 books published by

Pariyatti Publishing

1. Along the Path - The Meditator's Companion to the Buddha's Land
a guidebook for meditators who plan to visit India and Nepal and the sacred sites where the Buddha lived and taught
2. The Buddha Taught Nonviolence, Not Pacifism
a small yet weighty essay and poem about the Buddha's teaching on nonviolence
3. Cultivating Inner Peace
The learnable qualities of peaceful living are brought into focus through the lives of the diverse examples of Mahatma Gandhi, Walt Whitman, Henry David Thoreau, the Buddha, John Muir, Scott and Helen Nearing, and Rabindranath Tagore.
4. In the Hope of Nibbana - The Ethics of Theravada Buddhism
a glimpse into the process of a “religion” and a culture struggling to align ethical values with the realities of the modern world
5. Letters from the Dhamma Brothers - Meditation Behind Bars
6. The Moon Appears When the Water is Still - Reflections of the Dhamma
a gently humorous, powerful yet sweet gathering of story-poems
7. The Quiet Mind - A Journey through space and mind
the spiritual odyssey of John Coleman, a CIA agent in Asia in the 1950's
8. You Can Never Speak Up Too Often for the Love of All Things
Poems based on themes from the world of meditation, social and ethical values, the biological nature of things blended with poetic, reverential awareness of the natural world.
9. A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma
a modern translation of the Abhidhammattha Sangaha offers an introduction to Buddhism's fundamental philosophical psychology
10. Approaching the Dhamma - Buddhist Texts and Practices in South and Southeast Asia
Eleven essays from leading scholars in Buddhist Studies honor the late Godwin Samararatne, "scholar, meditation master, social work, and spiritual friend to many in Sri Lanka and beyond."
11. The Life of the Buddha - According to the Pali Canon
a biography of the Buddha is drawn from the original Pali texts and arranged in a way that tells the story of the Buddha’s life while explaining his teaching
12. The Noble Eightfold Path - Way to the End of Suffering
a concise and thorough explanation of the Eightfold Path
13. Path of Purification - Visuddhimagga
a crystallization of the entire Pali Canon
14. The Buddha's Path to Deliverance
a classic anthology from the Pali Canon charts the entire course of spiritual development as prescribed in the most ancient Buddhist texts
15. The Vision of Dhamma - Buddhist Writings of Nyanaponika Thera
some of the core issues in the teachings of the Buddha in lucid and accessible language
16. Buddhavacana - A Pali Reader
a comprehensive Pali reader intended to enable a student to move directly into reading the Pali Nikayas
17. An Ancient Path - Talks on Vipassana meditation as taught by S. N. Goenka by Paul Fleischman
18. Dhamma Verses
over 100 dohas or verses of S.N Goenka that instruct as well as inspire
19. Discourse Summaries of S.N. Goenka
20. The Essentials of Buddha-Dhamma in Meditative Practice
a brief essay of extraordinary conciseness, clarity and power, in which the teacher of S. N. Goenka, Sayagyi U Ba Khin, sums up the technique of Vipassana
21. The Gem Set in Gold
English translations along with the Pali and Hindi chanting by S.N. Goenka from the ten-day course of Vipassana meditation
22. Karma & Chaos - New and Collected Essays on Vipassana Meditation
the interface between psychiatry, science and the timeless teaching of the Buddha
23. Mahasatipatthana Sutta - Great Discourse on the Establishing of Awareness
an annotated translation of the Mahasatipattana Sutta, the primary discourse in which the Buddha describes the practice of meditation in detail
24. Meditation Now - Inner Peace through Inner Wisdom
a collection of talks and writings by S. N. Goenka offers an introduction to Vipassana and its application in daily life
25. Satipatthana Sutta Discourses - Talks from a course in Mahasatipatthana Sutta
a condensed version of S.N. Goenka's discourses from an eight-day course on the Mahasatipatthana Sutta

25 centuries of the Buddha's teachings ~

noreply@blogger.com (Pariyatti) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 19:58:00 +0000

25 Centuries of the Buddha's teachings

Before Common Era

566: Siddhāttha Gotama is born in Lumbini (modern-day Nepal) into the Sakya royal family.

531: Siddhāttha attains Enlightenment in Buddha Gaya, India. Tapussa and Bhallika, two trader-brothers from Okkala (modern-day Yangon, Burma), offer him his first meal as the enlightened Buddha. He gives them eight strands of his hair, which they take back to Burma. The hairs are eventually enshrined in the Shwedagon Pagoda, built for that purpose. The Buddha walks to Sarnath, near Varanasi, and begins teaching the Dhamma, initially to his former companions.

The Buddhist calendar starts from the Buddha's death, which occurred in his 80th year.

486: After 45 years of expounding the Dhamma, Gotama Buddha attains mahaparinibbana at Kusinara. Three months later, the First Buddhist Council is convened at Rajagaha under the patronage of King Ajatasattu. The discourses of the sutta pitaka and the vinaya rules of monastic discipline are codified and preserved as an oral tradition.

386: The Second Buddhist Council, under the patronage of King Kālāsoka, convenes at Vaisali to discuss controversial points of vinaya. The first schism of the sangha occurs, in which the heterodox Mahasanghika school parts ways with the traditionalist Sthaviravadins. At issue is the Mahasanghika's reluctance to accept the suttas and vinaya as the final authority on the Buddha's teachings. This schism marks the beginnings of what would later evolve into Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism.

c. 250: The third Buddhist Council is convened at Pataliputra (modern Patna) by the emperor Asoka. The abhidhamma pitaka is recited at the Council, along with additional sections of the khuddaka nikaya. The Pāli tipitaka as it exists today is essentially complete.

Asoka establishes the Dhamma on a state level, issues a number of Dhamma edicts, and sends missionary-monks to distant countries— China and the Mon and Malay kingdoms to the east, and the Hellenistic kingdoms to the west—in order to make Buddhism more widely known.

The Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya is founded by Asoka.

c. 247: Ven. Mahinda, son of Asoka, officially introduces Buddhism to Sri Lanka.

c. 150: According to the Milinda Panha, the sage Nāgasena converts the Indo-Greek Bactrian king Menander I to Buddhism.

c. 35–32: Famine and schisms in Sri Lanka demonstrate the need for a definitive written record of the tipitaka to preserve the Buddha's teaching. The Fourth Buddhist Council takes place near Matale specifically to commit the tipitaka to writing for the first time, on palm leaves.

Common Era

c. 67: Buddhist monks Kasyapa-Matanga and Dharmaraksha translate Mahayana scriptures and take them to China.

c. 100–150: Buddhism is established in Cambodia and Vietnam.

148: An Shigao, a Parthian prince and Buddhist monk, arrives in China and makes the first translations of

Theravada texts into Chinese.

3rd century: Buddhist influence spreads through trade to Persia.

372: Chinese monks bring Buddhism to Korea.

5th century: Founding of the international Buddhist monastic university at Nalanda, where subjects as diverse as Buddhism, Logic, Mathematics, Philosophy, Law, Medicine, Grammar, Yoga, Alchemy, and Astrology are taught.

Ven. Buddhaghosa collates the various Sinhala commentaries on the Canon and translates them into Pāli, making Sinhala Buddhist scholarship available for the first time to the entire Theravada world. He also composes his encyclopædic meditation manual, the Visuddhimagga.

399-414: Fa Hsien travels from China to India, and then returns to translate Buddhist works into Chinese.

485: Five monks from Gandhara travel to the country of Fusang (Japan, or possibly the American continent), where they introduce Buddhism.

520: Bodhidharma, founder of Ch'an (Zen), arrives in China from India.

538: Buddhism is introduced to Japan via Korea.

7th century: First sustained diffusion of Buddhism into Tibet. Mahayana Buddhism introduced into Indonesia.

629–645: Hsuan-tsang, Chinese Buddhist monk, pilgrim, scholar, and translator visits India and leaves an accurate and detailed record of his overland journey, which proves indispensable to later archæologists.

651: Persian Buddhism collapses along with the Sassanid dynasty due to the Islamic invasion from Arabia.

8th century: Buddhist Jataka stories are translated into Arabic and Syriac. An account of Buddha's life is translated into Greek by John of Damascus and widely circulated to Christians as the story of Barlaam and Josaphat (Bodhisatta). By the 14th century this story becomes so popular that Josaphat is made a Catholic saint.

c. 760: Padmasambhava travels from Afghanistan to establish tantric Buddhism (later known as the Nyingma school) in Tibet, replacing Bonpo as the kingdom's main religion. Buddhism quickly spreads to Sikkim and Bhutan.

c. 780: Construction begins at the Borobodur complex in Java and continues for the next 50 years.

9th century: Khmer kings begin construction of Angkor Wat, which eventually becomes the world's largest religious monument.

10th century: Buddhist temple construction commences at Pagan, Burma. Islam begins to replace Buddhism in Central Asian kingdoms.

11th century: Atisa, Marpa, and Milarepa give impetus to Tibetan Buddhism.

1017: In Sri Lanka, Buddhist monastic orders die out due to Tamil invasions from India.

1044–1077: Pagan's first king, Anawratha, converted to the Theravada tradition by the Mon monk Shin Arahan, implements monastic reforms throughout his realm, dispelling Mahayana monks.

1070: Bhikkhus from Pagan arrive in Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka, to reinstate the Theravada monastic ordination.

1164: Polonnaruwa is destroyed by Tamil invaders from India. With the guidance of two forest monks, Ven. Mahakassapa and Ven. Sariputta, King Parakramabahu I reunites all bhikkhus in Sri Lanka into the Mahavihara sect.

1193: Nalanda University is sacked, looted, and burned by Muslim invaders. Buddhism is virtually extinct in central India.

13th century: Mahayana Buddhism flourishes in Japan under Shinran, Dogen, and Nichiren.

c. 1238: The Thai kingdom of Sukhothai is established with theravada Buddhism as the state religion.

1277–1287: Burma's Pagan empire begins to disintegrate after being defeated by Kublai Khan’s Mongol troops.

1279: Last inscriptional evidence of a Theravada bhikkhuni nunnery, in Burma.

1295: Marco Polo returns to Venice after 24 years in Central Asia and China. His account of his journey encourages his compatriot, Christoforo Columbo.

14th century: Theravada Buddhism spreads to Laos and Cambodia.

15th century: Final decline of Buddhism in South India.

1405–1431: Chinese explorer, diplomat, and fleet admiral Zheng He makes seven voyages through Southeast Asia, India, the Persian Gulf, East Africa, and Egypt. Buddhism is well established in China at this time, so a number of countries he visited likely had their first exposure to Buddhism.

1498: Discovery of the sea route around the south of Africa to the Indian Ocean by Vasco da Gama. Beginning of the colonial era.

16th century: Persecution and virtual eradication of Buddhism in Sri Lanka by the Portuguese.

17th century: French, British and Dutch trading outposts established in Burma. Dutch gain control of most of Sri Lanka.

1753: Reinstatement of monks' ordination in Sri Lanka by monks from Thailand: the Siyam Nikaya.

19th century: Colonial occupation of Sri Lanka and Burma by the British, and Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam by the French.

1862: First translation by Viggo Fausböll of the Dhammapada into a Western language: Latin.

1871: The Fifth Buddhist Council, under the patronage of King Mindon, is convened in Mandalay to re-edit the Pāli canon. The emended texts are engraved on 729 marble slabs set upright on the grounds of Kuthodaw pagoda at the foot of Mandalay Hill.

1881: The Pali text Society is founded in England by T.W. Rhys Davids; most of the tipitaka is published in roman script and, over the next 100 years, in English translation.

c. 1884: Irish-born hobo, Laurence Carroll, alias O'Rourke—on occasion he used the nom de plume "Captain Daylight"—is ordained in Burma as U Dhammaloka, the first named, but not first known, Western bhikkhu.

1891: The Maha Bodhi Society is founded in India by the Sri Lankan layman Anagarika Dharmapala in an effort to reintroduce Buddhism to India.

1896: Using Fa Hsien's records, Nepalese archaeologists rediscover the stone edict pillar of Asoka at Lumbini.

1949: the Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya is returned to partial Buddhist control.

1954–1956: the Sixth Buddhist Council, organized by Prime Minister U Nu, is held in Yangon, Myanmar, and ends to coincide with the 2500th anniversary of the passing of the Buddha.

25 lesser known places in the Buddha's life

noreply@blogger.com (Pariyatti) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 21:27:00 +0000

Lesser known places

in the Buddha’s life ~

1. Aciravatī

One the five great rivers flowing from the Himālaya eastwards into the sea. During the hot season it ran dry, leaving a bed of sand. It flowed through Kosala, and at Sāvatthi an udumbara grove grew on its banks that could be seen from the terrace of Pasenadi's palace.

To the south of it was Manasākata, and on its southern bank was a mango grove where the Buddha sometimes resided. The Tevijja Sutta was preached here, and the Aciravatī is used in a simile to prove the futility of sacrifices and prayers: it is of no use standing on one bank of the river and calling to the other bank to come over.

2. Ambalatthikā

A royal park on the road between Rājagaha and Nālandā. It contained a royal rest-house in which the Buddha and members of the Order used to stay in the course of their journeying. On one such occasion the Brahmajāla Sutta was preached.

It was one of the spots in which the Buddha rested during his last tour, and we are told that while there he discoursed to a large number of monks. The most well known of the Buddha's sermons in Ambalatthikā seems to have been the Rāhulovāda Sutta.

3. Ambapālivana

The grove presented by Ambapālī to the Buddha and the Order, in Vesāli, during his last tour in that town, at the conclusion of the meal to which Ambapālī had invited him. Both the Buddha and the monks seem to have stayed there previously during their visits to Vesāli.

The Buddha is said to have preached three suttas in the grove, two of them being on the value of the satipatthānā. In the third sutta he dwells on the impermanence of all sankhāras and proceeds to describe the process by which the whole world will ultimately be destroyed by seven suns arising in the world and drying everything up. This sutta also contains the story of the teacher Sunetta, who, even after becoming the Great Brahma, is yet subject to old age and death.

4. Ātumā

In the Mahā Parinibbāna Sutta the Buddha tells Pukkusa of another occasion on which he was staying in the Bhūsāgāra in Ātumā. There was a thunderstorm and two peasants (brothers) and four oxen were struck by lightning. A large number of people having gathered at the place, asked the Buddha if he was aware of the accident. The Buddha had been in a state of concentration and had neither seen nor heard anything of it. Such was the state of calm of his mind.

5. Beluva

A village near Vesāli, where the Buddha spent his last vassa, ten months before his mahaparinibbāna. According to the Commentaries the Buddha did not go straight from Beluva to Vesāli, but turned back to Sāvatthi. He fell grievously ill during this period, but, by a great effort of will, overcame his sickness.

It was at this time that the Buddha, in answer to a question by Ananda, said that he had kept nothing back from his disciples and had no special instructions for the Order to follow after his death. Each disciple must work out his own salvation.

6. Bhogagāmanagara

A village in the Vajji country, where the Buddha stayed on his last journey, in the Ananda cetiya, and where he preached a sermon on the four mahāpadesā (the "great references or sources").

7. Campā

A city in India on the river of the same name, the capital of Anga, celebrated for its beautiful lake, the Gaggarā-pokkharanī, which was excavated by Queen Gaggarā. On its banks was a grove of campaka-trees, well known for their fragrant white flowers. The Buddha stayed there on several occasions. The Mahā Parinibbāna Sutta mentions Campā as one of the six important cities of India.

8. Cāpāla-cetiya

A shrine near Vesāli, where the Buddha, three months before his parinibbāna, decided to accede to the request of Māra to die. When he announced this decision, the earth shook.

9. Dakkhināgiri

The road from Sāvatthi to Rājagaha lay through Dakkhināgiri, and the Buddha traversed it in the course of his tours through Magadha, residing in the Dakkhināgiri-vihāra in Ekanālā. It was during one of these tours that he converted Kasī-Bhāradvāja, Dhammasava and his father. On another of these occasions the Buddha saw the Magadhakhetta, which gave him the idea of designing the robe of a monk to resemble a field.

10. Ekasālā

A Brahmin village in the Kosala kingdom. The Buddha once stayed there, and when a large congregation of the laity were listening to him, Māra, thinking to darken their intelligence, suggested to him that he should not teach others. The Buddha refuted the suggestion of Māra, who retired discomfited.

11. Gaggarā

A lotus-pond at Campā. On its bank was a Campaka-grove where the Buddha stayed during his visits. On one such occasion Pessa and Kandaraka visited him, and he preached the Kandaraka Sutta to them.

On one occasion, when the Buddha was staying there, Sāriputta approached him with a large number of the inhabitants of Campà and asked him questions concerning the efficacy of giving alms.

It was on the banks of the Gaggarā that the Buddha preached the Karandava Sutta on the necessity of getting rid of evil-minded members of the Sangha lest they should corrupt the whole Order, and the pond-bank was also the scene of the preaching of the well-known Sonadanda Sutta. Once, when the Buddha was at this spot with a large number of monks and lay-followers, Vangīsa came up to him and praised him in a song, pointing out how the Buddha outshone them all

12. Gayāsīsa

A hill near Gayā. Here the Buddha came from Uruvelā after converting the Tebhātika-Jatilā, and here he lived with one thousand monks. On this occasion of his coming he preached the Adittapariyāya Sutta

The Commentaries say that the hill was so called because it was composed of a flat stone and was shaped like an elephant's head. There was room on the rock for one thousand monks.

13. Ghositārāma

A monastery in Kosambī, built by Ghosita (Ghosaka) for the use of the Buddha and the monks. The Buddha often stayed there during his visits to Kosambī and numerous incidents are mentioned in the books in connection with the monastery. It was because of a dispute between two monks of the Ghositārāma, one expert in the Vinaya and one in the Dhamma, that the first schism arose in the Order, driving the Buddha himself to seek quiet in the Pārileyyaka forest.

Even at other times the Buddha seems to have sought solitude in this forest during his sojourns at the Ghositārāma.

14. Hatthigāma

A village on the road from Vesāli to Bhoganagara. It was the residence of Ugga-gahapati and is described as a village of the Vajjians. The Buddha stayed there and was visited by Ugga. On his last journey he again rested in the village.

15. Iccānanagala

A brahmin village in the Kosala country. It was while staying in the woodland thicket (vanasanda) there that the Buddha preached the Ambattha Sutta. From this sutta, the village would seem to have been near Pokkharasādi's domain of Ukkatthā. It was the residence of "Mahāsāla" brahmins. There were also two learned youths, Vāsettha and Bhāradvāja at Icchānankala, who, finding it impossible to bring their discussion to a conclusion, sought the Buddha, then staying in the village. Their interview with the Buddha is recorded in the Vāsettha Sutta.

16. Isigili

One of the five mountains round Rājagaha, on the side of which, there wa a black stone called the Kālasilā. This was a favourite haunt of the Buddha and the members of the Order.

17. Jīvakambavana

A mango-grove in Rājagaha, belonging to Jīvaka, which he gave to the Buddha and his monks. He built a monastery in the grove, where the Buddha stayed several times. On one such occasion Ajātasattu visited the Buddha and the Sāmaññaphala Sutta was preached. The Jīvaka Suttas were also preached there. The mango-grove was near Maddakucchi, so thither they carried the Buddha when his foot was injured by a splinter from the rock hurled by Devadatta.

18. Kassapakārāma (Kassapārāma)

A monastery in Rājagaha, probably near Veluvana. It was here that Assaji stayed during his last illness, when the Buddha visited him to comfort him.

19. Nagaraka

A Sākiyan township near Medatalumpa. From there Pasenadi, accompanied by Digha-Kārāyana, paid his last visit to the Buddha, as recorded in the Dhammacetiya Sutta.

The Buddha evidently once stayed in Nagaraka, for in the Cūla-Suññatā Sutta, Ananda is reported as reminding the Buddha that once, while staying at Nagaraka, the Buddha had remarked that he lived “with the Void a great deal."

20. Nerañjarā

After the Enlightenment, the Buddha lived under the Ajapāla Nigrodha at Uruvelā, on the banks of this river. There Māra tempted him, and, later, Brahmā persuaded him to preach the Dhamma.

The Commentaries say that when the Buddha, having realized the futility of austerities, left the Pañcavaggiyas (his five companions), and retired to Uruvelā, on the banks of the Nerañjarā, where just before the Enlightenment, Sujātā gave him a meal of milk rice, taking him to be a god. Before eating the food, he bathed in the ford called Suppatittha. Under the bed of the river lay the abode of the Nāga king, Kāla. There was a sāla grove on the banks, where the Buddha spent the afternoon previous to the night of the Enlightenment.

21. Pārileyyaka

In the tenth year after the Enlightenment, when the Buddha found that he could not persuade the Kosambī monks to refrain from quarrelling, he left Kosambī alone and unattended, and passing through Bālaklonakāragāma and Pācīnavamsadāya, went to Pārileyyaka, where he stayed at the foot of Bhaddasāla in the Rakkhitavanasanda. There a certain elephant who, finding communal life distasteful, had left his herd, waited on the Buddha, ministering to all his needs. From Pārileyyaka the Buddha went on to Sāvatthi.

22. Pāvā

A city of the Mallas which the Buddha visited during his last journey, going there from Bhogagāma and stopping at Cunda's mango grove. Cunda lived in Pāvā and invited the Buddha to a meal, which proved to be his last. On this occasion the Cunda Sutta was preached. From Pāvā the Buddha journeyed on to Kusinārā, crossing the Kakkutthā on the way.

According to the Sangīti Sutta, at the time the Buddha was staying at Pāvā, the Mallas had just completed their new Mote hall, Ubbhataka, and, at their invitation, the Buddha consecrated it by first occupying it and then preaching in it. After the Buddha had finished speaking, Sāriputta recited the Sangīti Sutta to the assembled monks.

23. Pāvārikambavana

A Mango grove at Nālandā where the Buddha stayed when on a visit there. It was there that he preached the Kevatta Sutta, the Sampasādaniya Sutta and the Upāli Sutta.

24. Pipphaligūhā

A cave near Rājagaha, evidently a favorite haunt of Mahā Kassapa. Once when he lay there grievously ill, the Buddha visited him and cheered him by talking to him of the seven bojjhaṅgas. On another occasion, Mahā Kassapa spent several days there in a trance, and when, at the end of that period, he entered Rājagaha for alms, Sakka, with Sujātā, waited for him in the guise of a weaver, and his wife gave him a meal. When Kassapa discovered this, he asked Sakka not to do such a thing again; but the Buddha heard Sakka's song of triumph when his meal was accepted and praised him for his gift.

25. Tapodārāma

A grove near lake Tapodā. In the grove was a monastery where the Buddha seems to have stayed on several occasions. It is said that on one such occasion the Buddha gave Ananda the chance of asking him to live for a whole kappa, but Ananda failed to make use of it.

25 Indian Buddhas

noreply@blogger.com (Pariyatti) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 17:06:00 +0000

25 kinds of plants from the Buddha’s time

noreply@blogger.com (Pariyatti) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 21:15:00 +0000

akka — the plant calotropis gigantea, swallow-wort

ajjuka — the plant ocimum gratissimum

atimuttaka — the plant gaertnera racemosa

ālu — a bulbous plant, radix globosa esculenta or amorphophallus, arum campanulatum

indavāruṇī — the coloquintida plant

eraṇḍa — the castor oil plant

eḷagalā — the plant cassia tora

kacchu — the plant carpopogon pruriens

kaṭeruha — a flowering plant

kadalī — the plantain musa sapientium

kapikacchu — the plant mucuna pruritus

kamboji — the plant cassia tora or alata

mandālaka — a water plant (kind of lotus)

mudayantī — a certain plant perhaps ptychotis ajowan

lāpulatā — the cucumber creeper or plant

vallibha — the plant kum-bhaṇḍa i.e. a kind of gourd

vassikā & vassika — jasminum sambac

vātingaṇa — the egg plant solanum melongena

vibhītaka —the plant terminalia belerica; beleric myrobolan

vilanga — the plant erycibe paniculata

sāmā — a medicinal plant, the priyangu creeper

singhāṇikā — a water plant trapa bispinosa

sevāla — the plant blyxa octandra moss

haṭa — a kind of water plant pistia stratiotes

hingu — the asafetida plant

25 Sri Lankan Buddhas

noreply@blogger.com (Pariyatti) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 17:46:00 +0000

25 Burmese Buddhas

noreply@blogger.com (Pariyatti) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 20:49:00 +0000

qualities

noreply@blogger.com (Pariyatti) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 18:31:00 +0000

25 qualities of a Buddha

1 freed from impurities

bhagavā

2 has destroyed mental defilements

arahaṃ

3 fully enlightened by his own efforts

sammā-sambuddho

4 perfect in theory & practice

vijjācaraṇa-sampanno

5 has reached the final goal

sugato

6 a knower of the entire universe

lokavidū

7 an incomparable trainer of humans

anuttaro purisa-damma-sārathī

8 a teacher of devas and humans

satthā deva-manussānaṃ

9 ardent in meditation

tapassino

10 gained insight into reality as it is

yathābhūtaṃ vipassisuṃ

11 utters no evil

apisuṇātha

12 mighty & experienced

mahantaṃ vītasāradā

13 perfect confidence

(the 4 confidences for a Buddha are - has attained highest knowledge, is freed from all defilements, recognizes the obstacles on the path, and has rightly taught the way to liberation)

vesārajjehupāgatā

14 a conqueror

jinā

15 great radiance

mahāpabhā

16 great wisdom

mahāpaññā

17 great strength

mahabbalā

18 greatly compassionate

mahākāruṇikā

19 greatly resolute

dhīrā

20 a shelter

dīpā

21 a supporter

patiṭṭhā

22 a sanctuary

gatī

23 a great comforter

mahessāsā

24 a refuge

saraṇā

25 a well-wisher

hitesino

from the tiratana vandanā & the Āṭānāṭiya suttaṃ

blessings

noreply@blogger.com (Pariyatti) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 19:36:00 +0000

25 Blessings from the Maṅgala Sutta

Thus have I heard that at one time the Blessed One was staying in Savatthi at Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's monastery. Then a certain deva, in the far extreme of the night, her extreme radiance lighting up the entirety of Jeta's Grove, approached the Blessed One. On approaching, having bowed down to the Blessed One, she stood to one side. As she stood to one side, she addressed him with a verse—

Many devas and human beings give thought to protection, desiring well-being.

Tell, then, the highest protection.

1. to associate with the wise
2. to honor those who are worthy of honor
3. to reside in a suitable locality
4. to have done meritorious actions in the past
5. to have much learning
6. to be skillful in handicraft
7. to be good of speech
8. to support mother and father
9. to cherish spouse and children
10. to be engaged in peaceful occupation
11. to be generous in giving
12. to be righteous in conduct
13. to care for one’s relatives
14. to be blameless in action
15. to abstain from unwholesomeness
16. to refrain from intoxicants
17. to be steadfast in virtue
18. to be respectful and humble
19. to be contented, grateful, and tolerant
20. to listen to Dhamma
21. to witness the Four Noble truths
22. to experience nibbāna
23. to have a mind free from sorrow
24. to have a mind free from fear
25. to have a mind unshaken, secure when faced with vicissitudes of life

Etādisāni katvāna, sabbattham apparājitā;
sabbatthasotthiṃ gacchanti, taṃ tesaṃ maṅgalamuttamaṃ.

Having acted in this way, everywhere invincible,

they go everywhere safely— that is the highest welfare.

25 Buddhas

noreply@blogger.com (Pariyatti) — Sat, 14 May 2011 23:17:00 +0000

25 past Buddhas – from the distant past to the more recent past ~

25. Dīpankara, 24. Koṇḍañña, 23. Maṅgala, 22. Sumana, 21. Revata, 20. Sobhita, 19. Anomadassi, 18. Paduma, 17. Nārada, 16. Padumuttara, 15. Sumedha, 14. Sujāta, 13. Piyadassi, 12. Atthadassi, 11. Dhammadassī, 10. Siddhattha, 9. Tissa, 8. Phussa, 7. Vipassī, 6. Sikhī, 5. Vessabhū, 4. Kakusandha, 3. Koṇāgamana, 2. Kassapa, 1. Gotama

Twenty-five more questions posed by the Venerable Nagasena to King Milinda

noreply@blogger.com (Pariyatti) — Wed, 11 May 2011 16:00:00 +0000

1. How did you come, Sire, on foot or in a chariot?

2. How do the barley reapers reap the grain?

3. Is the mother of a baby son a different person from the mother of the same baby now grown into an adult?

4. What is objectionable about the eight kinds of places that should be avoided by a wise person?

5. Suppose, O king, that a great and glorious fire were kindled and then died out. Would the fire then accept any supply of dried grass or sticks?

6. Would a well burnished, straight-edged dart discharged by a powerful man have any clumsiness in its action?

7. If there were a tree in full fruit from which no fruit had fallen, can this tree rightly be called barren?

8. Is there in the world such a thing as natural law (dhamma)?

9. When the Enlightened One said that the Dhamma would only endure for five hundred years, did he foretell the disappearance of the good law, or throw blame on the clear understanding thereof?

10. If there were a reservoir full of fresh cool water, and a mighty cloud were to rain on it continually, would the amount of water in the tank decrease or cease?

11. If people were to supply a mighty fiery furnace continuously with dried cow dung, dry sticks and dry leaves, would the fire go out?

12. If people were to polish a stainless mirror that was already bright and shining, would dirt and dust arise on its surface?

13. What are the eight causes by which many beings suffer pain?

14. If a clod of earth were to be thrown into the air and fall again onto the ground, would it be because of any action done previously that it would fall thus?

15. Is sensation impermanent?

16. If a person suffering from a painful boil summoned a surgeon, and the surgeon prescribed removal of the boil using a sharpened lancet, or burning cauterizing sticks, would the patient begin to dread the scoring by the sharp lancet or burning caustic sticks?

17. Suppose a person were bitten by a poisonous snake, and another person through repeating a powerful charm, compelled the same snake to approach and suck the poison back again. Would the bitten person seeing the poisonous snake approaching him, even for the purpose of curing him, still be in dread of it?

18. Have you ever seen, O king, a case of a disease being turned back by medicines?

19. If robbers hiding out in inaccessible country over the border beset the kingdom’s roads, and the king caught sight of them, would these robbers be safe?

20. Suppose a man were to give ambrosia to all the people. If one person after eating it, on account of his own bad digestion, were to die, would the person who gave away the ambrosia be guilty of any offence?

21. Have you ever heard of people bowing down, paying respect to a criminal?

22. Would a physician administer pleasant medicinal things to a person whose whole body was toxic and full of disease?

23. Would it be possible for a person who had done nothing wrong, and was walking innocently along the streets, to be seized and put to death by any wise person?

24. Why is it that for one slap of the hand there should be a gentle fine of one penny, while for a slap given to the king there should be fearful retribution?

25. If a person were to stumble against a root, stake, stone, or uneven ground, and fall upon the broad earth, would it be the case that the broad earth, angered at him, made him fall?

Twenty-five more questions posed by King Milinda to the renowned sage Nagasena

noreply@blogger.com (Pariyatti) — Sun, 08 May 2011 00:42:00 +0000

When you speak of the wheel of rebirth, what does that mean?
Does memory always arise subjectively or is it stirred up by suggestion from outside?
In how many ways does memory spring up?
Do you recluses strive after the removal of past sorrow?
How far is it from here to the Brahma world?
If one person were to die here and be reborn in the Brahma world, and another were to die here and be reborn in Kashmir, which of the two would arrive first?
Which is there more of, merit or demerit?
Why is the ocean all of one taste, the taste of salt?
When he became Buddha, had the Blessed One burned out all evil in himself, or was there still some evil remaining in him?
Is a pleasant sensation good, evil or indifferent?
Will you, Nagasena, be reborn?
You say that the ultimate originating point of time is not apparent. Can you give me an example of this?
Does thought-perception (mano-viññānaṃ) arise wherever sight arises?
You have told me that you practice renunciation in order that no further suffering might arise. Is this renunciation brought about by previous effort, or to be striven after now, in this present time?
Is this Buddha pre-eminent?
Have you seen what the Truth is?
Is it true that the Buddha was endowed with the thirty-two bodily marks of a great man?
What is the distinction between one who is full of passion and one who is devoid of passion?
Who was it who admitted Devadatta to the Order?
Can the divine eye arise when the cause of it has been utterly destroyed?
Does all pain arise on account of kamma?
If the Blessed One after his enlightenment had done all that needs to be done, how is it that immediately afterwards he entered into several weeks' meditative absorption?
The Enlightened One declared, “When I am gone, let the Order abolish all lesser and minor precepts if they see fit.” Were these precepts then wrongly laid down?
On the one hand, the Buddha said, “The Tathagata has not such thing as the closed fist of a teacher who holds something back.” On the other, he made no reply to a question put by the Malunkaya woman’s son. Is this not a contradiction?
The Buddha said, “All men tremble at punishment and all are afraid of death.” But he also said, “The arahat has passed beyond all fear.” Does the arahat then tremble with the fear of punishment or death?”

noreply@blogger.com (Pariyatti) — Mon, 02 May 2011 23:56:00 +0000

25 benefits of practicing metta

1. You will sleep easily, 2. you will wake easily, 3. you will have pleasant dreams, 4. people will love you, 5. devas [celestial beings] and animals will love you, 6. devas will protect you, 7. external dangers [poisons, weapons, and fire] will not harm you, 8. your face will be radiant, 9. your mind will be serene, 10. you will die unconfused, 11. you will be reborn in happy realms, 12. you will enjoy well-being, 13. have good health, 14. peace of mind, 15. have radiant features, 16. happiness, 17. have good friends, 18. have ease of meditation practice, 19. feel happy, 20. calm, 21. peaceful, 22. concentrated, 23. stable, 24. and mind will be pliable, 25. and malleable

noreply@blogger.com (Pariyatti) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 15:42:00 +0000

The Milindapañha, or Questions of King Milinda, the eighteenth book of the Khuddaka Nikaya (according to the Burmese version of the Pali canon), offers a fascinating dialogue between the arahant Ven. Nagasena and the Greek King Milinda (Menander). The King, a philosopher and skilled debater, bombards Ven. Nagasena with one question after another concerning the Dhamma, each of which Ven. Nagasena masterfully answers.

One interesting thing about the Milindapañha is that it is the product of the encounter of two great civilizations — Hellenistic Greece and Buddhist India — and is thus of continuing relevance as the wisdom of the East meets the modern Western world. King Milinda poses questions about dilemmas raised by Buddhist philosophy that we might ask today. And Nagasena's responses are full of wisdom, wit, and helpful analogies. Like so many stories from the Pali Canon, this one has a happy ending: the king, profoundly impressed by Ven. Nagasena's wisdom, hands his kingdom over to his son, joins the Sangha, and eventually becomes an arahant.

NB: In the original, King Milinda prefaces each of his questions with courteous and respectful honorifics traditionally accorded to members of the Bhikkhu Sangha: “Sir,” “Reverend Sir,” “Nagasena,” “Reverend Nagasena.”

Twenty-five questions posed by King Milinda to the renowned sage Nagasena

1. Who is it who attains to the goal of the Excellent Way, to the Nibbāna of Arahatship?

2. Is there anyone who after death is not reindividualized?

3. What is the characteristic mark of reasoning, and what of wisdom?

4. What is the characteristic mark of good conduct?

5. How is aspiration the mark of faith?

6. What is the characteristic mark of meditation?

7. One who is born: does he remain the same or become another?

8. Is a person who will not be reborn aware of the fact?

9. Does one who has intelligence also have wisdom?

10. Would a person with intelligence and wisdom still be in bewilderment or not?

11. Does one who will not be reborn still feel any painful sensation?

12. What is it that is reborn?

13. You speak, Nagasena, of time immemorial. What does this word “time” mean?

14. Are there any qualities that spring into being without a gradual becoming?

15. Is there such a thing as the soul?

16. What is the characteristic mark of sensation (vedanā)?

17. You say that the distinguishing characteristic of investigation (vicāra) is “threshing out again and again.” What is an illustration?

18. Are the five āyatanas (eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body) the result of various kammas or one kamma?

19. Why is it that all people are not alike: some are short-lived, some long-lived; some sickly and others healthy; some ugly, others beautiful, etc.?

20. Is cessation Nibbāna?

21. Have you seen the Buddha?

22. Is it possible for others to know how incomparable the Buddha is?

23. Is the body dear to you recluses?

24. You say that ordination is “a good and beautiful thing.” Did the Buddha obtain it or not?

25. To which of these two are one’s tears a cure: one who weeps at the death of one’s own mother, or one who weeps out of love for the Dhamma?

From Milinda’s Questions, translated from the Pali by I.B. Horner

Venerable Ananda

noreply@blogger.com (Pariyatti) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 21:03:00 +0000

Ananda with the Buddha in Mahaparinibbana

Another 25! —

— the number of years that the Ven Ananda was the attendant of the Enlightened One.

One of the virtues of Ananda, which established his fame, was his conduct as the Buddha's attendant. The Buddha said of him, that he was the best of all attendants, was the foremost of all those monks who had ever filled this post (AN 1.19).

The term "attendant" is actually not comprehensive enough. There is hardly an English word, which can do full justice to his position. If we were to choose designations such as "secretary" or "adjunct," then we would not express the most intimate aspects of his attendance, extending to many little items of personal assistance given to the Master. If we called him a "servant," then we would omit the organizational and directing aspects, which manifested on many occasions. And if we looked for examples in the world's literature of a confidante of a great man, who accompanied him constantly, we would not find his likeness.

This loving attention for 25 years consisted of the following services: Ananda brought water for washing to the Buddha and tooth-wood, he arranged his seat, washed his feet, massaged his back, fanned him for coolness, swept his cell, and mended his robes. He slept nearby at night to be always on hand. He accompanied him on his rounds through the monastery (Mv VIII.16) and after meetings he checked to see whether any monk had left anything behind. He carried the Buddha's messages (Cv V.20) and called the monks together, even sometimes at midnight (J 148). When the Buddha was sick, he obtained medicine for him. Once when monks neglected a very sick fellow monk, the Buddha and Ananda washed him and together carried him to a resting-place (Mv VIII.26). In this way Ananda performed the many daily tasks and cared for the physical well-being of his enlightened cousin like a good mother or a caring wife.

But above all, he also had the duties of a good secretary, namely the smooth communication between the thousands of monks and the Master. Together with Sariputta and Moggallana he tried to sort out, and attend to, the manifold problems of human relationships turning up in a community.

lists of 25

noreply@blogger.com (Pariyatti Twenty Five) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 23:55:00 +0000

In celebration of Pariyatti's 25th year in service ~ offering dhamma resources, we would like to share with you in different ways.

Our first project has to do lists of 25 things that are related to the Buddha ...to pariyatti [little p for the theoretical teachings of the Buddha] ...and to Pariyatti [big P for us].

We will do the first few so you'll see and then we would be happy to receive your contributions.

the first —

25 synonyms for nibbāna

asaṅkhata — the unconditioned
amataṃ — the deathless
akhalita — unbroken, intact, entire, undisturbed
akutobhaya — safe from every quarter
abyādhi — diseaseless
abyāpajjha — freedom from harm, unwavering, settled
asoka — sorrowless
anālaya — that which is not reliant, free from attachment
ajarā — where there is no aging
asaṅkuppa — the unshakeable
akampita — that which does not tremble
accuta — that which does not pass away
apalokita — that which does not disintegrate
anata — the uninclined
anāsava — the taintless
ajāta — the unborn
abhūta — the unbecome
appamāṅa — that which is measureless
anāpara —the matchless
anidassana — the unmanifest
appavatta — that without continuation
anārammaṅa — that without basis
asammoha — free from delusion
anuttara — the highest, incomparable; unsurpassed
accantapariyosāna — the absolute end